A Day In Death Valley
Last Saturday, App State football traveled down south to face the #12 Clemson Tigers. For obvious reasons (one being my birthday) I have had Sept. 12 marked on my calendar for a long while. Every football season since I started college I have long awaited the opportunity to see my Mountaineers on the "big stage." My freshman year I headed up to Blacksburg, VA for the game vs. Virginia Tech. Sophomore year included a more local trip to Greenville, NC to see the Mountaineers face off against the Pirates of East Carolina. Junior year led me to SEC country, and I had the chance to see App State play the Dawgs of UGA. Senior year was a treat as I had the opportunity to realize a college football dream, and see a game at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor, Mich. (the site of the greatest upset in college football history). Now, my "super senior" year, I had the opportunity to head to "Death Valley", the home of the Clemson Tigers.
App State captains take the field against Clemson
Photo by: Dave Mayo
While approaching Clemson University, one would assume the school is located in a barn somewhere. Having been my first trip to Clemson, I was surprised by the mass amounts of farm land surrounding the area. Nevertheless, as you enter the town limits, you are quickly greeted with sights and sounds of college football. The town, from what I gathered, seems like a normal college town. The campus was nice, the people were very hospitable, and, in the middle of it all, stood a large, spectacular football stadium. The tailgating scene was great. The tailgating spots were full with people sporting the orange and purple of Clemson University. I was greeted with many welcoming statements from the locals. But through all of the "Welcome to Clemson" and "good luck today" greetings, I could feel that the Clemson fan base was not too worried about the impending game. They were confident that their Tigers would take care of the challenge at hand, and that they did.
It's time for kick-off. The stadium is nearly full. The crowd of 81,000+ are in their seats, and it's time for the teams to enter. The App State allotment of seats is full, and the Mountaineer fans are heard as their team enters the stadium. These cheers would be short-lived as the Clemson Tigers await their time to enter. Clemson's football entrance (one of the best in the nation) is commonly heralded as "the most exciting 25 seconds in college football.) The team exits their locker room and boards buses which escort them around the stadium to the opposite endzone where they will make their entrance. The team then exits the buses, rubs Howard's Rock, runs down the hill to the tune of "Tiger Rag" (Clemson's fight song) and the pageantry of balloons being released into the air, all while 80,000+ scream for their beloved Tigers. I included a short video of the dramatic scene on my homepage.
After trailing 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, interceptions on three consecutive possessions would lead to the demise of App State early in this game. Clemson scored four touchdowns in the second quarter, putting the game seemingly out-of-reach. Clemson would jump to a 38-0 lead before App even had the chance to put points on the board. Clemson went on to win 41-10.
Negatives of the game: offense. The offense did not look sharp at all. App State QB Taylor Lamb was intercepted three times, which led to the lop-sided score. Whether it was a case of nerves or it was just a bad game, something needs to improve before next week's matchup against ODU.
Positives of the game: defense, strength and conditioning, heart. Despite the massive scoreline, App's defense played surprisingly well in my opinion. Most of Clemson's points were a direct or indirect result of poorly-executed offense. One of the most pleasant surprises of the game for me was App's strength and conditioning. Normally when App faces a team with such an advantage size and strength wise, the App's tend to get worn out, and in some cases, injured. It was the exact opposite of that against Clemson. Not only did App not have any players go down with injury, Clemson actually had a few go down. No injuries were serious, but it was a sight to see Clemson players going down against a smaller App team. One player to go down (briefly) was Clemson star QB Deshaun Watson. Luckily for everyone, no one suffered serious injuries. And finally, App State showed heart in this game. Despite a massive deficit, the Mountaineers showed no signs of lying down and giving up. They showed a great amount of perseverance and strength against a team that outmatched them in almost every category. For me, that was a beautiful sight to see.
App State (1-1) will continue their 2015 campaign next Saturday the 26th against a good Old Dominion side. ODU dropped their last game 38-14 against NC State. ODU is a team that has proven a great ability to score over the past few years. They have a passionate fanbase, and will be ready to take on the Mountaineers. Kickoff for that game is set for 3:30 pm.
Later this week I will write preview for the App State/ODU matchup. But for now, let's take solace in the fact that our season has just begun. Despite a big loss to Clemson, there are MANY positives that I see in this team going forward. A big test of these positives will be next weekend at ODU. The sky isn't falling and the world isn't ending. Let's do big things!
