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ls 1998 national championship team, said, Chief, youll never know what you did for me. I never thought I could be that g
ls 1998 national championship team, said, Chief, youll never know what you did for me. I never thought I could be that g
in Pony-Like Screenshots Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:22 pmby chenwen121314 • 609 Posts
ORLANDO, Fla. Discount Nike Air Max . -- Deshaun Watsons mission is not over.The Heisman Trophy hopeful and third-ranked Clemson Tigers are ready to return to the College Football Playoff and try to resolve some unfinished business from last season.Watson bolstered his candidacy for the sports biggest individual award by passing for three touchdowns and running for two more to lead the Tigers (12-1, No. 3 CFP) a 42-35 victory over No. 19 Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night.Winning consecutive league titles for the first time in 28 years likely will send coach Dabo Swinney and his players back to the four-team College Football Playoff for the second straight year, providing Watson with an opportunity to resolve unfinished business from last January , when the Tigers lost to Alabama in the national championship game.What a blessing to be a part of this journey, Swinney said, flanked by Watson. This guy is the best player in the country, and it isnt close.The Clemson star completed 23 of 34 passes for 288 yards, including TDs of 21 and 10 yards to Jordan Leggett and 15 yards to Hunter Renfrow for a 42-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter. He also rushed for 85 yards on 17 attempts for the Tigers. Theyve won back-to-back ACC titles for the first time since winning three straight from 1986-88.Watsons Virginia Tech counterpart, Jerod Evans, was just as impressive. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound ran for two touchdowns and rallied the Hokies from a 21-point deficit to make it close at the end.The Hokies (9-4, No. 23 CFP) scored on three straight possessions, trimming what was once a 35-14 deficit to seven points on Evans 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter and Cam Phillips 26-yard TD reception with just under 6 minutes remaining.Weve been there before. We were down 17 in the Notre Dame game and we were able to rally together to fight back, Hokies receiver Isaiah Ford said. So we were confident we could come back.Virginia Tech got the ball back with a chance to force overtime. Evans drove his team to the Clemson 23, where the drive stalled when Tigers cornerback Cordrea Tankersley intercepted a pass on fourth-and-6.They got here for a reason, Swinney said of Virginia Tech. We just couldnt put them away.Virginia Tech didnt take solace in playing Clemson close.They showed up here to win the ballgame. Its a pretty somber locker room because of that, coach Justin Fuente said.Obviously, we came up `a little short, but it wasnt because we werent out there competing, Fuente added. I think our kids poured their heart and soul into this and are going to learn some life lessons from this endeavor.SITE CHANGEThe game, originally scheduled to be played in Charlotte, N.C., drew a crowd of 50,628 -- about 20,000 shy of Camping World Stadiums listed capacity. The ACC moved the event to Orlando because of North Carolina House Bill 2, a controversial law that limits legal protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.EVANS BIG NIGHTVirginia Tech QB Jerod Evans finished 21 of 35 for 264 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He rushed for 46 yards on 21 carries, and joined Travon McMillian in scoring two TDs on the ground. Meanwhile, Cam Phillips had 12 receptions for 92 yards, and Isaiah Ford had four catches for 89 yards while becoming the Hokies career leader in receiving yards.THE TAKEAWAYClemson: Its been a yearlong quest to get back to the CFP, and the Tigers survived every test with the exception of a 43-42 loss to Pittsburgh in early November -- a game in which the Tigers turned the ball over three times but still came within a fourth-and-1 conversion of winning. Watson was overshadowed early in the season, when ACC player of the year Lamar Jackson was posting gaudy statistics for Louisville, however the Clemson quarterbacks performance Saturday night added to the sterling resume hes put together for Heisman Trophy consideration .Virginia Tech: The Coastal Division winners werent just happy to be in the title game. Fuente and his players were determined to make the most of the Hokies first appearance in the title game in five years. And for a half, they kept it close, weathering Clemson scoring on its first three possessions to build a 21-7 lead. Even after being outgained 148 yards to minus-14 while falling behind by three TDs in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter, Evans rallied his team to make a game of it in the fourth quarter.DISQUALIFIEDClemson LB Dorian ODaniel was ejected in the opening quarter after being penalized for targeting on a high hit on Virginia Tech RB Sam Rogers, who was dropped for no gain on a pass reception. The call, along with Terrell Edmunds 20-yard reception on a fake punt play and a 15-yard pass interference penalty against Tankersley, fueled the Hokies first scoring drive, a 12-play, 77-yard march that McMillian finished his TD run.UP NEXT:Clemson: Awaits official word on a berth and seeding in the CFP, which begins with the national semifinals on Dec. 31.Virginia Tech: Will travel to a bowl game hoping to finish its season under Fuente with 10 wins for the first time since 2011. Fuente also would become the first coach in school history to win 10 games in his first season leading the Hokies.