Being an "Older School" Dawg I can honestly say that I was truly enjoying the Boston College/Clemson matchup yesterday. Boston College, to their credit, hung on and won a very competitive game. Clemson had a chance to tie, but missed a long field goal attempt that never had a chance as it drifted short of the goal post in the dense, cold air of Death Valley.
A prior commitment prevented me from watching any football all day until I returned home and tuned in to the game halfway through the 3rd quarter. I immediately began pulling for Boston College because Clemson wears orange, was once an annual early-season big time rival, and has whipped us in some good head-knockers in days gone by.
However, when I realized that Cullen Harper is the son of former Georgia lineman Jeff Harper who was instrumental in our 1980 National Championship, my allegiances, if only for this game, suddenly shifted. I can't explain it, but the shots in the stands of the proud, tortured father with his head phones cheering for his son instantly, if for the moment, transformed me into a Clemson fan. More than anything, I was a fan of the Harper's; of a father and son.
As it happened, with Clemson driving late in the game, the son lofted a perfect ball to his receiver racing past the defender. The ball hit his man in stride. The game-winner was dropped.
Clemson should have won and Jeff Harper and his son should have shared that victory cigar after the game. My brief time as a Clemson fan is now over, but I am a fan of the Harpers. And I truly hope that Jeff Harper, and his son Cullen, may enjoy a victory cigar as they beat South Carolina next weekend.