I'm not BSin' ya here people!!
"Charlie Whitehurst??? More like White HOT! – Although the kid went through some major growing pains during his sophomore years, QB Charlie Whitehurst was as hot as any quarterback in college football over the last half of the season.
Now, Eli Manning, Jason White, Matt Leinart and even Philip Rivers gained the lions share of attention, however, if you stopped to take a look at what Whitehurst was doing at Clemson, it may have surprised you. He finished the year throwing for over 3,500 yards and 21 touchdowns, which compares to numbers put up by the supposed big boys, and has set or tied 29 school records in two short years.
He has exceptional footwork and reads defenses as well as any young quarterback in the game, not coached by Norm Chow. But, beyond the numbers and tangible qualities Whitehurst displays, it was the intangibles - leadership ability and toughness - that in essence saved a season and a coach’s job for the Tigers in ’03.
Go back to the Wake Forest game. By all indications, that debacle should have sounded the death knell for the Tigers and for head coach Tommy Bowden…especially with FSU on the horizon. But, somehow, someway, following that crushing 45-28 defeat to the Deacs, Whitehurst willed his team to a season and perhaps career changing victory over the 2003 ACC Champion Seminoles. Whitehurst exploited an average FSU secondary, beating Leroy Smith on several occasions deep downfield, finishing with a solid 272 yards passing, completing 63% of his throws. From that point on, the Tigers rolled…BIG…Duke, South Carolina and a stunning blowout of #6 Tennessee in the Peach Bowl (and, yes, Vol fan it may have been a two touchdown game, but it was a physical butt kicking that your team took against the Tigers).
There is no question coming into ’04 who is the leader of this Tiger offense – his name is Whitehurst…Charlie. Get used to it, because if he gets that hot again with his weapons at receiver (Airese Currie) and running back (Yusef Kelly and Duane Coleman), there's a little stiff armed statue that might make its way to Clemson for the first time in school history."