Dantzler's gone, what's next for Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. - It doesn&#39;t take long to see that something&#39;s very different with Clemson&#39;s offense. <br> <br> The two quarterbacks in purple jerseys, meaning defenders can&#39;t hit them, shuttle in and out during a recent spring scrimmage. <br> <br> Willie Simmons, No. 7, compact and fleet, barks signals with authority, then rolls out looking for open receivers. His backup, Charlie Whitehurst, No. 6, tall, lean and raw, drops back again and again firing bullets to Tiger pass catchers. <br> <br> The message is clear - in the Tigers first spring after the amazing career of Woody Dantzler, they found another way to make their offense go. <br> <br> ``That&#39;s all part of the game,&#39;&#39; said Simmons, whose spent the past three seasons watching Dantzler run and pass to unprecedented NCAA feats. ``We&#39;re going to miss him because he was a big part of our team. But other guys have got to step up and play.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> That means Simmons and redshirt freshman Whitehurst first and foremost. <br> <br> Each have strong arms, good mobility and high intelligence. But don&#39;t expect the tremendous throws or breathtaking runs that led Dantzler to become the first in Division I football to pass for 2,000 yards or rush for 1,000 yards. <br> <br> ``I won&#39;t even talk about the 2,000-1,000 thing&#39;&#39; with his new quarterbacks, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden says. ``It&#39;s not a realistic goal.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> With Clemson closing spring workouts Saturday with its Orange-and-White game, everyone connected with the Tigers has had to adjust their thinking to life without Woody. <br> <br> ``Some of the things he did on Saturday,&#39;&#39; Bowden said. ``I&#39;m sure on Saturdays we&#39;re going to miss him.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Dantzler left last year as the school&#39;s career leader in total offense, passing yardage, completions, completion percentage and passing efficiency among other marks. He had 935 yards and 10 touchdowns in back-to-back victories over Georgia Tech and North Carolina State in 2001. <br> <br> Dantzler accounted for 70 percent of Clemson&#39;s offense, and 31 of its 47 touchdowns last season. <br> <br> But his knack of juking defenders for long, long runs, completing improbable passes and leading Clemson through difficult situations may be missed even more. <br> <br> ``It was fun to watch him play and do some of the things he&#39;s been able to do over the last couple of years,&#39;&#39; said Simmons, a junior known as ``Shotgun&#39;&#39; for his arm strength. ``But he&#39;s gone now and it&#39;s finally our time to get in, try to make some plays and get to people to look up to us like that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Clemson&#39;s offensive brain trust of Bowden, offensive coordinator Brad Scott and quarterback coach Mike O&#39;Cain have a plan for the transition. <br> <br> ``Now, we&#39;ll have to distribute Woody&#39;s production in the passing game,&#39;&#39; said O&#39;Cain, formerly head coach at North Carolina State. <br> <br> It will be Simmons and Whitehurst&#39;s job to get the ball to the talented group of receivers the Tigers have stockpiled the past few years. Their top four wideouts from a year ago Derrick Hamilton, J.J. McKelvey, Roscoe Crosby and Airese Currie are back. Should Crosby, a two-sport star who&#39;ll play summer baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization, not return to the team, Bowden says highly regarded receiver Kelvin Grant can step in. <br> <br> Runners Keith Kelly and Bernard Rambert will take up Dantzler&#39;s carries. Tight end Ben Hall will get chances to excel as well, the coach said. <br> <br> ``The potential is there,&#39;&#39; Bowden said. ``But Woody performed. Now, it&#39;s a performance issue.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Bowden says he also won&#39;t give the fans or media the chance to compare Simmons or Whitehurst to Dantzler. ``By design we&#39;re not going to give them those opportunities that Woody had,&#39;&#39; the coach said. <br> <br> Simmons waited for his turn under center since arriving as a talked-about freshman in 1999. He has filled in superbly at times, most notably with his four-touchdown game in leading Clemson to a 38-24 win at North Carolina in 2000. <br> <br> He was mostly a fill-in player last year, completing 20 of 55 passes for 292 yards, three interceptions and two touchdowns. <br> <br> Dantzler said repeatedly the past two seasons that he had confidence in Simmons to carry Clemson. <br> <br> Simmons biggest strength was getting tutored by Dantzler the past few seasons. ``I&#39;ve learned from his mistakes and from the things he did well,&#39;&#39; Simmons said. ``It&#39;s time to get the guys to believe in us and show them we can get the job done.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Whitehurst, the son of former NFL quarterback David Whitethurst, looks more the typical pocket passer at 6-foot-4. He opened eyes with a recent 14-for-15 performance at a scrimmage. <br> <br> ``Willie says he&#39;s watching Woody,&#39;&#39; Whitehurst said. ``Willie may not realize it, but I&#39;m watching him, trying to push him and make us both better.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The quarterback job is Simmons&#39; to lose, Bowden said. And Simmons appears ready for every part of the challenge including handling the additional praise, criticism and attention that Dantzler sometimes treated like the worst part of the position. <br> <br> No wonder. For three years, Simmons and Dantzler listened as fans suggested Simmons start at quarterback and Dantzler switch to running back. <br> <br> Simmons laughs at that lunacy, but realizes it comes with the territory. ``That&#39;s one thing I learned from Woody,&#39;&#39; he said. ``Try not to listen to it and continue to get better.&#39;&#39;