Commentary: Tigers' clutch win shows headway

THE ADRENALINE RUSH swept Clemson coach Dabo Swinney into a land of mixed metaphors.

Swinney, who has suffered no shortage of motivational color during his brief tenure, outlined the various messages he thought were reflective of the Tigers' mettle after Saturday's 40-37 overtime victory at No. 8 Miami.

Clemson clocked in and went to work. Everyone grabbed an ax, picked out a tree and started swinging. And last but not least, playing off the U.S.'s military strategy in Iraq, Swinney last week called on the team to come with a "Clemson surge" in order to regain control of its season.

"Because our initial surge wasn't quite getting it done," Swinney said.

At its core, Clemson's win was a rejoinder to those who had already passed judgment on Swinney's coaching ability.

The Tigers finally got it done in several respects, snapping lengthy stretches of futility against ranked opponents (an eight-game losing streak) and ending its bout with clutch collapses (they had gone 1-8 in their past nine games decided by seven points or less).

Those shortcomings were the barrier to the elusive ACC title game appearance.

Under Tommy Bowden, Clemson had beaten some quality teams on the road and won a few close games.

But it has been a while since the Tigers claimed a victory of this magnitude and the way in which it won.

And that alone could stand as Swinney's first step in distancing himself from the last roller-coaster years under Bowden.

In recent weeks, Swinney has referenced the need to "learn how to win" and "change the culture" - standard fare for the new guy in charge, but certainly needed after the circumstances of its three losses and the here-we-go-again environment in the program.

The Tigers overcame both at Miami, rallying from a deficit seven times.

Progress and improvement are the measures of any job performance, and Clemson showed some Saturday, getting the late Richard Jackson field goal it lacked at Maryland, the pinpoint Kyle Parker throw it needed against TCU and the late defensive stop it had lacked at Georgia Tech.

Clemson (4-3, 3-2 ACC) is now in the driver's seat in the Atlantic Division, a position that has left the Tigers looking like crash test dummies in recent memory.

They hold the tiebreaker edge over the other pair of two-loss conference teams, Boston College (3-2 ACC) and Wake Forest (2-2), with three league games remaining.

Following this week's nonconference game against struggling FCS opponent Coastal Carolina, Clemson sandwiches home games with Florida State (1-3) and Virginia (2-1) around a road game at N.C. State (0-3).

The Seminoles are dysfunctional and undisciplined but potent on offense. The Wolfpack have a formidable offense, too, while the Cavaliers have won both their ACC road games.

All three are winnable games.

It's impossible to tell whether the Miami win will be a program-altering moment, but we'll soon find out.

Changing Clemson's culture requires learning how to handle prosperity - see the Duke loss after the Tigers won at No. 11 Miami in overtime in 2004.

Before they could get to that point, they needed a big win.

There was no doubt that getting over the hump would entail navigating a series of bumps in the ACC's self-described "Road to Tampa Bay."

You just didn't guess the Tigers would make headway equipped with an ax, a timecard, a battle map - oh, and C.J. Spiller.

"Hopefully we can continue to change that culture by becoming a consistent, winning program that shows up every week," Swinney said Sunday. "For seven games, our guys have laid it on the line, and they have come to play. They've played hard. We've stayed together.

"These kids believe in what they're doing. I think it's a good sign that we're headed in the right direction."