6 November 2011
Since October 7th at Tigerama, an annual event held during Clemson University’s homecoming week, head coach Dabo Swinney has been referring to the Tiger’s football season as the “Shock the World Tour.”
For eight consecutive weeks the Clemson University Tigers had been doing just that. Clemson started off the season by defeating four teams that held championships the previous year. Within the month of September the Tigers knocked the Trojans of Troy off of their high horses, left Wofford in terror of Chad Morris’ offense, made the Auburn Tigers look like a sad imitation, and left the Florida State’s defense saying ”Wooooooooo, where did Sammy goooooooo?!” And the fans loved every second of it! For weeks Death Valley, South Carolina was overcrowded with girls in obnoxious orange dresses, guys in shorts covered with tiger paws (accompanied with a Polo shirt and orange bowtie of course), and lots I repeat LOTS of body paint.
Despite their excitement fans were still apprehensive about the success of the Tigers. One day while riding the bus, I overheard a man say, “Clemson is ‘bout to run out of miracles.” Each week, given Clemson’s history, fans across the nation held their breath as they watched the games. In the back of their minds they were thinking this could be the team that breaks the streak.
Along with being the first road game of the season, Week 5 brought added stress to lives of Tigers worldwide. No worries, it was on the house! Defying the odds, the Tigers went on to defeat the Hokies with what seemed like effortless game play. As the final seconds of the fourth quarter dwindled, defensive end Kourtnei Brown looked into the ESPN cameras and boldly proclaimed to the nay-sayers and doubters, “We gon’ make you a believer baby!”
For two months Clemson supporters had enjoyed the best football season it had seen since 2001. It looked like the homecoming theme “History will repeat itself” was beginning to manifest. That is until October 29, 2011, better known as the day the Tiger didn’t roar. Tiger Nation was silent as it watched their undefeated team struggle against the 6-2 Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. With every passing moment fans experienced flashbacks of Kyle Parker throwing interceptions in the game against Tech just two years earlier; and hey, look at the kid over there crying in the stands. Hearts dropped with every turnover, third down conversion, and missed tackle.
Things were not looking good, and the worst was yet to come. An interception in the fourth quarter by safety Rashard Hall seemed to be spark that Clemson needed to turn the ball game around. The ember quickly dimmed when on the next play, quarterback Tajh Boyd threw a pass over the head of wide receiver Sammy Watkins and into the hands of a GT player. It is rumored that this mistake is what led to his home in Clemson being egged following the game. Clemson ended the game with only two touchdowns, four turnovers, and a poorly playing defense. The loss was taken hard.
The streets of downtown Clemson, which had been consistently overcrowded every weekend since the “Shock the World Tour” began, were now deserted. Fans left the bars and viewing parties stung with the heads hung low and tails between their legs. With the anticipation of Week 11 the question is now whether Clemson will continue to shock the world, or if the tour has been cancelled.
Back to the Clemson Tigers Newsfeed