By Dick Mittman
indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Down at Clemson University, when football coach Tommy Bowden yells "Indy," his team goes fast.
"Indy," as in Indy 500, is the coach's name for his speed-up, no-huddle offense. Last year, it worked quite well as the Tigers ended their regular season on a roll and then beat No. 6-ranked Tennessee in the Peach Bowl, 27-14, for a 9-4 season.
"The term is used to speed everything up," said offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain, a former North Carolina State head coach who returned to his alma mater. "We use Indy fast. They (players) don't know what the term means, but they know what fast-paced means.
"About four or five plays a game we run at that pace."
Last year, Bowden "dusted off" the no-huddle offense in the third game of the season after the offense struggled in the first two. The Tigers beat Middle Tennessee State, 37-14, and then capped the regular season with a blasting of bitter state rival South Carolina, coached by former Notre Dame head man Lou Holtz, 63-17, with a combined 542 yards rushing and passing.
"We try to get 500 yards out of it," said Clemson SID Tim Bourret, a Notre Dame graduate. "We haven't this year, but did last year."
Clemson has a 5-4 record this year and plays at Duke in North Carolina this Saturday while another major sporting event, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Mountain Dew Southern 500, takes place at Darlington Raceway in Clemson's home state of South Carolina.
The "Indy" term came to light nationally when a sideline reporter, explaining Clemson's quick offense at the Peach Bowl, said:"It's the Indy package, as in Indianapolis 500. The pace speaks for itself."
O'Cain noted that the key to the success of the Indy offense is the quarterback. The Tigers signal caller is Charlie Whitehurst, a junior from Duluth, Ga., near Atlanta.
"He's a very intelligent young man," O'Cain said. "I just give him the signal. You have to be pretty sharp."
O'Cain is a racing fan and has wanted to attend the Indianapolis 500 but hasn't been able to because in May he is on the road recruiting. But he has attended the Daytona 24 Hours and the American Le Mans Series race at Road Atlanta.
Indy-style racing and South Carolina haven't been connected since 1956. That's when the last of four Champ Car races was held at Darlington Raceway, site of this weekend's Mountain Dew Southern 500.
The first Champ Car race run there came on Dec. 10, 1950, 3 ½ months after NASCAR officially opened the track, the first paved venue on the circuit, on Labor Day. Johnnie Parsons, winner at Indy that year, also took the checkered flag in his Russo-Nichols car.
Walt Faulkner drove the Agajanian Grant machine to victory in 1951 as the race was moved to July 4. Indy cars didn't return again until the summer of 1954, and it was Manny Ayulo who pulled out the victory over 29 other starters. The final Indy car race at Darlington came on July 4, 1956, as Pat O'Connor beat Jack Turner for the win.
Stock car driver Cale Yarborough came out of Sadis, S.C., to race in the Indianapolis 500 four times, with a best finish of 10th in 1972. He won at his home state track five times during his legendary NASCAR career.
Clemson is located cross-state from Darlington near the Georgia border. Its football stadium has been called "Death Valley" since a visiting coach in 1948, following a loss, used that term in reference to how hard it was to win there. An alumnus brought a rock from the real Death Valley in California and eventually it was mounted, named for former coach Frank Howard and placed at the top of the hill where the players enter the stadium. They all rub it before trotting down to field level for warm-ups.
The current football team has another racing term to signify a change from the Indy offense.
"Daytona," said O'Cain. "It's a little slower pace."
But why wasn't Darlington thrown in there?
"It's a little tough to say," O'Cain said. ***
2005 tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 89th Indianapolis 500, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
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