Heading into the 2012 season, much has been made of Sammy Watkins' 2 game suspension and the void it will leave in the season opener against Auburn. Though the suspension leaves a big whole, Tajh Boyd is the key to Clemson's success not only against Auburn, but the entire season.
Boyd's performance through the first part of last year helped the Tigers rise as high as #5 in the BCS Standings. Tajh was a legit Heisman candidate at the time and led Clemson to an undefeated record of 8-0. He had thrown for 24 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions and was over 100 in passer rating in 7 of the first 8 games. His success equaled wins and it would prove equally important the remainder of the year.
After starting out as hot as anyone in the country, Tajh began to come back down to earth and so did Clemson as they struggled down the stretch. In the final 6 games, including the ACC Championship game and Orange Bowl, Clemson only won 2 games. The only game in the last 6 Boyd had a passer rating higher than 100 was in a win over Virginia Tech for the ACC Title. During that span, Boyd threw only 9 touchdowns and had 9 interceptions. This is less than stellar numbers for a player that was a legit Heisman candidate to start the
season. In Chad Morris' offense the quarterback is vital in determining the success of an offense because it is pass heavy and a 1 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio is handcuffing to the spread offense. Clemson cannot afford for Boyd to be the player he was the last part of the season if they want to be successful.
Tajh showed flashes of stardom last season and will be expected to be more consistent this year. We will have to wait and see if he can be a game manager and not force passes when defenses are well prepared for him. Tajh proved he can carry the team for part of the year, but can he do it for a full season. If he can, Clemson will be right in the thick of the ACC Title hunt and relevant Nationally.
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