Injuries and SOS

[FrancoPizza]

Much has been said about the injury bug, and maybe the turf is a factor, but I think this is when you have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Physical impact and Fatigue are the biggest factors. That and trying to play through smaller injuries. Being stuck in this ACC division and playing tough P5 OCC games simply takes a toll. Nobody is debating that. It’s been the one constant in the ACC era. Last couple years it was OL injuries. This year it’s the skill positions. We need better depth if we’re going to get over the hump. Luck only gets you so far.

I look back at some of our better teams from the Coach P days and - save for a couple exceptions here and there - used to think it was luck that they never seemed to lose key players to derail a season. We can’t get dungey or Shrader to make it through half a season and yet Graves and McNabb were running the option every play for 8 years and almost never missed a snap. That can’t be explained by luck. I look back at our starting roster in the 1992 Miami game and pretty much every player that started that season was available in game 11. I don’t think they were trained differently. I don’t think those players were necessarily more durable. I DO think their strengths of schedule was considerably weaker. Those teams would gear up for a couple high profile games every year but there was a big drop off in competition outside of those bigger matchups. If Graves or McNabb go down, if ismail is dinged up, if we lost Gedney or Kevin Mitchell or Bullock and Darius those seasons would be remembered very differently.

I guess my point is - I don’t think our depth is that much different than some of our best teams. We’re maybe one or 2 high end skill talents away from being compared favorably. The depth is just being more exposed because we’re playing more physical teams that hit harder week in and week out.

Everyone remembers 1987 as the unbeaten season. Nobody cares that we played only 1 ranked team before the Sugar Bowl.

 

[SoBristol]

Well, yes, we stepped up in competition level (basketball also) when we joined the ACC. And then, with more resources, a better footprint, more TV exposure, we had an obvious task - recruit at an ACC level. Build stronger more physical lines to match up.

This season, with a veteran OL, plenty big, the injuries are in other units. We have leaned heavily on Shrader’s running, and Tucker as an all-purpose back with only rare RB subs — not surprising both are showing wear and tear after 8 games.

The under-sized DL — no surprise that we got some injuries in that unit. Other spots (G Williams, I Jones, Thomson) seemed like tough luck, hard losses, contact sport.

I think the 2022 two deep matches well with any Dino team (2018 was similar) and with better depth. Next season, our DL will measure up better as the kids develop. Possibly a transfer DT? Can’t deny the schedule difficulty — no easy fix. Recruit and develop linemen.

 

[djorange1989]

Both really good posts. Some injuries are just bad luck and random turf monster type stuff but some are inevitable when you just don’t match up physically with other teams a lot of the time. That’s what makes Clemson who they are and what makes SU who they are. We need to continue to develop our depth which clearly has improved and we just HAVE to get bigger up front defensively, between the kids we have who are mostly young and still developing and via a big body/faster kid or two who may have been highly regarded coming out of HS but gets lost on the depth chart. Tony needs speed on the DL and we can be a bit undersized but 220 lb linemen is not a bit undersized. Physics eventually bites you in the ass like it does to high school students when they take that class. Well at least it did to me

 

[Consigliere]

Playing two physical teams who are generally bigger and stronger back to back late in the season when no college football player is 100% certainly is not ideal. That's why I appreciate the SEC scheduling their FCS games in November generally,

 

[baggerbob]

Playing two physical teams who are generally bigger and stronger back to back late in the season when no college football player is 100% certainly is not ideal. That's why I appreciate the SEC scheduling their FCS games in November generally,

After the 2nd half against Clemson, and the 1st half against Notre Dame they could have quit, but the players kept playing.
To me that's a good sign that this team is still on an upward trend with a great future.