and fellow major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel

CLEMSON, S.C. -- When Clemson came back from its national championship loss to Alabama, coach Dabo Swinney showed his Tigers a handful of plays that could have changed the result.And none of them, Swinney said, were in special teams.Most remember that Clemsons fortunes in the 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide turned on two special team plays -- a dramatic onside kick in a tie game and Kenyan Drakes kickoff return touchdown soon after that gave Alabama an 11-point lead the Tigers could not overcome.Swinney says his team will shore up special teams areas. More troubling were the mental busts that led Alabama tight end O.J. Howard to two, long touchdowns -- little mistakes, Swinney said, with big consequences.Swinney wants his team prepared should that national championship chance come around again.I think for the past several years weve been good enough and I think were good enough again this year, Swinney said. But every year is a grind. There are no free passes.The Tigers have an offense, led by top Heisman Trophy hopeful Deshaun Watson, that could render any defensive questions -- Clemson lost eight starters from last year -- moot. Watson became the first Bowl Subdivision player to throw for more than 4,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000. More so than his ability is the juniors poise and knack for making the right decision.Watson has added about 16 pounds (hes 218) since January and says he is just as fast and nimble. I think it makes me better, Watson said.Watsons hardest choices this fall might be wondering where to go with the football. Also back are tailback Wayne Gallman, who set Clemsons single-season rushing mark last year; tight end Jordan Leggett, who had 40 catches and eight touchdowns; and Mike Williams, the 1,000-yard receiver who missed most of last season with a neck injury.For Watson, its about achieving the goal the team fell short of last season.We want to do everything we can and as top-notch as we can, Watson said. We want to finish the drill.Other things to watch this season:DEFENSIVE ISSUESClemson lost two starting defensive ends, two starting safeties and a starting cornerback as early entrants to the NFL draft. Sound hard to replace? Perhaps not. Sophomore defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant are primed to fill roles left by Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd. Cordrea Tankersley is the lone holdover in a secondary where the Tigers have stockpiled talented prospects the past three seasons. Ben Boulware should take over the linebacker role left by last years top tackler, B.J. Goodson.And there are few better in the game at drawing out the best than defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who reshaped last years defense after losing all four defensive linemen from 2014.KEY GAMESThe Tigers will get a test right out of the blocks when they open at Auburn on Sept. 3. The ACC Atlantic and probably the league title should get decided at Florida State on Oct. 29. It seems unlikely Clemson will be pushed by anyone else on its schedule.SEASON OPENERClemson starts at Auburn, where it last played in 2010 and dropped an overtime game to the eventual national champions and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. This time, its Clemson that is loaded.PREDICTIONIts hard to envision, after a close win in Tallahassee, Florida, not going 12-0 and rolling back into the College Football Playoff. Adidas NMD City Sock Suomi .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Adidas NMD Naiset . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/ . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Adidas NMD Tarjous . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Adidas NMD R1 Miehet .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night.PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem believes there is an enthusiasm for Olympic golf despite the withdrawal of several top players. Finchem says that golf will be in good shape heading into this years Rio Games, where he predicts a superb Olympics.Former world number ones Adam Scott and Vijay Singh, and fellow major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, are among those who have already announced that they will skip this summers global sports showpiece in Rio de Janeiro. Those no-shows, for reasons ranging from schedule issues to concern over the Zika virus, have sparked fears that more players could follow suit but Finchem felt there was generally a real enthusiasm for the Olympics in professional golf.Its a combination of things, really, Finchem said ahead of this weeks Players Championship aat Sawgrass when asked about player withdrawals from the Rio Games.dddddddddddd[It] starts with a compacted season, affects the players in different ways, the way that the [PGA Tour schedule] changes were for the season this year.Part of it is prioritisation, I would admit, although I think in general theres a real enthusiasm, certainly for the concept of golf in the Olympics.With the Olympic mens golf competition to be played from August 11-14, the years final major, the PGA Championship, has been brought forward to late July from its traditional date in the second week of August. 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