Tag: Booger McFarland

Booger McFarland reacts to Clemson’s tough College Football Playoff loss to Texas

McFarland had a lot to say about Clemson’s loss.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland weighed in on Clemson’s 38-24 loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff, focusing on the Tigers’ inability to stop the Longhorns’ rushing attack and their struggles to establish their own ground game.

“Clemson couldn’t take it away,” McFarland said of Texas’ dominant run game, which piled up 292 rushing yards and four touchdowns. “Whether it was (Jaydon) Blue, (Quintrevion) Wisner – left, right, inside, outside. It was like Burger King – have it any way you want to.”

Clemson’s defense, which had allowed 150.5 rushing yards per game during the season, struggled to contain Texas from the start. The Longhorns tallied 148 yards on the ground in the first half alone. Blue’s 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter came just after Clemson had rallied to cut the deficit to seven points, effectively putting the game out of reach.

“It was almost as if the Clemson defenders didn’t understand how fast he was,” McFarland said of Blue. “They took bad angles, they did not know how to tackle him.”

Clemson’s rushing attack was ineffective on the other side of the ball, finishing with just 76 yards on 24 carries. Phil Mafah, hampered by a shoulder injury, was limited to only nine yards on two carries, leaving quarterback Cade Klubnik to shoulder the offensive load.

“Clemson wanted to run the football with Phil Mafah. The Texas defense took that away,” McFarland explained. “They put too much on Klubnik. His stats will say he had a good game, but Clemson’s inability to run the football hurt them.”

Klubnik delivered an effort that should have fans excited for next season, completing 26 of 43 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, but Clemson’s one-dimensional offense ultimately fell short. “Good defenses take away what you want to do – and Texas did just that,” McFarland added.

Despite the loss, Clemson will aim to use this experience as a learning opportunity as they turn their attention to the 2025 season.

ESPN’s Booger McFarland sharply broke down how Clemson’s dynasty fell apart

Booger McFarland nailed it when talking about why Clemson is stuck in a rut.

According to ESPN, Clemson football suffered its first 30-point loss since 2013 on Saturday to Georgia in Atlanta.

The network’s football analyst Booger McFarland pinpointed exactly what ails Dabo Swinney’s Tigers during a broadcast segment after the loss.

McFarland pointed to the lack of creativity on offense that held Clemson back in part to only three points against the Bulldogs. Sure, Georgia has an excellent defense, but only Clemson scoring three points is eye-opening.

“I’m afraid to say it’s the same old thing,” McFarland astutely pointed out when talking about Clemson’s problems on the broadcast. “[There is] no creativity on offense. It’s been the same stale offense for four or five years. … If you’re a Clemson fan, you have to ask yourself, when are we going to change?”

The fact that Clemson and Swinney in particular has been so hesitant to utilize the transfer portal was also discussed, as the broadcast pointed out the team has no starts for incoming transfers since 2018. That’s absolutely wild.

To McFarland, the talent gaps on the Clemson roster that don’t get fixed with general recruiting can be amended through the transfer portal.

“Dabo chooses not to [use the portal], therefore, you’re going to have those lulls in the program,” McFarland said. “And I’m afraid, right now, they have a little bit of a lull.”

Swinney’s resistance to change his offensive scheme and add any starters via the highly popular transfer portal looks to be a major thorn in his side as he continues to lead the Clemson program. Is it possible he could change his mind? Sure, but will he before time runs out, if at all?

If the Tigers continue to disappoint this season, replacing Swinney with a more forward-thinking coach could be the change Clemson needs to move ahead into this new era of college football.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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WATCH: Best highlights from Booger McFarland’s career with the Bucs

Check out some of the best plays from Booger McFarland’s career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Long before he was talking about football for ESPN, Anthony “Booger” McFarland was making his own impact on the gridiron for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A first-round pick out of LSU, McFarland had his share of big plays throughout his time in a Bucs uniform, tallying 217 tackles and 20 sacks over his eight seasons in Tampa Bay.

Watch the video above to relive some of the best plays from McFarland’s career with the Bucs.

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Booger McFarland endorsed football players peeing their pants if it’s raining during a game

Well, this is certainly a take.

ESPN college football analyst Booger McFarland found a very unexpected positive for playing in the rain while talking about the Cure Bowl on Saturday.

As the sloppy conditions in Orlando during the Appalachian State-Miami (OH) game created plenty of on-field chaos for both teams, the ESPN trio of McFarland, Kevin Negandhi and Dan Mullen talked about how tough it can be to take on the conditions if you’re a football player.

McFarland interjected to point out what he sees as a distinct positive to playing in the rain, particularly for defensive linemen: The rain allows you to get away with peeing your pants on the field.

Yes, really, this is a thing he said on live television.

Look, while McFarland is technically true that no one is going to see that you tinkled in your britches if it’s pouring rain outside, it’s not ever advisable to wet yourself in public unless you are a toddler or in the film Billy Madison. Not to mention super gross for those who might tackle you.

We’re not really sure why McFarland chose this as his “playing in the rain is good, actually!” take, but more power to him, we guess?

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Former LSU stars Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark joining ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown

A couple of former LSU players will be prominently featured in ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage

There are some updates coming to ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown this fall.

