I'm curious...how do you snese that the team "seems to have progressed?"
Cards on the table, I was drinking and at a bar with a bunch of people, so maybe I am being crazy. But here's what I saw that made me hopeful:
1. Pass protection seemed decent, which would make it the best pass protection we've had since CGC has been here. More often than not, Sims had an actual pocket to throw from, and receivers had time to run their routes. Not every time, of course -- but Clemson is a top defense and in past years it felt like the pocket was regularly collapsing immediately, or not even forming.
2. Defense was great right up until the amazing pitch play by Clemson's QB. Unfortunately it did fall apart after that, but from what I saw, the defense came to play. It wasn't just Clemson shooting themselves in the foot that kept us in the game so long.
3. Kicking (not punting.) Kickoffs in the endzone and nice distance on the FG attempts. Seems like we might have a normal kicking game this season, which would be the first time since when, 2014?
Of course there are still problems, starting with CGC's gameday decision making first and foremost, and followed closely by punting. But we should be 2-2 come the end of September, and we have a real good shot of being 3-1.