I don't really have any trash talk to offer, but I did enjoy these post game comments from the La Tech coachs........
...........If you have doubts about that, then perhaps you should trust the opinion of Louisiana Tech coaches and players, who have played Nebraska and Texas A&M in the first four weeks of the season.
“Let me put it this way, I’ve played some top five teams in my tenure, and I feel this is one of them,” said Jack Bicknell, who in his eight seasons as Louisiana Tech’s coach has sent his team against the likes of Penn State, Miami, Michigan State, Tennessee and Florida.
“We played LSU when they won the thing, and Auburn and Miami,” Bicknell said of his days as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech. “That’s the way it felt with Clemson (on Saturday), like we were playing one of those teams.
“They are an excellent football team. We knew that coming in, and they didn’t disappoint at all. They were just as good as I thought they would be. They’ve got some great athletes and I feel like they will be one of the top teams in the country at the end, for sure.”
Bicknell said he could not single out an area that makes Clemson one of the nation’s top teams ... because there are too many. He could have pointed to the offensive line, which he said was one of the best he ever has seen. He could have pointed to Clemson’s running game, which produced a trio of 100-yard rushers for the first time in a quarter of a century.
Bicknell could have talked about Clemson’s defense, which produced its first shutout in seven seasons. Or, he could have talked about a Tigers’ defense that held his team to 33 yards rushing and forced five turnovers.
Instead, he simply pointed to the fact Clemson dominated his team like 4-1 and 21st-ranked Nebraska could not and like 4-1 Texas A&M could not.
Somewhat surprising to Louisiana Tech was Clemson’s athleticism on defense, only because the Tigers are a fairly young unit on that side of the ball.
“I think their overall team speed is better (than Nebraska’s),” said Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator Conroy Hines. “Up front, I think they’re just as good. Nebraska had some pretty good up-front people, but those guys like (defensive end Gaines) Adams really come off the edges and create all kinds of problems.
“Our Nebraska game was 28-10 in the fourth quarter. This game, they just took us out of it right away, early on.”
Hines said Clemson can employ zone pass coverage almost exclusively, thus preventing big plays because the defensive front applies so much pressure on the quarterback. Rarely, Hines said, does Clemson need to blitz.
Louisiana Tech nose guard Josh Muse got a first-hand look at Clemson’s vaunted offensive line.
“Of the three teams we’ve played, they were the best,” Muse said. “They had a lot of size. Their linemen worked together. Their linemen were a lot quicker and more athletic than Nebraska or Texas A&M.”
Perhaps the best perspective on Clemson’s offense was provided by Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator George Darlington, an assistant coach at Nebraska for 30 seasons. He was on the Nebraska sideline when Clemson won the Orange Bowl and the national championship in 1981.
“It reminded me of the team we lost to in ’81,” Darlington said. “We felt coming in that Clemson had more athletes than Nebraska. They have more athletes that can take it to the house on any play. They are very strong and very physical.”
Prior to the game, Darlington pulled Bowden aside and told him he believed Clemson was as good as any team in the country.
“I wouldn’t say it’s better than Miami’s Rose Bowl championship team in 2002,” Darlington said, “but it’s pretty darned close. It’s hard to say because there is a lot of football to be played. But there’s no reason they can’t beat any team they play.
“Had they not stumbled against (Boston College), they would definitely be in the top four or five in the country.”
especially when you are a jobless bum like me
