Last Updated on December 15, 2009 6:55 pm by drew
Music City Bowl
Nashville,
Close late-season losses, however, relegated them to a Music City Bowl matchup for the second time in four years.
The Tigers, led by ACC player of the year C.J. Spiller, try to avoid a fourth straight bowl loss and prevent the Wildcats from winning a fourth consecutive postseason game when the teams meet at LP Field on Dec. 27.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made Clemson -7 point spread favorites (View College Football odds) for the Saturday, Dec. 26 game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 64% of bets for this game have been placed on Clemson -7 (View College Football bet percentages).
Clemson (8-5) reached the ACC championship game against then-No. 10 Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, with the school’s first league title since 1991 and a spot in the Orange Bowl at stake. Despite 233 yards rushing and four touchdowns from Spiller, the Tigers lost 39-34 on Jonathan Dwyer’s 15-yard TD run with 1:20 remaining.
Defeats in its final two games put a damper on Clemson’s first full season under coach Dabo Swinney, who replaced Tommy Bowden on Oct. 13, 2008, and guided the Tigers in the final seven games last season.
"We’ve come a long way in one year," Swinney said. "This is where Clemson is supposed to be. This is our standard. This is our expectation. So, hopefully we can grow from this."
"We had our sights higher. Still, it’ll be a great game," said
While
"I think the important thing is that it’s our fourth straight bowl," coach Rich Brooks said. "It’s a surrounding we’re familiar with. Now we just need to keep our bowl and postseason winning streak alive."
That streak stands at three and started with a 28-20 victory over Clemson in the 2006 Music City Bowl. The Wildcats followed with another victory in
"Everyone will be watching that Sunday. It’ll be like Sunday night football," he said.
The player in this game that will draw the most attention is the versatile Spiller, who finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting and is the first Tiger to win ACC player of the year honors since Michael Dean Perry in 1987. He ranks fourth nationally in all-purpose yards with 194.0 per game and is the only player in the country to score a touchdown in every game this year, finishing with a school-record 20.
A finalist for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, Spiller has 7,416 career all-purpose yards, third-best in NCAA history. He accounted for touchdowns five different ways this season – 11 rushing, four receiving, four on kickoff returns, one on a punt return and one on a pass.
"I saw a lot of (Spiller) the year we played him when he was a true freshman. He is a real talent," Brooks told
Even the best defenses had trouble containing Spiller and
Injuries have been an issue all season for the Wildcats, most notably the one to starting quarterback Mike Hartline, sidelined since injuring his left knee against
In an effort to minimize mistakes by the inexperienced
2009
Teams:
Kickoff: Dec. 27, 2009, 8:30PM ET
Venue: LP Field
TV: ESPN
Odds:
Clemson -7 Under 52.5 (-330)
Posted: 12/15/09 6:55PM ET