Clemson's O'Daniel makes 'House Call' against Virginia Tech
When a team wins on the road pretty handily, there’s usually a certain play or moment that breaks the spirit of the home team and their fans.
This can easily be identified. After this certain play or moment, you’ll see dejected players walk towards the sideline while fans show signs of ultimate disappointment in almost inevitable defeat.
What’s the ultimate sign of certain defeat? Heading towards the exits.
This moment isn’t something you can predict, but you’ll know it when you see it. Even the most casual fan can sense it.
Redshirt senior linebacker Dorian O’Daniel has been a part of this moment twice already this season in Clemson’s only two road games.
O’Daniel took the place of Ben Boulware and had to wait his turn to be the quarterback of Clemson’s dominant defense. Boy, has he made the most of it.
He has 38 total tackles through September and two-and-a-half sacks.
When Clemson played at Louisville a couple of weeks ago, it was a two-possession game in the third quarter. After a Clemson punt, Louisville got the ball with a chance to seize momentum and make it a game.
Lamar Jackson then threw a pass to the right side on an in-route and O’Daniel was there to intercept the pass. O’Daniel then broke a tackle and was off for a 44-yard return for a touchdown.
If you blinked, you would have missed the moment.
Fans decked out in black were in shock that the reigning Heisman winner had just thrown a pick-six. A 19-point Clemson lead after a dominant game by the defense at that point meant fans started to make their way home.
After O’Daniel crossed the goal line into the end zone, he dialed a number into the football as if it were a cell phone and put the ball to his ear. Thus making a “house call.”
A “house call” occurs when a player on special teams or defense gets the ball and makes a big return for a score. The pick-six was a perfect example.
Fast-forward exactly two weeks later to Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Clemson had been rolling all game long, but Virginia Tech created some life after a big punt return and a quick touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Hokies then forced Clemson to a three-and-out and got the ball back with a chance to make it a one-possession game. You could feel the momentum shift in the stadium and hope began to emerge in the hearts of Hokies everywhere.
When the Tigers needed a big play to put the Hokies to bed, O’Daniel, again, made his call.
With just over 11 minutes left, O’Daniel was in the right place at the right time and took a tipped Josh Jackson pass 22 yards back to the house.
He crossed the goal line and again immediately dialed a number into the football, perhaps calling the Sandman telling him to take the night off. A sea of Maroon began to part, as fans in sold-out Lane Stadium knew that their goose, or Hokie, was cooked.
Two primetime matchups. Two hostile environments. Two “house calls.”
The one against Virginia Tech was just a little sweeter. Last year in the ACC championship against the Hokies, O’Daniel was ejected early on a targeting call. He came out playing with a chip on his shoulder the final night of Clemson’s brutal September.
He was named ACC linebacker of the week thanks to his 10 tackles, one sack, and of course, the “house call.”
This is the first time since 1990 that a Clemson player has two pick-six’s in a season.
When O’Daniel was told this after the game during his few moments with the media, he paused and looked off into the distance for a quick second. He didn’t know what to say.
“It was me just doing my job, and I was fortunate enough to come down with the ball and get into the end zone and put points on the board,” O’Daniel said. “After I score, the offense is so happy because they get another breather and we go out for another series. Any way I can serve my teammates, I am all for it.”
Some celebrations are generated right in the moment, but using the ball as a cellphone was O’Daniel’s plan all along.
“Whenever I first started playing for Clemson, I always told myself that if I ever got a pick-six, then there’s no other way to celebrate that but to let everyone know I am making a house call.”
Monumental swings in the momentum pendulum make college football such a spectacular sport. They occur on a whim, and you can rarely dial them up.
It’s hard to believe that even O’Daniel himself knew he’d be dialing that phone number twice this season.