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Cheap Balenciaga Shoes China . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Vapormax China Paypal .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/who...hoes-china.html .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Some of Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis most enduring lessons didnt come on a football field, but rather on a tractor while growing up in Dillon, South Carolina.His parents, Robert Jr. and Becky Jane Chavis, were Cherokee sharecroppers, and Chavis -- one of 10 children in the family -- learned at an early age the importance of earning his keep and doing things the right way. The family squeezed into a small house on the landowners property before Chavis father saved enough money to buy his own home. They mostly grew tobacco, but there were also other crops to be planted out of season.I can still remember my dad saying when wed be planting whatever we were planting at that time that if one little spot was crooked, that he was going to wear my rear end out, Chavis recalled fondly. To him, it wasnt just planting the rows. They had to be straight, or it wasnt good enough.Just as important in the elder Chavis eyes was the premise that the only job that mattered was the one you were doing right then.He was a farmer and not the most educated man, but he taught me a lot, how to fish and how to hunt. The most important thing he taught me, though, was how to work, Chavis said. The best job is the one youve got, and youve got to take the right kind of pride in that job to make it that way.If youre always looking around, then youre not doing what you need to do to do your job right.In a world where coaches chase jobs the way most neighborhood dogs chase the ice cream truck, Chavis is the refreshing exception. He has been the quintessential grinder, coaching at just three schools since he returned to his alma mater, Tennessee, in 1989 as a defensive line coach.Its not like he hasnt had chances to move around, either. He has turned down job interviews for head coaching gigs as well as NFL opportunities in the past. And, had it not been for his distrust of the LSU administration and his suspicion that Les Miles would eventually be forced out, Chavis probably never would have left LSU.Coach Miles is a good man and good coach. He was never the reason I left there, Chavis said.So here he is at Texas A&M, a year and a half into one of his greatest challenges yet -- resurrecting an Aggie defense that was beaten down, beaten up and floundering near the bottom of the SEC in most defensive categories when Chavis arrived prior to the 2015 season.We always felt like we had the talent, but that something was missing, Texas A&M junior safety Armani Watts said. Coach Chavis was that missing piece, the way he came in here and made us believe. We took on his personality on defense, that were going to be the ones to set the tone.Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin had already decided a few things needed to change in Aggieland if they were going to survive in the SECs rugged Western Division. He knew bringing in Chavis, known as Chief to most around the college football world, would go a long way toward making Texas A&M a tougher, more physical football team -- and not just on defense. Plus, Sumlin had grown weary of competing against Chavis, especially seeing the way he shut down Johnny Manziel and the Aggies for two straight seasons in 2012 and 2013. During Manziels Heisman-winning 2012 season, the Tigers picked him off three times and held him to 27 rushing yards in a 24-19 LSU win.Weve always had confidence offensively, the way weve done things, Sumlin said. Our defense was something that needed to not only change schematically, but to get some confidence and some pride. What (Chavis) has brought is an attitude that really started with our defensive players, giving them a reference point, or a standard rather, of what the defense should look like, and what the expectations are defensively, and hes held them to that standard.The No. 6 Aggies face their biggest test of the season Saturday at No. 1 Alabama, which has won three straight in the series (averaging 49.6 points in those three games) since losing in the Aggies debut SEC season in 2012.There are telltale signs Chavis has Texas A&Ms defense on the right track despite the Aggies giving up 684 yards, the most in school history, two weeks ago to Tennessee in a 45-38 double-overtime win. They are tied for second nationally in forced turnovers (17), third in tackles for loss (58), fourth in red zone defense (11 touchdowns in 26 red zone attempts), 13th in sacks (20), 22nd in scoring defense (19.2 points per game) and 28th in third-down defense (.340).With its back to the goal line, Texas A&M has been excellent. The Aggies played 18 snaps of defense inside their own 10 against Arkansas and gave up just 17 points in those 18 plays. Theyve allowed just 13 touchdowns in six games, and five came against Tennessee. But even against the Vols, the Aggies came up with seven turnovers, including Watts interception in the second overtime to seal the win.Even with defenses playing more plays than ever now because of all the teams utilizing tempo on offense, Chavis admittedly is still old school. One of his more legendary qualities is his stubbornness, and hes simply not ready to change his standards.If an offense scores more than 17 points or gains more than 300 yards against one of his defenses, Chavis is still going to be ornery, even in a win.Maybe Im not living in reality, but Im not going to change, Chavis