Jadeveon Clowney did not slam the North Carolina quarterback to the ground five times during Thursday night's game, so apparently he is out of the Heisman race? Not so fast. The South Carolina defensive end had a quiet game in the Gamecocks season debut against the Tar Heels. However, a quiet game for Clowney should really not mean too much. As many question his conditioning heading into the season, head coach Steve Spurrier is defending his star talent.
The sixth-ranked Gamecocks did not struggle on Thursday, but Clowney did not stand out. The defensive end was coming off a stomach virus which may has resulted in sluggish play throughout the game. Clowney was slow off the line. He was often seen on the sidelines breathing heavily. He recorded three small tackles, leaving many to wonder what happened.
"Everybody always expects a lot from JD. He expects a lot from himself,'' defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said. "I told him he might have to watch what he's eating if his energy's down. We have to make sure we can play more than three, four, five plays at a time.''
Spurrier went on the Paul Finebaum show and simply said that it was a hot day. The team had yet to practice in that kind of humidity and Clowney got tired. Nothing less, nothing more. It was 95 degrees during the game and Clowney was active on almost all 79 snaps that North Carolina took.
Clowney has spent most of the offseason with a large amount of hype surrounding him. The defensive end is projected to be the first player drafted in 2014, looking NFL ready last year. Many were expecting Clowney to come out in this game and record another tackle like the one on a Michigan running back last year in the Outback Bowl.
This game will certainly not make it to his potential Heisman highlight reel, but Spurrier is not worried about that. He laughed off all the talk of Clowney losing his grip on the trophy. He noted that the high-speed attack of the Tar Heels threw Clowney off and made things difficult for him. Both stressed improvement would happen.
"First game of the season,'' Clowney said, via ESPN.com. "It's going to get better. Week after week, it's going to get better and better.''