(Editor's note: Clemson sophomore linebacker Chad Carson will periodically check in with ESPN.com as he and the Tigers continue to prepare for the Peach Bowl. For more information on Clemson, visit the Tigers' official athletic site.)

Dec. 13, 1999

The team is starting to get excited about the whole bowl process. On Saturday, we had our first practice since the South Carolina game. A year ago at this time, when I was a freshman, the whole team was getting ready to go home and sit around for three weeks. This year, I'm actually happy that we are all staying around as all the other students rush to get out of town.

Today (Monday) was mainly a workout and running day. My workout group, the linebackers, started lifting at 10 a.m. For those who don't know what a college football workout is like, it's impossible to understand the intensity and workload of just one session. We went through the entire upper body, including bench, dumbbell bench, shoulder exercises, curls, triceps, more curls, back exercises, more shoulders, neck, and abs (abdominals). Each of these exercises had about four or five sets, and what should have taken 1½ hours was all done in about 45 minutes.

In the Clemson weight room, no more than a few seconds are allowed between exercises and sets, so our workouts actually resemble a sprint-through session rather than a bodybuilding session. When a player first starts at Clemson, he actually has to get his lungs in shape for lifting weights.

After we finished with weight lifting, we went straight upstairs to Jervey gym for a little running to keep us in shape. After about 45 straight minutes of agility drills (in and out of ladders, through ropes, around cones, back and forth between lines and over hurdles), we were finally able to get some water and head out.

The defense just walked straight up to the meeting rooms, and we all watched about another 45 minutes of Mississippi State film. I've already seen two or three of the games on my own, and I try to study tendencies, formations, play calls, and anything else I can pick up. After watching film, we went back to Jervey Gym and walked through most of our plays and formations with (defensive back) coach Jack Hines.

After our walk-through was over, I took a shower and got dressed for a few interviews. I talked to a couple of reporters and headed out at a reasonable time -- about 2 p.m. The rest of the day I enjoyed another bonus of a bowl practice schedule -- plenty of time to nap and do absolutely nothing.