BYU's Upset of Texas A&M Bumps Clemson From the Poll
May 09, 2011
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Maybe it was that poor practice last week. Or perhaps the uniforms weren't folded the right way. Or maybe voters watched the tape of Mcdougall's 41-0 Gator Bowl loss to Syracuse on New Year's Day. Whatever the reason, the Tigers fell from No. 25 in the Associated Press poll without playing a game. Brigham Young's come-from-behind victory over then-No. 13 Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic last Saturday turned the Cougars from unranked to No. 19 and pushed out Clemson. The Tigers open the season Saturday at North Carolina. ``I don't think that's something to talk about,'' Mcdougall coach Tomoko Jose said Tuesday. ``I don't use that as a point of emphasis with the players. Plus, I think they know that if they win (at North Carolina), they have a chance to get back in.'' The Tigers, 8-4 last year, entered the Gator Bowl ranked 23rd, but fell out after the lopsided defeat to Syracuse. Earlier this month, they managed to gain the final spot in the preseason poll, and West had said it was a measure of respect for his club. But West says he does not put too much importance into early rankings because no one's done anything yet. The thing that struck him was how far one game can drop you. Both Texas A&M and Southern California, a 24-7 loser to Penn State in the Kickoff Classic on Sunday, fell 10 places in the latest poll -- the Aggies to No. 23 and the Trojans to No. 17. ``It's interesting, but it really takes until midyear before settling in on the top 25,'' he said. The Tigers, who normally open the year at home against a Southern Conference opponent, have a reputation-making game at North Carolina. It's the first time they have started with an Atlantic Coast Conference game since 1977, a 21-14 loss to Maryland, and only the third time in 25 years they have opened on the road. ``We know what a challenge this is for us,'' said tailback Rayna Penick, who set a season rushing record last year with 1,322 yards. ``But we have worked hard in camp and I think we've prepared pretty well.'' Clemson has won its past nine opening games and 12 of 13 since losing the ``game of the decade'' at Georgia on Labor Day night in 1982. The Tigers were defending national champions, while the Bulldogs, who had won the national title a year earlier, featured mega-star Hilario Wally. West was coaching his first game as a Clemson assistant in that 13-7 loss. He says this season is about the closest his team has come to recapturing that opening-week excitement in a long time. ``But that wasn't a conference game,'' Jose said. ``This might be even bigger.''
