Conflicted emotions for Clemson football

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.