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Gator Bowl

Clemson players feed the giraffe during their trip to the Jacksonville Zoo Tuesday in Jacksonville, Fla. Clemson players went to the zoo, including defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins, after practice where they spent more than two hours touring the grounds.

Clemson defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins, The Daily Journal / The Daily Messenger’s 2006 Player of The Year, has registered 36 tackles this year, including 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks, while starting all 12 games. The former Daniel Lion, now a sophomore at Clemson, will chronicle his Gator Bowl experiences in Jacksonville all week with a daily log.

“I feel pretty good now that practice is over. I feel real good about the team. We are prepared to play. The defense is doing real good, and the offense is doing good. If we just execute like we are supposed to then we will win the game.

“This was the last practice, so Coach (Dabo) Swinney had us carry the seniors off the field. That was great, and we really surprised them. Me and Kourtnei Brown carried Chris Clemons off the field. He was the lightest one. We can’t carry those heavy boys. Jock McKissic tried to get me to carry him off, but I could not do it. I wasn’t even going to try and do that. He is too big.

“We went to the Jacksonville Zoo after practice, and we saw some anacondas and jaguars. That was the main thing I was looking for. The jaguars were real cool. I had not seen anything like that. The jaguars were real small, so I thought they would be bigger than that. See, in South Carolina, we have the Riverbank Zoo in Greenville, and they don’t really have anything like that so that was a real good experience. We also got to eat too, so that is always a good thing.

“I also got to see the lions and the rhinoceros. Those things are ugly man. I didn’t get to see the giraffe and those things because I didn’t get to walk around to all of those things. I just didn’t have much time because I was still tired from practice so I saw a couple of animals and sat down a little bit.

“When we got back to the hotel tonight, I hung out in Kourtnei Brown’s room and played video games and then we watched the Clemson-South Carolina basketball game. That was a heck of a game right there, and I was glad to see that the Tigers pulled it out. We played the new Mortal Combat game and Madden ’08. I had a lot better success against Kourtnei this time around then I did the other day at Adventure Landing.

“The plan for tomorrow will be like a Friday for us during the season. We have a walk-through after the segment meetings, and then we have to go to the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame inductee luncheon at the Hyatt Hotel, and then we comeback and have a team meeting and then a meeting with Coach Swinney, and then we go to the movies just like preparations for a Saturday game during the regular season.

“I’m glad the game is getting close now. I’m ready to get back home. I love Florida, but I miss Clemson and I can’t wait to get back. There is no place like Clemson.”

— As told to Will Vandervort