SWINNEY OFFICIALLY NAMED HEAD COACH

Clemson University made the announcement at a news conference on Monday afternoon: Dabo Swinney is no longer the interim head football coach of the Clemson Tigers. He is now the "official" head coach. While the specifics of the compensation package have yet to be revealed, Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips did state that the contract length will be five years. Swinney does not plan to discuss any changes he may make to the coaching staff until after the Tigers' bowl game.

Coach Swinney has done a fantastic job after accepting the interim head coach position, especially considering the circumstances. He guided the team to a 4-2 record, winning on the road against ACC Atlantic Division winner Boston College as well as defeating Virginia in Charlottesville. The Tigers also routed Duke by 24 and closed out the regular season with a three game win streak by whipping in-state rival South Carolina at Death Valley by 17. Under Swinney's watch, the offense made tremendous strides and the ferocity and attitude of the defense was much improved.

As impressive as the play and the wins have been, Dabo's leadership qualities stand out as well. Many folks were inspired by the speech he gave at the press conference announcing his new position as interim head coach and wanted to go "all in". A few said it was gimmicky, just like Tiger Walk and "One Clemson" and having players lock arms side by side before every game. Well, leaders lead and they move forward with a purpose and a vision. People wanted to follow because they believed in the vision, because they were inspired. Dabo managed in just a few weeks to inject unity into the team, the university and the fans. His enthusiasm both on the field and off has been contagious. Yet, you get the sense that the guy is both genuine and humble. When you consider that he has a six year history with the program, is widely considered one of the top recruiters in the country and just proved himself capable of coaching his team to wins against guys like Al Groh and Steve Spurrier, one can understand why he got the job. Congratulations.

SPURRIER, SC PLAYERS POST GAME COMMENTS

Here are several quotes from gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier and gamecock players in post-game interviews:

STEVE SPURRIER:

"Give Clemson credit. They made a bunch of third downs. They made more third downs on us than I think about anybody this year. That's how you play the game; their guys made plays."

"Give Clemson credit......they got a dang good team......they're a better team than us right now this year, simple as that and hopefully someday we'll be on a level with them. We're not there yet."

"We just got smashed instead of trying to learn how to compete, I think, yep, yeah. You can sugar coat it all you want but uh, they got two big-time running backs, they got a big-time quarterback. They got some big time ball players on that team o' ere and we gotta get us some big time ball players......and play better."

"Yeah, I'm frustrated too. I thought we could play with these guys but it turned out we couldn't. They're better than us, okay? That's all you can say right now. Got a better team. Better coach, better team."

CAPTAIN MUNNERLYN

"I felt like we were the better team but they came out today and proved they were better than us."

"We were 7-3 [prior to FLA AND CU] and headed for a great year. Now it seems like it's all gone down the drain."

"I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's happening. We're just not playing as good as we were in the beginning."

KENNY MCKINLEY

"They got on us today. It's Clemson. It's supposed to be a hard-fought game and really, it was one-sided."

I LOVE A COLD, WET ORANGE CRUSH

It was worth fighting the traffic. It was worth the cold and rain. It was worth losing my voice. It was even worth having my binoculars stolen. I found out later that two upset gamecocks fans sitting behind me swiped them off the bleachers when they inexplicably left early in the 2nd quarter. The Tigers mauled the gamecocks 31-14 on Saturday at Death Valley, winning their third straight game and becoming bowl eligible. It was the 10th victory in the last 12 games of the rivalry with SC.

There were so many highlights in this game, so many game changing plays on both sides of the ball. My defensive game ball goes to Andre' McDaniel: 11 tackles, a forced fumble and 0.5 tackle for loss. #2 was just all over the field, finding the ball and making big hits. The offensive game ball goes to the RB combo of Davis/Spiller: 183 yards rushing, 52 yards receiving. Davis had 3 TD's and crucial short yardage runs. Thunder and Lightning in the rain were fantastic.

