Praise Flowing A Bit More Freely

While "cautious optimism" has been the hip phrase surrounding Clemson football again this week, some of the optimism is beginning to come a little closer to the surface. Even if it has to be lured.

Wednesday after practice, head coach Tommy Bowden was quick to offer praise to certain areas of his team when prompted by reporters. For instance:

- The offensive line.

"It would be hard to argue with 600 yards of offense," Bowden said, referring to the output last Saturday at N.C. State. "There's not a whole lot going wrong there."

- His wide receivers, a group that saw one of its most consistent performers so far this year - Tyler Grisham - go without a catch vs. the Wolfpack. Such has been the depth of the passing game.

"Coach (Dabo) Swinney's done such a good job with that group, and they've all got another year," he said. "We lose LaDante (Harris), and that's it. Those guys have all done a good job."
Of course Bowden was quick to offer up a little criticism, as well.

Returning to the subject of the offensive line, he expressed a concern about quality depth. Several of the backups aren't playing well enough at the moment, and that could cause problems as the season continues.

"We're playing the starters too much," Bowden said. "We need Lambert, Hairston, Grant, Medlin and those guys to step up to the plate. That's been a little disappointing."

NOTES
- Bowden said that Wednesday's practice was better than Tuesday.

"We did not have a good practice yesterday. Same heat. Same dress. It's just attitude," he said. "The attitude was really good today."

- The coach also said that bandit end Ricky Sapp had his best all-around game vs. N.C. State. Every category on which the coaches grade a player - from effort to missed assignments, from run support to rushing the passer - Sapp graded high.

The trick now, Bowden said, is consistency.

"He's been here what, 17 games? That's one. Now we need him to string a whole bunch of them together. Gaines Adams was able to do that, and look at the reward he got."

Don't Pop The Champagne Corks Just Yet

For the moment, they're all saying the right things.

They, of course, are Clemson's players and coaches. Led by Tommy Bowden. So far, four games and four wins into the 2007 college football season, no one in the Clemson camp is jumping off the deep end in attempts to praise these Tigers.

Oh sure, they're happy with the start. The win over N.C. State was, to date, the team's best all-around performance.

But even at that, Bowden was hesitant to proclaim as much during Sunday's teleconference with the media.

"I don't know how good Florida State or N.C. State are," he said. "I want to wait and see how we do once the competition gets tougher."

That attitude, at least publicly, has been shared by Bowden's players. Fans, too, should be of the same mindset. Because whatever the good feelings may be now, it can all unravel more quickly than a dose of castor oil can run through a sick child (you youngsters ask the old folks about castor oil. I still have nightmares of my grandmother coming after me with that oversize spoon).

Bad memories aside, the fact remains that the story of this team has yet to be written to its completion. And if the Tigers are to make hay in the ACC come November, the next two weeks loom large.

By that time, one half of the season - and the conference schedule - will be completed. Sweep Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, you're sitting pretty. Split and things are still okay.

Lose both? Well, the road to Jacksonville could very well become much like the road to Hades - paved with good intentions.

So enjoy the perfect start. Revel in the success of Cullen Harper. Be joyful over the No. 13 ranking.

Just don't get carried away. Yet.

The warning label on this bottle says that premature celebration can lead to unnecessary heart problems.

Just trying to help.

Napier Continues To Impress

It's an old cliche, but it remains true today. Perhaps more than ever before.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a college football program.

If you can build a relationship with a player, convince them that your school is the right place to be, and do it consistently, your future in the business is a bright one. With the stakes higher than ever before, with terms like "arms race" being thrown around where facilities are concerned, coaches who can recruit successfully will be rapid risers throughout the profession.

Tommy Bowden has a number of good recruiters on his staff.

Veterans like Brad Scott and Ron West have seen and done it all. Dabo Swinney has made a name for himself among the elite players on Clemson's roster. David Blackwell was brought to Bowden's staff in part because of his recruiting prowess.

But who is the brightest star of them all?

It could very well be Billy Napier.

