Clemson Football: Tajh Boyd A Quarterback to Watch in 2013

Dec 31, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd (10) rolls out on a pass play in the second half against the LSU Tigers in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Clemson won 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Tajh Boyd and the Clemson Tigers are playing a reversed role from a year ago. Clemson opened spring football 2012, the wounds of surrendering 70 points to the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Orange Bowl still fresh.

For Boyd, the question marks that arose from the Orange Bowl debacle went back further. The Tigers lost three of their last four in a stretch that saw Boyd throw five interceptions to six touchdowns, but half of his scores came in the lone win. An 83-yard passing effort in a blowout loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks may have been the low point.

Boyd could post big numbers on ACC defenses, but apparently lacked the acumen to tangle with top flight opposition. After all, CU was a viable national championship contender heading into late October, and even clung to a small hope of sneaking in before dropping the final two games of the regular season. And as is typically the case, a considerable if not unfair amount of blame for the late season collapse was placed on the quarterback — in this instance, Tajh Boyd.

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Reset to spring 2013. The Tigers opened their camp after closing the past campaign with one of the more impressive wins in the bowl season. Clemson upended the LSU Tigers in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, 25-24, and Boyd in particular was outstanding.

In the fourth quarter, he engineered three scoring drives including a possession culminating in one of his two touchdown passes. Boyd completed 36 of his 50 pass attempts for 346 yards and threw no interceptions against the No. 12 ranked FBS defense in that category. He also rushed for a score.

Compare Boyd’s effort against the stout LSU defense to Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. The Texas A&M wunderkind threw three interceptions with zero touchdown passes against the Tigers, rushed for 27 yards on 16 carries and failed to score on the ground.

John Chavis’ defense was no joke, yet Boyd got a last laugh unlike any quarterback the Tigers faced in 2012. And with a standout performance against truly elite competition, Tajh Boyd’s spring plants the seeds for a season with unparalleled expectations.

Boyd passed on early entry into a shallow NFL draft pool for quarterbacks.

In doing so, he moves near the head of the line in Heisman talk. Meanwhile, Clemson becomes a legitimate title contender. Boyd loses De’Andre Hopkins, but retains Sammy Watkins, and head coach Dabo Swinney has been among the most effective recruiters in the nation over the last few seasons.

But the Tigers, and Boyd, have hurdles to climb. Foremost is erasing the verb Clemsoning from the college football lexicon.

Clemsoning is the act of losing in a most gut-wrenching fashion, or losing critical games one should not. It happened for the 2011 Tigers against Georgia Tech and NC State. Last season, CU finished 11-2 with its sole losses coming to teams ranked in the final Associated Press top 10, South Carolina and Florida State.

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However, the Tigers led each of those contests and faltered after hot starts. Finding the consistency to maintain such energy is paramount to a BCS run.

And South Carolina. The Gamecocks loom in that regular season finale, Steve Spurrier taunting his in-state rival. Talk is cheap without performance to back it up, and when South Carolina faces Clemson, the Gamecocks sing it and bring it. This year, Boyd must do something he has yet to in Clemson career and knock off his team’s most bitter foe.

Boyd must also do so on the road in what could be a Heisman-deciding showdown. Lined up opposite Tajh Boyd will be defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, arguably the most anomalous player in the college game.