The halfway point

You know how, when you go on vacation and you pass the halfway point, you spend more time dreading the end of it than enjoying the rest of it?

(Or maybe that's just me.)

That's sort of the feeling now that we've passed the halfway point of college football season.

We spend so long anticipating this thing, build up so much excitement for it, then it's gone in a flash. Whoever uses the cliche "it's a marathon, not a sprint" to describe college football season has it turned around.

So Clemson is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. The record is disappointing given how those losses happened, but it's not shocking given the circumstances entering the season.

We knew C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford were huge losses, and they have been. We knew there were major issues at receiver, and there have been. Same thing at linebacker.

It makes some sense that this team would spend some time finding its way and going through some chokes and sputters. Now, two consecutive wins do not constitute a revival. This team still has a ways to go. But if the 2010 Tigers end up doing what they did last year and reaching the ACC title game, we'll look back on the early-season struggles and view them as not exactly inexplicable.

So, where does this team stand statistically in the ACC at the halfway point? It's always more instructive to look at the conference-only numbers, so we're going to do that. Keep in mind, though, that three teams (Maryland, Virginia, N.C. State) have played just three conference games thus far.

OFFENSE

Scoring: 23.8 (7th)
Total: 308 (10th)
Rushing: 145.8 (6th)
Passing: 162.2 (9th)
Pass effic.: 95.9 (10th)
Sacks against: 4 (1st)
First downs: 16.2 (7th)
Third down conv.: 42.2 (3rd)
Time of poss: 30:03 (6th)
Turnovers: 6 (4th)
Red zone TD%: 54.5 (7th)

Thoughts:

-- Rushing is down from last year's 170.4-yard clip, and to me that's a reflection of an inability to loosen up defenses with the downfield passing game. The average is dragged down by 91 yards against North Carolina and 94 yards against Maryland. Tigers should've run the ball more with Andre Ellington against the Tar Heels, as the coaching staff has acknowledged.

-- All six of the Tigers' turnovers came in one game (Miami). You have to like no turnovers in three ACC games. Protecting the ball became more imperative than usual after Spiller's loss. It should be noted that Kyle Parker was inches away from throwing a Pick-6 against Maryland and Georgia Tech.

-- Just four sacks. That's huge. Parker is exceptional at avoiding pressure and either squirting away to pick up yards, or flipping it to a running back. The left-handed pitch to Jamie Harper on Saturday was exceptional.

-- Parker hasn't been bad this year, but he's just been kinda off more than anticipated. TV analyst Craig James noted Saturday that he's throwing too many balls away and not leading his receivers enough. Of course, the drops haven't helped. And neither has an inability to get separation earlier this season. But KP needs to be more accurate.

-- Red zone touchdowns (6 in 11 opportunities) can be better. Clemson will face some formidable defenses over the second half of the season (Boston College, Florida State, South Carolina), so production inside the 20 will be crucial.

DEFENSE

Scoring: 17.8 (3rd)
Total: 326.5 (4th)
Rushing: 137 (4th)
Passing: 189.5 (6th)
Pass effic.: 102.8 (6th)
Sacks: 8 (6th)
First downs: 18.2 (7th)
Third down conv.: 30.6 (4th)
Turnovers: 6 (8th)
Red zone TD% 61.5 (9th)

Thoughts:

-- Despite all those big plays given up, the defense is stacking up pretty well. The defensive line has played great in the last three games, and when you're dominant up front it can overshadow weaknesses elsewhere (LB).

-- Rush defense is down from 151 a game last year.

-- Gotta get on more fumbles; all six of the Tigers' turnovers gained in ACC games have been interceptions.

-- Red zone defense could be better, though the defense did a great job of forcing field goals Saturday against Georgia Tech.

-- Some really potent offenses over the second half of the season (N.C. State, Florida State, South Carolina).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kickoff returns: 27.2 (1st)
Punt returns: 13.2 (4th)
Punting: 37.1 (5th)
Kickoff coverage: 43.5 (7th)
Field goals: 4-6 (10th)

Thoughts:

-- Gotta be pleased with the return game. Ellington gave a huge boost to the kickoff-return stats with his long return against Maryland.

-- Really good year so far for Dawson Zimmerman.

-- Chandler Catanzaro has missed two biggies against Auburn and North Carolina, plus a chippie against Georgia Tech. Dabo Swinney said before the season that he'd go with a veteran if the race were even. Are Richard Jackson and Spencer Benton not even close to the Catman at this point?

On to a few Monday links...

Bad news for Boston College: Veteran DE Alex Albright is done for the year.

Here's the story from the Eagles' loss to Maryland.

Hey, what ever happened to Ray Ray McElrathbey?

Turns out he's playing at Mars Hill, according to this AJC interview. And now he not only has custody of his brother Fahmarr, but two sisters as well.

It also turns out he gets extra income from -- are you ready for this? -- doing yard work for Max Lennon.

I train some students here on the side. I do some yard work for Max Lennon, the [former] president of Clemson, landscaping and trimming hedges. So Clemson reaches out and touches me here. When I was at Howard, Clemson’s [alumni club] did, too.

And we'll close with two priceless video clips from Auburn's win over LSU.

First, Nick Fairley's suplex of Jordan Jefferson.

Then, the highlight of Cam Newton's highlight-filled season.

The kid is 6-foot-6 and 250, and he's running away from Patrick Peterson.


LW