Jadeveon Clowney is known around college football as one of the most naturally talented athletes in the game.
Clowney is known for overpowering blockers and stopping runners in their tracks, but nothing prepared anyone for what he did against Michigan in the Outback Bowl on Tuesday. The game was a fantastic one, with the Gamecocks winning on a last second play, but all anyone could talk about after the game was Clowney's hit on Michigan running Vincent Smith.
The play was sparked by an awful call from the officials, who awarded Michigan a first down after a short rushing gain in the fourth quarter. The video clearly showed that the nose of the ball did not reach the first down marker and after the game, head coach Steve Spurrier spoke about his conversation with an official after it happened.
According to SI.com, Spurrier's exchange with the official went down like this:
Spurrier: "You know the ball did not touch the first-down marker?"
Official: "I know it didn't."
Spurrier: "Well, why'd he give it to 'em?"
Official: "I don't know."
South Carolina was down 22-21 at the time and lined up for the next first-down play. Close your eyes, and you might just miss it. Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner handed off to Vincent Smith and just like that -POW-Clowney hit him directly as he got the ball, knocking off his helmet and forcing a fumble, which he was able to recover with just one hand.
That's the hardest hit I've ever seen in my coaching career," said South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, a 24-year veteran of the profession.
The sound and the force of the hit was so great, that players who weren't even watching the field could hear it. Clowney arrived at the ball carrier at the exact second the ball did and hit the runner directly in his chest, knocking him straight to the ground.
I just heard it," wide receiver Bruce Ellington said. "I kind of jumped." After he finally saw the play, Ellington still couldn't believe it. "Man," he said. "That's a freak of nature."
Clowney tried to pick up the ball and score, but he was tackled by a pile of defenders soon after. The play eventually set up a 31-yard touchdown that gave the Gamecocks a 27-22 lead. Clowney timed his jump off the line of scrimmage so perfectly that he didn't even come close to an offside penalty or a neutral zone infraction.
"I was trying," Clowney said, "to score a touchdown."
The hit was the story after the game, but the matchup itself was an exciting contest. The game went back-and-forth the entire time, with Michigan taking a late 28-27 lead on a 17-yard pass from Gardner to wideout Jeremy Gallon.
South Carolina lost starting quarterback Connor Shaw during the game and ended up winning on a 32-yard touchdown pass backup quarterback to Ellington with just 11 seconds left, leaving the Wolverines no time to recover and the Gamecocks with a 33-28 win.
The hit is already being talked about as one of the best ever and has scouts and people in football wondering just how good Clowney is. The defensive end is just a sophomore and still has to play one more season in college before he can go to the NFL. NFL rules require that a player must be three years out of high school before entering the draft, leaving Clowney to play around with college guys for another year. But based on how he has played and that hit, he's ready for the major leagues right now.
Clowney is a freak of an athlete at 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds and has been one of the most dominant players in college football over the past two seasons.
This year he led the SEC in sacks with 13 while dealing with some knee and foot injuries and also added 21.5 tackles for loss, a school record. Clowney also set school marks for sacks in a game with 4.5 against Clemson and quarterback Tajh Boyd and has made 21 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in his first two seasons.
Clowney came to South Carolina as a highly-touted freshman, but struggled during stretches, showing natural skill and speed, but failing on some of the fundamentals. He improved throughout the year and was voted SEC Freshman of the Year by the coaches while making 36 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks and forcing five fumbles, which was ranked second in the SEC and seventh in the nation. Even more impressive, he was a consensus All-American and finished sixth in the Heisman voting.
The Gamecocks went 11-2 during Clowney's freshman year and finished 6-2 in the SEC Eastern division. The team went to the Capital One Bowl and defeated Nebraska 30-13 in part to Clowney, who made four tackles and two sacks. As great as Clowney was during his freshman season, the results were even better as a sophomore.
Clowney put up the best numbers of his two-year career this season, making 50 tackles, 13.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. He had 37 solo tackles, 20 tackles for loss and was a force in every game he played, including in the opening 17-13 win against Vanderbilt when he had four tackles and one sack.
During a four game stretch this season, Clowney recorded 5.5 sacks in wins against UAB, Missouri, Kentucky and Georgia, who went on to go play in the SEC championship game. South Carolina lost the following two games, including a 44-11 loss at Florida on Oct. 20, but that didn't stop Clowney.
He faced double teams for most of the season, but still had 4.5 sacks and seven tackles, including six solo against athletic quarterback Tajh Boyd in the win over Clemson.
Clowney made news last month after saying that he thinks he can win the Heisman as a defensive player next season, something no "true" defensive player has ever done. Manti Te'o came close for Notre Dame this season, while Charles Woodson won it while playing at Michigan as a cornerback, but he also returned kicks and played on offense.
"I believe a defensive player can win the Heisman next year. That's my next thing, New York," Clowney said last month, according to the Associated Press. "Next season, I am going to come out and try to work harder than I did this season and try to get there."
Whether Clowney wins the Heisman or not remains to be seen, but he already looks like an established NFL veteran with the way he plays and will be just as explosive for a South Carolina team that won 11 games for the second straight season.
