Former Clemson co-captain Ben Boulware knows a good bit about winning.
Boulware was a member of Clemson’s 2016 National Championship as a key player on the defense. During his career with the program, Boulware recorded 52 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five interceptions, 41 quarterback, winning 49 games in a Tigers uniform.
With a strong history at Clemson, Boulware was recently on the WCCP The Roar “Out of Bounds Podcast,” sharing his thoughts on the Florida State loss and discussing Week 5 against Syracuse. Boulware is not pleased with what he’s seen from the Tigers this season and expects this team to lose more games with the direction they’re going.
“Do I think we’re about to run the table for the rest of the year? I mean if I’m a betting man, I would say no,” the former Clemson linebacker said. “Unless we do something completely different, it’s about to be an 8-4, 7-5 team this year. That’s what it looks like right now.”
Clemson’s next opportunity to make a statement is against Syracuse on the road. Boulware knows how tough it is to play on the road against the Orange and is not confident in the Tigers heading into the matchup.
“This is going to be a tough game against Syracuse. … My senior year, we went to Syracuse, and I played the worst game I’ve ever played in my entire life,” said Boulware. “We prepared for a spread offense, and then we go up there, and they’re running like a triple option. I begged coach (Brent) Venables to take me out of the game because I didn’t know what was going on,” Boulware said. “But that dome – it fits three people in it, but it gets loud. It’s super small. And they’re a 4-0 team right now. So I’m not feeling too confident go up to New York right now.”
The concern is understandable, and Boulware certainly has a different insight than most as a former player. That being said, I feel this Clemson team has shown more promise than he’s leading on. He mentions how the Orange have “some freakin juice that we don’t have,” but I’d argue that isn’t true.
There’s no denying this isn’t the same program that Boulware was a part of, but the talent is there. They just need someone to step up and lead the team to success.
Clemson can make a huge statement on Saturday with a win against Syracuse.