No Number of 'Noles Stopping Spiller(AP Photo, Shiro)
I find it hard to believe many people can come near to doing what Clemson's C.J. Spiller does with his two legs. Turns out, he can put most to shame on only one good wheel. Just ask Florida St.
The move has kept me from a solid Saturday of wall-to-wall college football, but I managed to stop long enough to catch most of the FSU-Clemson game, which proved to be one of the most entertaining games of the day. It wasn't the prettiest football you'll ever see, but watching C.J. Spiller was a thing of beauty - even at less than 100%.
In case you missed it, the senior do-everything back for the Tigers, torched the once-mighty-now-meek Florida St. defense for a school record 312 all-purpose yards. Spiller half-limped through the performance, at times unable to tap into that extra gear that those of us who've been wowed by his speed are used to seeing. No matter, Spiller had more than enough gas in the tank on a number of critical third downs and drives when Clemson needed to respond, where, in the past, they've faded with a whimper. Last night they did not, thanks mainly to Spiller.
C.J.'s two touchdowns, 165 yards rushing and a 58-yard TD reception to put Clemson back in the lead at the start of the third quarter, kept the Tigers ACC title hopes alive. It was also sufficient to maintain Spiller's rightful spot in the Heisman discussion. Use every cliche you want, they also seem to work with this guy. "Gritty." "Gutsy." "A football player." I hear 'em all, and they all rang pretty true last night. If I were Clemson, I'd stage another Thriller performance prior to next Saturday's game at NC State.
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