Sports Illustrated Ranks Clemson Football #14

(WOLO) — Sports Illustrated’s college football preview hits the newsstands Wednesday. Clemson comes in ranked #14. Senior writer Austin Murphy previewed the Tigers and names Carlos Watkins as their key recruit and Travis Blanks as their breakout player for the 2012 season. Murphy writes of Clemson, “Putting defenses on their heels last season with offensive coordinator Chad Morris‘s shiny new HUNH (Hurry Up, No Huddle), the ACC champs improved dramatically, jumping from 88th to 26th in total offense. And that was with first-year starter at quarterback Tajh Boyd having digested ‘60-to-65 percent‘ of the offense, says Morris. Now a junior and a veteran of Morris‘s system, Boyd is ready ‘to get into the next layer of this offense,‘ says the OC. Boyd is also ready to do a better job taking what the defense gives him and to stop forcing throws into coverage. Over Clemson‘s last six games he threw as many picks (nine) as TDs—after a 24-to-3 TD-to-INT ratio to start the season—which is in large part why the Tigers lost four of those games.”