I attended this game.
http://clemson.theinsiders.com/2/76322.html
It was pretty much a pathetic effort for all involved. It was Charlie Whitehurst's Freshman year so not very much can be assessed through stats. I don't think much can be attained by looking at 2003 stats neither.
Just from my observation this program has went through an extreme makeover in the past couple of years. When Tommy Bowden arrived he attempted to open things up with high percentage passes as he did in Tulane with a previously run oriented program. Derrick Hamilton was one of his first signings and it was balleyhood as a major coup for the program by the local press.
The problem is that no passing QB with the pedigree to read the field ever emerged out of the program. For the most part prior to Whitehurst Clemson had an excellent athlete at QB. In Hamilton's first year he had Woodrow Dantzler at QB. As you can see here -->
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/6300/ he wasn't a pure passing QB and now resides in Atlanta as a RB. Drafted by Dallas he was immediately made a special teamer.
Willie Simmons was to be the next QB and in 2001 he filled in for an injured Woodrow Dantzler and most Clemson fans thought we had the pure passer we needed for Bowden to find the success he had in Tulane. It seemed as if in his first couple of years he was attempting to find the same passing success as he had experienced in Tulane.
Then South Carolina fired Brad Scott and CU picked him up immediately as offensive coordinator. That was Whitehurst's freshman year (2002) and it became clear that even as a freshman Whitehurst was a better option than Willie Simmons. Simmons remained the backup through 2003.
It seemed to me that Brad Scott had a larger commitment to the run than his predecessor in 2001. He probably had no choice as Whitehurst was a freshman. A highly touted pocket passing freshman at that. I think he ranked in the top five QB's coming out of high school by RIVALS. But still there was a learning curve.
I think 2003 was actually a building year for the program. A dominant runner had not been seen since 2002 with Bernard Rambert and even he wasn't very dominant. In 2003 I think the skills of Duane Coleman were "flirted with" and the program actually is looking forward to showcasing Coleman (sophmore) and Whitehurst (sophmore) in 2004.
In other words I think Hamilton got lost in all the change. The program has changed coordinators in Hamilton's college career. The program has changed QB three times in his college career. I would have liked to have seen what he could do in 2004 but he's leaving early. :mad:
What I can tell you most definately about the live performance against Maryland in 2002. NO CLEMSON RECEIVER ON THE FIELD GOT ANY SEPERATION and I was extremely disappointed with Hamilton. Then again that was a Maryland team that finished 11-3 with losses only to Norte Dame, Florida State, and Virginia. A Maryland team that feature Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson in the defense. Maryland ended the season defeated Tennessee in the peach bowl. Still the Clemson/Maryland game was a disgrace for Clemson fans. I thought if Bowden continued showcasing the passing game he had once had success with he would be a goner.
As I stated before 2003 more balance emerged out of the offense and the offense of 1998 Tulane didn't resemble the offense of Clemson 2003 at all. Alot of fans were actually asking for Bowden's head prior to the BLOWOUT of South Carolina and the excellent run oriented game plan versus Tennessee in the 2003 Peach bowl.
I quess I could conclude this by saying Hamilton was in the middle of a mess.
We never did see his true potential as the program was always in some sort of change. He would have been a Senior this year though. It would have been Brad Scott's third year with the program with an ace at RB (Junior Duane Coleman) and a Junior at QB that is noted by Scouts as a top ten QB now!
:cry:
