CLEMSON, S.C. -- In the moment, Xavier Thomas was just thinking, "Please don't throw it."
The rest of the world saw lightning in a bottle. Thomas felt like he was running in quicksand.
This was late September, the turning point in Clemson's season when a third-string quarterback led a comeback win and Thomas, the freshman defensive end who'd seen only limited playing time thus far, had a beat on Syracuse QB Eric Dungey.
There was the snap, and then instantly Thomas was in the backfield.
Please. Don't.