Cardiac Clemson changing perception with comebacks

Ford on Clemson's fighting mentality

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CLEMSON — All fall, they’ve waited.

Regional and national pundits, and even members of Clemson’s fan base.

They’ve been looking for that moment, that “I told you so” moment when the carriage turns into a pumpkin – or at least takes a hard turn towards Orlando and the Champs Sports Bowl.

The moment where, in popular parlance, Clemson pulls “a Clemson.”

And let’s be honest: we all thought that moment had arrived Saturday afternoon, right?

A great punt coverage team gave up a 50-yard punt return touchdown.

An offense which had been, for the most part, efficient and careful all season coughed up the ball twice in 1:53.

A Wake Forest team that entered as a 16-point underdog led 28-14 with 20 minutes to play, and the ACC Atlantic Division title that appeared a certainty suddenly looked an awfully dicey proposition.

Then, the Tigers found their mojo. Quarterback Tajh Boyd completed 17 of his last 20 passes and led a pair of touchdown drives.

And could you think of a better way to cast aside the demons of the past than a game-winning 43-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro, the very symbol of Clemson’s lack of clutch play a year ago?

Maybe it’s time for “Clemson being Clemson” to mean something else.

In 114 years, Clemson had rallied from double-digit deficits to win nine times.

In 10 games this year, the Tigers have done it three times – rallying past Auburn, Maryland and now Wake Forest.

This group has some warts – its defense is average at best, its recent rash of turnovers is troubling.

Still, there’s no questioning that Chad Morris’ hurry-up, no-huddle offense has given the entire program a sense of belief and confidence that simply wasn’t around a year ago.

Even in the lone defeat at Georgia Tech, Clemson was within 31-17 with 10 minutes to play and the ball at the Yellow Jackets’ 10 following a Tech turnover; only a miscommunication between Boyd and Sammy Watkins led to an end-zone interception that thwarted the comeback.

Morris’ attitude is infectious. Minutes after ACC officials awarded the Atlantic Division title trophy in the Tigers’ locker room, he was already looking forward.

“Everyone’s excited and should be, but this should be the standard,” he said. “Come to Clemson, you come here to win a championship. That’s the thing.”

Clemson finds itself in an unusual position; with nothing but pride on the line the next two weeks, traveling to a bad N.C. State team for the Textile Bowl and then on to Columbia for the always-intense rivalry with South Carolina.

Dabo Swinney’s staff will also have the luxury of keeping an eye on the Coastal Division, where either Virginia or Virginia Tech will emerge as the ACC title game opponent.

Two years ago, the Tigers were blitzed at South Carolina and then lost an ACC title shootout to Georgia Tech.

This feels different.

This program has a new attitude – and a hope that this is the start of a paradigm shift.

If Swinney and Morris have their way, “Clemson being Clemson” will mean hoisting championship trophies.