Wake 12 - Clemson 7

Let's first say that Speck does not hold the players accountable for this or any of the losses this year. These guys are not only extremely talented, but they are students playing for scholarship money. That does not mean that they cannot or should not be criticized every once in a while, but Speck will not do that here. He also doesn't believe they deserve it. So for tonight...



Quotes from tonight's broadcast:

"You've got great receivers. You've got great running backs. How can you be so bad? How can you be one of the worst teams in the country?" -Craig James

Speck doesn't think Clemson is one of the worst teams in the country, but going from #9 pre-season to this says something about someone.

"You can't point to one thing. Why is Clemson so bad?" -Chris Fowler

Speck can point to one thing. Here's a hint...It starts with a "T" and ends with a "ommy Bowden".

There was one moment in this game where Speck knew the Tigers had lost it. It was the personal foul for pushing after the play during the 3rd quarter. It showed the frustration that the players felt. All the talk this week was about how Clemson needed to win this game to salvage the season got to the players. What the players should have been thinking about was how they were going to prove that they were the better team tonight...that they were going to prove that they could blow out a good Wake Forest team on the road, on a Thursday. But they didn't have that in their heads. Deep down they doubted themselves as much as many of the fans doubted Tommy.  We loved you, but it's time to move on.

As Muschamp says...

That's still your job as a coach. We can get so involved in Xs and Os, but how do you hit the fire with the players? What are you going to do to motivate the guys to play at a different level? Motivating players is a huge part of being a good coach.

Speck couldn't agree more.