The former Furman quarterback began as a graduate assistant at Clemson, went away for a couple of years, then came back to Bowden's staff to launch his career. And launch it he did, in a major way. Major college magazines have taken notice of Napier's recruiting ability, and it seems the more he works at it the better he gets.

His boss, Tommy Bowden surely is impressed. And not just with his recruiting. It's the total package that still catches Bowden's attention.

"He is productive. We put him in charge of punt blocks last year and we didn't have any punts blocked last year after having five blocked in 2005," Bowden said earlier this week. "His tight ends have been productive. Thomas Hunter had the most yards by a Clemson tight end in 30 years last year, and this year Brian Linthicum already has two touchdown passes.

"His recruiting speaks for itself. He has a pretty good future in this profession. He's got a good pedigree with his father being a coach. When you play quarterback, it really gives you and understanding offensively of every position on offense, plus defensive structure, support, and coverage. Right now after two years with me, he has obviously shown he can recruit, and his unit (tight ends) has been productive on the field."

The only problem, if you can call it that, is upward mobility.

The better Napier does, the more likely another school comes calling with a bigger, better job with even more responsibility. It's the nature of the business, and likely to happen sooner rather than later.

Clemson fans should enjoy his production while they can.

Catching Up...Again

Whose idea was it to write a daily blog anyway?

Well, okay. It was mine. Great in theory. So far a little lacking in execution these last two weeks. But, we will try to do better moving forward.

Anyway, we're facing another busy weekend. The Drive's high school game of the week this Friday night is Daniel at Westside, where Rams tailback Montez Hatten will try to thrill the home crowd by becoming the school's career rushing leader. He needs 126 yards.

Then Saturday it's back to Clemson, where the Tigers take on Louisiana Monroe. I'll be writing a game store for TigerNet (www.thetigernet.com), then scooting over to Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville to co-host the network's Fifth Quarter Show. If you're in the neighborhood, drop by the West Washington Street location and come see us.

Back in studio for Friday's show, after a long run at Fairway Ford Mazda in Anderson. The dealership has been sold, so I want to wish all the friends we've made there over the last year good luck.

See you again soon.

Cullen, Say Hello To Armanti

Cullen Harper, meet Armanti Edwards.

You two sit a while. Get to know each other. And then, Cullen, take as much information as you can away from Edwards' just-completed trip to Ann-Arbor.

Yeah, I know, Edwards is already a championship quarterback at the I-AA level. He has plenty of college football snaps under his belt.

But Edwards had never faced a situation like he did Saturday, when his App. State Mountaineers shocked the college football world by beating No. 5 Michigan. At the Big House. On the first-ever broadcast of the new Big 10 Network.

Nice call on that matchup, fellas.

Anyway, back to my point (fleeting as it may be). There is plenty that Harper - who will be making his first career start Monday night - can learn from Edwards' performance on Saturday.

Things like play loose and cocky from the get-go. Yes, Harper has the advantage of playing at home - something Edwards didn't - and that will help. But nerves are nerves, and Harper will have more than his share of butterflies prior to kickoff.

So when the coaches call your number, have at it. Don't over-think. Just read and react. Just like Edwards did in the first half Saturday, when he was 7-for-7 passing with three touchdown passes. Edwards and App. State were rolling, and Michigan was stunned.

Also, if you get the chance, check out what happened to Edwards in the second half.

As the game wore on and the Mountaineers kept the lead, it suddenly seemed to dawn on Edwards where he was and what he - and his team - were doing. Suddenly he wasn't as free-wheeling. Suddenly he was trying to be too accurate, rather than just firing away.

Suddenly, he and his team were no longer playing to win. They were playing not to lose. Only when Michigan finally regained the lead was the pressure off. The Mountaineers were underdogs again, and it was in that role that Edwards and Co. relished.

So, Cullen, if you look up late in the third quarter Monday and your Tigers are ahead, don't sweat it. Just keep doing what got you the lead.

Playing smart and carefully is one thing. Playing passively is another.

Playing passively will get you beat.