Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd lost one of his favorite targets last week when Charone Peake tore his ACL in practice last Wednesday.

The junior wide receiver, who’s made four career starts, had eight receptions for 84 yards in 2013. No. 3 Clemson is now down to just six scholarship wide receivers.

“That’s a tough loss,” Tiger head coach Dabo Swinney said during the Atlantic Coast Conference teleconference on Wednesday. “We felt he was poised for a great year and is a great talent.”

Clemson will play its first game without Peake on Thursday when the Tigers travel to Raleigh, N.C., to face North Carolina State.

Swinney suggested Adam Humphries and freshman Gerome Hopper as wide receivers who could help fill the void left with Peake’s injury. Either way, the coach won’t change up the offense.

“We definitely want to run the football, but losing Charone doesn’t affect us as far as how we call the plays,” Swinney said. “With the guys that we have at tight end and receiver, we feel good about our ability to throw the football.”

Addazio wants ‘hard-nosed’ practices

Boston College head coach Steve Addazio harnessed his inner Scott Shafer during the ACC coaches’ teleconference.

The Eagles are off this weekend, but play No. 8 Florida State on Sept. 28, so one reporter asked Addazio how he would prepare his team this week.

His response sounded like one Shafer could be using next week.

Said Addazio: “We’re going to use this bye week to try to get a jump start. We started today. We’ll be working tomorrow, and then Friday is like a game week Tuesday for us. We wanted to have a really good physical, hard-nosed, first-second down, full padded, go-get-it deal on Friday, so that puts us one day up.”

Published on September 19, 2013 at 12:48 am

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