FROM 3-4 TO THE GATOR BOWL!

The kickoff of the 2009 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl between the Clemson Tigers and Nebraska Cornhuskers is less than 7 days away! I can think of no better way to spend New Year's Day than watching the Tigers play. Even though the expectations were very high coming into this season, I think all Tigers fans would agree that we are very fortunate to be playing in a prestigious New Year's Day bowl game after the way things unfolded in the beginning and middle part of the schedule. I think back to the feeling I had while sitting in the Georgia Dome at halftime of the Alabama game and after the game. I remember how I felt numb sitting in Death Valley after the Maryland game, almost in a state of shock. I recall being in Winston-Salem and thinking to myself that Tommy Bowden had just sealed his fate with that loss to Wake. The media talked about how the mighty had fallen and Bowden's hot seat was the hottest it had ever been. At this point, it began to get tiresome listening to reports about our offensive line problems, division among the team, how Harper was playing hurt and it just wasn't a fun time to be a Clemson Tigers fan.

However, next up on the roller-coaster ride was a mixture of surprise and relief when it was announced that Bowden was "stepping down". After the announcement of Dabo Swinney as interim coach and listening to his press conference, I felt excitement and pride to the point that tears came to my eyes. I am proud of the way that the team responded afterwards. I am proud of the way coach Swinney unified not only the team but the university and the fans. After the Ga. Tech loss, I didn't have so much of a sick feeling afterwards. I did hate that the 8 year old who sat behind me with his dad and screamed "Go Jackets" seemingly for the ENTIRE game left satisfied. I will never understand why some CU fans sell their tickets to just anybody and force their fellow fans to have to listen to the opposing fans carrying on but I digress. I always hate losing but during the Ga. Tech game, I began to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I had hope. It was great to finally get a win against BC and to do it on the road was even better. Then, we just demolished Duke. Detractors can say whatever they want but I was as nervous about playing Duke this year as I have ever been. We got a great win over Virginia on the road even though I still heard the detractors say how our offense was anemic and this and that. I looked at it as a W. Sure, it's always nice to put up points but when the clock hits 0:00, the W is what counts and it was just a good, old-fashioned, grind-it-out defensive battle. Then, in the annual rivalry against the gamecocks in Death Valley it was, well, just pure bliss. I was wet and cold but jumping for joy the entire game. The only time I was nervous was when SC came out and drove the the length of the field for a TD after the second half kickoff and made it 24-14. We ended up scoring another TD and making big play after big play and the game was never in doubt again. Swinney was then named the head coach and shortly thereafter it was announced that we were playing Nebraska in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. Now, I ask you- how cool is that after sitting at 3-4 after the Tech game?

The only way to make this turnaround story even better is to get a win in the Gator Bowl game. Most of the national sportscasters are predicting a Nebraska win but I think the Tigers can pull it off, although it will certainly not be easy. I have studied Nebraska quite a bit since the announcement that they will be our opponent. I have a lot of respect for their offense and they too are having a similar turnaround season. They score a lot of points and have some great weapons on offense. They have a great coach and a strong fan base. It should be an exciting game and I believe we will need to score a minimum of 30 points to get a victory.

The team was scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. today at the team hotel in Jacksonville, their first since the Christmas holiday break. The Tigers should have good weather for their practices with the exception of Monday. According to the Weather Channel, the current weather in Jacksonville is party sunny and 78 degrees. The extended forecast calls for similar weather through the weekend but a 40% chance of rain on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are both expected to be mostly sunny, although the highs will drop to around 69-70 degrees. On game day, the forecast is for a high of 69 with scattered showers with the chance of precipitation at only 30%. I can't wait until kickoff. Let's finish off this wild season with a win against Nebraksa. GO TIGERS!!!