Former LSU football players [autotag]Marcus Spears[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Clark[/autotag] are joining the show as analysts. Spears and Clark have risen to prominence on ESPN the last few years after lengthy NFL careers.

Spears got his start on the SEC Network in 2014 but quickly rose through the ranks to become one of ESPN’s go-to voices. Both Clark and Spears have appeared on ESPN’s morning show “Get Up.”

Another former LSU player, [autotag]Booger McFarland[/autotag], will not be part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage this year.

SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt is also set to join the production.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly took to social media to offer his congratulations.

Spears and Clark were teammates on the 2001 LSU team that won the SEC championship on its way to a Sugar Bowl victory.

Spears won a national title with LSU in 2003.

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27 Days, 27 Picks: DT Booger McFarland

You’ve seen our next player in the 27 Days, 27 Picks series on TV calling games, but he was a mainstay on the Bucs’ defensive line for seven seasons in his playing days:

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

You may have seen our next player in the 27 Days, 27 Picks series on TV, but he was a mainstay on the Bucs’ defensive line for seven seasons in his playing days.

Check out the draft rundown on DT [autotag]Booger McFarland[/autotag] below:

Where did this ESPN analyst rank Clemson?

During the Week 9 college football action on Saturday, this ESPN analyst gave who he saw as the top teams in the sport. Booger McFarland ranked his top five teams, as things stood at the time he gave his ranking, which was during the pregame show on …

During the Week 9 college football action on Saturday, this ESPN analyst gave who he saw as the top teams in the sport.

Booger McFarland ranked his top five teams, as things stood at the time he gave his ranking, which was during the pregame show on ABC before Michigan State’s game at Michigan.

McFarland had Georgia at No. 1, Tennessee at No. 2, Ohio State at No. 3, Clemson at No. 4 and Michigan at No. 5.

As for where he had the Tigers ranked, McFarland said, “I’m going to put the Clemson Tigers right there at No. 4. I think they’re a potential (playoff team), and Clemson’s defense is really good.”

The initial College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled this Tuesday (7-8 p.m., ESPN).

Clemson, coming off a bye week, travels to Notre Dame this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Top 101 LSU football players of all time: No. 50-41

The countdown continues as we hit the home stretch.

LSU football has been around for a long time. Since 1893, to be exact.

In that span, plenty of great football players have come through the program. Before we begin the journey of the 2022 season, I thought I’d take a stab at ranking the 101 best players in LSU history.

I have tried to avoid recency bias as much as possible. It can be hard to get enough information about older players, but I did my best to get them about in the ballpark of where they should be.

Anytime there’s a list this big, people will disagree. There’s so little that separates the 50th player from the 70th, and so on.

I tried to balance consistency over multiple seasons with some players that had one great year. Both have been rewarded here. With that in mind, let’s continue the countdown.

LSU football all-time roster: Defensive starters and backups

See which legends of defense made the cut in our all-time LSU football roster.

When people think about the LSU football program, the historic 2019 team likely comes to mind. That national championship-winning squad was strong all-around, but it was especially notable for the offense and the litany of talent it produced.

But for most of this team’s history, that has not been the case. The Tigers earned a reputation over many years for their physical style of football and the number of future NFL stars they produced on defense.

We continue our look at LSU’s all-time roster, and now we’ll break down the defensive starters and backups.

See the all-time LSU offense here.

Check out our other College Wire all-time defenses: Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC

ESPN analysts weigh in on Swinney, Clemson after Cheez-It Bowl win

A couple of ESPN analysts weighed in on Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program following the 19th-ranked Tigers’ 20-13 victory over Iowa State (7-6) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday night. With the win, Clemson (10-3) has now recorded at …

A couple of ESPN analysts weighed in on Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program following the 19th-ranked Tigers’ 20-13 victory over Iowa State (7-6) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday night.

With the win, Clemson (10-3) has now recorded at least 10 wins for a school-record 11th consecutive season. Clemson became only the third program in history ever to post 11 consecutive 10-win seasons, joining Florida State (14 from 1987-2000) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21).

“If you’re Dabo and you’re Clemson, your program has become a model of consistency,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said. “You talk about the 10 wins 11 years in a row. So now, when you go on the road recruiting, you can sell that along with the family environment, education. Dabo has built a monumental program there in Clemson.”

Swinney earned his 150th career win in his 14th season (including an interim stint in 2008) to move past Barry Switzer (149) for sole possession of the third-most wins through the first 15 seasons of a coaching career in FBS history. Swinney also joined Urban Meyer (165) and Bob Stoops (160) as the only coaches in FBS history to win 150 games in the first 15 seasons of a head coaching career.

The Tigers won 10 games in a season in which they started 2-2 or worse for the second time in school history, joining the 2014 Tigers that rebounded from a 2-2 start through four games (and a 1-2 start through three games) to finish 10-3 with a bowl win in Orlando.

Beyond the 2021 and 2014 teams, the only other Clemson team to reach even nine wins after starting .500 or worse through four games was its 2009 team, which started 2-2 and finished 9-5.

“We’re in an era where if you lose a couple games, if you’re Clemson, and don’t make it to the playoff, you don’t win the ACC Championship Game, this season feels like a loss,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway said. “But it isn’t when you can see (Swinney’s) attitude at the end of the game. He’s proud of this football team.”

–Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story

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