By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON — Here is an inside look at the Clemson-Georgia Tech series as the 15th-ranked Clemson Tigers host Georgia Tech Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Death Valley. The game will be televised by ESPN.
About the Yellow Jackets: Georgia Tech is struggling after back-to-back losses to Miami and Middle Tennessee the last two weeks. This will be the Yellow Jackets second road game of the season, the other being an overtime loss at Virginia Tech to open the year.
The Yellow Jackets offense: Quarterback Tevin Washington has rushed for 10 touchdowns in the last three games, including four in last week’s loss to Middle Tennessee. Washington is second in the country in rushing touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets have rushed for more yards than any FBS team since 2008 and are averaging 329.4 yards per game this year. With that said though, Tech has had trouble sustaining long drives and eating up clock like it has been known to do in the past.
The Yellow Jackets defense: Georgia Tech will get outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and cornerback Louis Young back in the starting lineup after both missed last week due to injury. That should help Tech’s defense some, but the Yellow Jackets still have problems up front as they are putting very little pressure on the quarterback, and last week allowed Middle Tennessee running back Benny Cunningham to rush for 217 yards and five touchdowns.
The Yellow Jackets Special Teams: Sean Poole is averaging 41.6 yards per punt and the kick coverage has been solid. Place kicker David Scully has made both of his field goal attempts, but he has not tried anything longer than 34 yards all season. Jamal Golden is averaging 29 yards on punt returns, with a long of 56 yards, while Orwin Smith is averaging 21.3 on kickoff returns.
Records: Georgia Tech 2-3, 1-2 ACC; Clemson 4-1, 1-1 ACC
Series record: Georgia Tech leads 50-25-2
At Clemson: Clemson leads 10-6
Streak: Georgia Tech has won 7 of the last 9 meetings and leads the series 11-5 since 1997.
Last meeting: Georgia Tech won 31-17 in 2011
First meeting: Clemson won 23-0 in 1898
Clemson’s biggest margin of victory: 73 points (73-0 in 1903)
Georgia Tech’s biggest margin of victory: 51 points (51-0 in 1944)
Stat worth noting: Since Georgia Tech joined the ACC in 1983, the Yellow Jackets lead the series 16-14. This game is considered the most competitive rivalry in the ACC.
Memorable game: September 29, 2001: Clemson defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta by a score of 47-44 in overtime. Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler scored on an 11-yard run in the extra period to give Clemson the win. Dantzler rushed for 164 yards and passed for 254 more as he was named National Player of the Week for his performance. The
win over the No. 9 Yellow Jackets at the time, marked the highest ranked road win for a Clemson team since the 1981 season.