said. Offenses have changed so much and are scoring so much. Its definitely a different feel, but then you look at the film, see things you can correct and feel a little bit better abbout it. Discount Shoes China. I dont know if what constitutes good defense has changed or not. I just know that youre not going to win a championship unless you can stop people. Name me a team that wasnt good on defense that has won a championship. You cant.Indeed, only once since the start of the BCS era in 1998 has a team won a national championship and finished outside the top 30 nationally in scoring defense. The lone exception was Auburn in 2010. The Tigers finished 53rd that season in scoring defense, allowing an average of 24.1 points per game, but also had a guy named Cam Newton at quarterback.Perhaps the statistic that best puts into perspective what Chavis has meant to Texas A&M is how seldom it has given up 30 or more points on his watch. That was once a given in Aggieland, where winning a shootout was about the only way to win against a quality team. The Aggies yielded 30-plus points in half of their games (13 of 26) in the 2013 and 2014 seasons before Chavis arrived.But in Chavis first 19 games, it has happened only twice, and one doesnt really count because quarterback Kyle Allen threw three pick-sixes last season in a 41-23 loss to Alabama. The only other time came two weeks ago against Tennessee.We havent arrived, but were further along, Chavis said. The numbers may not be as good as last year. Im not sure, but I can tell you our players are more confident in what were doing, and they really, really want to be good. They care about each other, and theyre all buying into what were doing and the philosophy of this team.One of the assurances Chavis got from Sumlin before taking the job was that the Aggies would practice in such a way that would allow the defense to develop and keep an edge. Privately, just about all defensive coordinators curse the spread/tempo offense because of the lack of physicality in practices.?That has really bled over into what we want to do, Sumlin said. Weve changed a little bit philosophically offensively, obviously, to practice into that style and try to create a more physical football team. It started on defense. What weve tried to do across the board is continue that aggressive style and physical style, and I think its permeated throughout the football team.Whether he likes it or not, Chavis $1.6 million annual salary makes him a rock star among defensive coordinators. Of course, that doesnt mean Chavis has to act the part. Hes not big on publicity and has never been one of those coordinators constantly angling for a head coaching job.I guess I always cared more about winning than I did about being a head coach, Chavis said.When he was at Tennessee, he interviewed for the Middle Tennessee State head coaching job and turned down an opportunity to interview for the Army head job. He also briefly took a job on Dom Capers staff with the NFLs Houston Texans but changed his mind the next day. During his time at Tennessee and LSU, he had inquiries from everybody from Georgia to South Carolina to Texas about their open defensive coordinator positions. And when Miles hired Chavis prior to the 2009 season at LSU, the Mad Hatter had to beat Dabo Swinney and Clemson to the punch.When you start talking about the two best defensive coordinators in college football over the last 20 years, there are only two names -- Bud Foster and John Chavis, said Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who grew up with Chavis and also played football with him at Tennessee. Sometimes guys are hot for a while and then sort of fizzle out, but not Chief. His consistency is remarkable, and its why so many of the top programs have come after him.The scars from being ousted at his alma mater when Phillip?Fulmer and his staff were fired following the 2008 season are still there, but it doesnt define his tenure in Knoxville.It took a little while to get over that. It really did, said Chavis, whose defense that final season at Tennessee was ranked No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 nationally. But if you dont heal, then youre going to die. The memories I have at Tennessee arent defined by what happened that last season by any stretch of the imagination. We accomplished a lot of things, and a lot of young men who came through that program are young men I still love and care about.But with eight years to look back on it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was never going to leave Tennessee and had gotten too comfortable there.Chavis, who turned 60 earlier this month, is bearing down on his 40th year in coaching. Hes plenty comfortable in College Station, and any time the subject of how much longer he wants to coach is brought up, Chavis references something one of his favorite players once shared with him.Al Wilson, the heart and soul of the Vols 1998 national championship team, said, Chief, youll never know what you did for me. I never thought I could be that good. You made me believe that I could be that good, Chavis recalled.Wilson went on to become a Pro Bowl linebacker with the Denver Broncos, and his words have stuck with Chavis.Its the best compliment Ive ever had, Chavis said. It was humbling to hear him say that and to know that you had that kind of influence on a young man. As long as I can keep having that same kind of influence on the young men here at Texas A&M, Ill keep doing what Im doing.And rest assured that hell do it his way, the right way, and that all of the rows will be straight. ' ' '
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