By Roy Philpott
CUTigers.com
August 10, 2010
In what head coach Dabo Swinney described as a "better than normal" first scrimmage of preseason camp, the Tigers practiced inside of Memorial Stadium for just over two hours Tuesday.
"It was a little bit better than what I expected for the first time out here," he said. "There were some wins and losses on both sides and we mixed and matched a good bit. I thought they competed very well. The biggest thing to me was if we are going to be a championship team, we have to be a smarter, more disciplined team, and that starts by not beating yourselves."
While the first-team defense was dominant at times, third-team running back Rod McDowell stole the show, wrapping up a strong first week of practice with team-leading 12 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown performance.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Parker, who continues negotiations with the Colorado Rockies as a first round pick in the 2010 MLB draft, also did well, completing 9-of-18 passes for 114 yards, and also had a 14-yard touchdown run as well.
Clemson offensive coordinator Billy Napier said having Parker back has made a big difference, even if he was a little rusty on several plays Tuesday.
"There's no question having him there, procedurally everything is a little bit smoother," Napier said. "It was his first scrimmage back and he made some mistakes. (But those will be) things that he'll clean up as we go along. There were three or four plays here or there that could have really helped him have a big day.
The Tigers return to two-a-days Wednesday morning. The next major scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday.
