Wednesday practice tidbits
Posted 08:35 p.m., October 1, 2008
-- In an effort to get his five best players onto the field, offensive line coach Brad Scott is working Cory Lambert at left guard.
The move, which figures to stick assuming left tackle Chris Hairston continues to progress, was made possible in large part by Landon Walker's emergence at right tackle.
Lambert, who started the season at right tackle, has played the last three games on the left side as Hairston has recovered from a severely bruised knee.
The Tigers are hurting at left guard, where David Smith is out several weeks with a high ankle sprain. Jamarcus Grant has also been banged up: he suffered a shoulder injury last week, and he was hampered with a back injury today.
Fifth-year senior Bobby Hutchinson started Saturday at left guard, but there's only so much this kid can do. Scott said he doesn't have many other choices, so Lambert is now working at a position he's never played.
"The way our offense is, the blocking schemes, guards and tackles are together a whole lot," Scott said. "He knows all the calls and all the combination blocks and stuff, so it’s not that difficult a transition. We’ve got two weeks, and we’re just trying to work it out a little bit."
Scott said Walker, a redshirt freshman, has "just gotten better and better" and had his best game Saturday.
Scott said Hairston is practicing probably two-thirds of the time now. He's not at 100 percent, but he hopes to be by game time at Wake Forest next Thursday.
Scott said the OL played probably its best game of the season against Maryland.
"It wasn’t quite good enough, but they did a nice job and you can tell a little bit of experience is starting to pay off for them a little bit," he said.
-- Coach Tommy Bowden seemed impressed that junior center Thomas Austin called a players-only meeting yesterday. Bowden said the leadership on this team has been good because so many of the seniors led as juniors last season.
-- Bowden was asked to reflect on the criticism that his teams always seem to lose to a team they shouldn't.
His response:
"That’s the way it is with most teams. Southern Cal. Ohio State. Usually all of them lose to a team that they shouldn’t have. LSU lost to Kentucky. I wish I could win them all. But Maryland’s a good team that gives full scholarships. Coach Friedgen is a good coach. They've got good players."
-- One more offensive line note: Junior guard Barry Humphries was in a green jersey today and did some running. He's still recovering from a slightly torn ACL and isn't expected to be ready for Wake Forest.
LW
Comments
Posted by slimcartmn on October 1 at 9:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Larry,
Seriously yall cant let him get away with that. Tommy always brings up the fact that (enter a high ranking team) lost also.
But no one tells him that they usually do that once every season or once in a few seasons; not with the same amazing consistency that Tommy loses to teams he should aka the 7 losses at HOME against unranked opponents when we are ranked. And that's just at home, i wanna know what that record looks like when you throw in away games. I seriously doubt USC and Ohio St do that.
You cant let him skate by on crap like that.
Posted by huj on October 1 at 9:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bowden still claiming "innocence by association" by using a fluke loss by the nation's top teams as his weapon. Coach, they have titles, you don't, there is no comparison. Quit insulting everyone's intelligence. Explaining away his failures, again. He just has no clue whatsoever on how to cure this team's ills. Pathetic.
Wishing he could win them all...pfffft! I just wish Clemson had a coach who hates losing with a passion like Bo Pelini. That guy's just intense - that's another fish that Clemson let get away.
Posted by tgrfan2 on October 2 at 6:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TB has been getting by with "crap like that" for years! It has worked well for him. That and beating bad USC and ACC teams has been his bread and butter.
Is it the media's responsibility to challenge OUR football coach in his tenth year? Many of us started challenging TB in 2003 after the Texas Tech bowl and again after the UGa game when it was obvious the TTech wake up call didn't work.
TB hasn't lost. Check his contracts!
Clemson has lost and the players have lost by believing "crap like that".
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