CLEMSON — Rob Spence didn’t have a good week last week.

Consequently, neither did the rest of Clemson’s offense. In the wake of the Tigers’ 20-17 loss to Maryland, Clemson’s focused offensive coordinator reached a new level of intensity, according to tailback James Davis and others.

Quarterback Cullen Harper said that every procedure penalty the offense committed in practice last week resulted in a 100-yard sprint, proving Spence is determined to put the penalties which doomed the Tigers against Maryland behind him.

“This is definitely as intense as I’ve seen him,” Davis said. “He’ll be out there losing it. You can see it in his face, his veins coming out. He’s getting on everyone. Quarterbacks, backup quarterbacks, if you make a bad throw he’ll get on you. It’s probably the most I’ve seen him get on Cullen.”

Spence said this week hasn’t been any more intense than a normal week, but admitted the defeat — and resulting criticism — tested him, even though he’s tried to insulate himself from critics as much as possible.

“Anytime you’re a player or coach and pour as much of yourself into anything, you’re going to feel it that much more,” he said. “The more you pour into something, the more you’re going to feel when it doesn’t go well. I think that’s a natural response.

“All week long I continued to pray for energy, resolve and strength, keep pushing and doing the best I could as a coach and just ignore everything that might be said or talked about and focusing on things that I can control, focus on my players, coaches and attitudes. And that’s what we can control.”

Spence said the despair he felt after the Maryland loss was “right at the very top” of the pain he’s felt in his 27-year coaching career.

“It feels that way because it was last week, because it was so recent, and because my memory is getting shorter as I get older,” he said. “Because it’s recent, it’s now, it’s obviously a painful thing to remember. Ask my wife, she reminded me, ‘Look back, you’ve felt this way many times before.’”

And if you’re trying to affect Spence with your criticism, well, good luck.

“I imagine there’s a whole lot,” he said. “I’m reminded of it every day, I’m told that by the minute, but again, I choose not to listen to that. I have no alternative other than to listen to that. I’d have trouble functioning, to be honest with you. I just keep going forward every day, doing everything the best that I can. That’s what I know how to do.”

LAMBERT NEW LEFT GUARD

Offensive line coach Brad Scott confirmed that junior Cory Lambert will start at left guard against Wake Forest. Lambert has impressed coaches and teammates with his quick transition from tackle to guard. Scott said he’s never had to shift a starter from tackle to guard in one week in his coaching career, but feels it is the best way to get his top five linemen on the field.

Left guard David Smith is expected to miss at least two more weeks with a sprained ankle, and right guard Barry Humphries is progressing from a partially torn ACL but won’t play this week.

“It’s experience,” Scott said of Lambert. “There’s a guy who’s been in the system for four years, got a little more maturity about him. I think he understands the calls because he plays tackle. I get a bigger body, a better athlete.”

NO TWO-QB SYSTEM

Harper remains the unquestioned starter at quarterback, and both Spence and Tommy Bowden say that freshman Willy Korn is not scheduled to receive significant game action.

“I’m a pretty firm believer that if you start contemplating that, you open up a can of worms,” Spence said. “You open up a situation where you can divide a team, a program, a fanbase even further. It’s not a good situation to be in.”

Bowden said Korn isn’t executing as well as Harper in practice, either.

“I’d only think about that if I felt like execution at the quarterback position had something to do with us winning and losing,” Bowden said. “What you might get in the running skills, from an assignment standpoint, the other guy is ahead. I don’t know if there would be an advantage.”