Here is my Clemson Tigers highlight-reel list, key plays and big hits of the game:

1st QUARTER

13:23 C.J. Spiller 28 yard reception from Harper

9:01 Chris Chancellor intercepts a long throw from Smelley on 3rd and 20

6:41 Jacoby Ford runs for 21 yards

4:41 C.J. Spiller takes handoff, makes 5 different defenders miss, gains 39 yards to the 1

4:14 James Davis 1 yard TD run

3:19 Jamie Harper blocks Succop's punt which leads to a Buccholz FG

2:31 James Davis knocks CB Woodson out of the game after 11 yd. reception

2ND QUARTER

14:31 Just as Smelley gets an incomplete pass attempt off, Brandon Maye absolutely levels him

13:45 Chris Clemmons and Michael Hamlin converge on a Smelley pass and knock it down

13:34 After a Succop punt pins Clemson on its own 3, James Davis runs for 7 yards on 1st down

11:20 Clemson drive stalls deep in own territory but Jimmy Maners booms a 54 yard punt

10:32 Dorell Scott tackles RB Mike Davis for a loss

9:09 Chris Clemmons intercepts Smelley pass; DaQuan Bowers lays out TE Cook with a block

8:33 Cullen Harper is all but sacked, with both knees inches from the ground and somehow

throws a perfect spiral 27 yards to Jacoby Ford, who takes it in the rest of the way for TD

7:14 Chris Chancellor drills WR McKinley and sends him flying out of bounds after 21 yd. rec.

Gamecock players immediately call for trainers as McKinley looks badly hurt

5:42 Michael Hamlin picks off Smelley pass. TE Cook immediately goes to gamecock sideline

and expresses his frustration to coaches and Smelley

4:31 James Davis takes handoff, makes 2 defenders miss and rumbles in for 20 yd. TD. ESPN

cameras show gamecocks fans hiding their face or shaking head in amazement

3:15 Scotty Cooper puts a huge hit on RB Maddox after 2 yd. reception

:23 C.J. Spiller 39 yard kickoff return

:16 Aaron Kelly 42 yard pass reception

3RD QUARTER

13:24 Andre' McDaniel and Brandon Maye tackle WR McKinley for 5 yard loss

7:35 Aaron Kelly key 3rd down conversion on short pass from Harper to keep drive going

5:52 Tyler Grisham key 3rd down conversion on short pass from Harper to keep drive going

4:38 James Davis on 3rd and 2 picks up 5 yards for another key conversion to keep drive alive

3:38 James Davis 2 yard run for TD

1:44 Crezdon Butler blitzes from the left corner, sacks Smelley and forces fumble (SC recovers)

:37 Andre' McDaniel and Kavelle Connor hit RB Davis and force fumble (SC recovers)

4TH QUARTER

6:52 Andre' McDaniel breaks up Smelley pass

4:25 Chris Chancellor intercepts Smelley deep in gamecock territory

2:41 James Davis, on 3rd and 6 pinned back on Clemson 11 yd. line has 8 yard run to convert

WEEK 13 RECAP OF CLEMSON PLAYERS IN NFL

Gaines Adams- DE Tampa Bay Bucs

Gaines Adams had one tackle and 0.5 sack in the Buccaneers 23-20 win over division rival New Orleans Saints. He also had a key QB pressure on Drew Brees that contributed to a drive killing interception with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Adams now has 31 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and one TD this season. The Bucs are 9-3 and NFC South division leaders.

Trevor Pryce- DE Baltimore Ravens

Pryce, a two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro-Bowler, had three tackles in the Ravens blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals 34-3. Trevor's stats for 2008 include 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The Ravens are 8-4 and one game behind the Steelers in the NFC North.

Brian Dawkins- FS Philadelphia Eagles

Brian Dawkins, a six time Pro Bowl player, had a huge game against the Arizona Cardinals on Thanksgiving day. Dawkins recorded five solo tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in the Eagles rout of Arizona 48-20. For the 2008 season, Brian has 57 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception. The Eagles are 6-5-1.

Philip Merling- DE Miami Dolphins

NFL rookie Philip Merling (1st selection, 2nd round) had four tackles in the Dolphins 16-12 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Merling has 22 tackles and a sack so far this year. The Dolphins are 7-5 and still in contention in the AFC East.

Chansi Stuckey- WR New York Jets

Stuckey had three receptions on Sunday for 30 yards in a loss to the Denver Broncos 34-17. Through 12 games, Stuckey has 24 receptions for 266 yards and 3 TD's. The Jets are leading the AFC East division race at 8-4.

Justin Miller- KR Oakland Raiders

Pro Bowl player Justin Miller returned 5 kickoffs for an average of 20 yards per return in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders were beaten 20-13 and are currently 3-9.

Nick Eason- DE Pittsburgh Steelers

Eason had two tackles in a blowout win over the New England Patriots, 33-10. Eason has 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2008.

Did not play or no stats available

Barry Richardson- OT Kansas City Chiefs

Tye Hill- CB St. Louis Rams

Charlie Whitehurst- QB San Diego Chargers

Jamaal Fudge- DB Atlanta Falcons

Anthony Waters- LB San Diego Chargers