By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of Saturday’s 7:15 p.m. kickoff (ESPN) between No. 12 South Carolina at No. 9 Clemson.
Quarterback: Two of the top quarterbacks in the nation in terms of passing efficiency will go head-to-head Saturday. Clemson’s Tajh Boyd is ranked second in the nation and South Carolina’s Connor Shaw is ranked 16th nationally. Boyd leads the ACC in just about every passing category as well as total offense and his mobility has allowed the Clemson offense to be one of the most difficult in the country to defend. Shaw is known for his mobility, especially after what he did to the Tigers last season when he rushed for 102 yards, but he has spent much of this last week nursing a foot injury and will not be totally healthy come Saturday night. Advantage: Clemson
Running back: Andre Ellington needs 41 yards to eclipse 1,000 yards for the second straight season. D.J. Howard and Roderick McDowell have become solid backups and have done a much better job in pass protection as the season has gone along. The Gamecocks have been without star running Marcus Lattimore the last two games, and the running game has suffered. USC ran for just 104 against Arkansas and 171 against Wofford. The Gamecocks are averaging just 143.7 per game on the ground. Advantage: Clemson
Wide receiver / Tight ends: Clemson has six receivers averaging at least 12.7 yards per catch, including Martavis Bryant’s 30.5 yards per reception. DeAndre Hopkins leads the Tigers with 68 grabs for 1,171 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Sammy Watkins has 53 catches for 671 yards and three scores. Tight end Brandon Ford has hauled in 29 passes for 398 yards and has scored eight touchdowns. The Gamecocks are led by Bruce Ellington’s 31 catches for 492 yards and four scores, while Ace Sanders has six touchdowns on 30 catches. Tight end Justice Cunningham has emerged as a big-play threat too, grabbing 20 passes for 261 yards. Advantage: Clemson
Offensive line: Clemson is averaging 203.6 yards per game on the ground to rank third in the ACC and 30th nationally. The offensive line has truly not been charged with a sack in four weeks. The Tigers are yielding just 1.82 sacks per game. South Carolina has had issues up front this year. The Gamecocks rank 81st nationally in rushing offense, while they rank 100th in sacks allowed (2.82 per game). USC quarterbacks have been sacked 31 times this season. Advantage: Clemson
Defensive line: The Gamecocks have perhaps the four best down linemen in college football, led by Jadeveon Clowney and his 17 tackles for loss. USC ranks 16th in rushing defense (116.6) and are 8th nationally in sacks (34). Defensive end Devin Taylor and tackle Kelcy Quarles have combined for 14.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Clemson has steadily improved up front and sophomore Vic Beasley has emerged as one of the premier pass rushers in the ACC with eight sacks, including five in the last two games. Advantage: South Carolina
Linebackers: South Carolina is just as talented at linebacker as it is up front. Weakside backer Shaq Wilson leads the team with 72 tackles, including 4.5 tackles of loss. Clemson middle linebacker Spencer Shuey has solidified Clemson’s run defense, the Tigers have not allowed a team to rush for more than 139 yards in each of the last four games. Since becoming the starter five weeks ago, Shuey has taken over the team lead with 82 tackles and has six tackles for loss. Advantage: South Carolina
Secondary: The Tigers were scorched last week by NC State quarterback Mike Glennon for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Tobias Palmer is still running open through the Clemson secondary. When teams have had time—most notably Tennessee and Arkansas—quarterbacks have been able to put up pretty good numbers on the Gamecocks. Free safety D.J. Swearinger is a head hunter in the secondary and is second on the team with 65 tackles. Spur DeVonte Holloman has 50 tackles, seven for loss and two interceptions. Advantage: South Carolina
Special teams: The key for Clemson will be to kick the football through the end zone or at least deep enough for no return, and on punts, kick it out of bounds. After the problems Clemson showed in stopping Palmer on punt and kickoff returns last week, it does not want to go nowhere near Ace Sanders, who leads the SEC and ranks 10th nationally with a 13.9 yard average on punt returns. Though he was snubbed on some national award watch lists, few in the country are better than Clemson kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who is 15 of 16 on field goals this year, including 4 of 5 from 40-plus. The Tigers have been average at best in punt and kickoff returns this year. Advantage: South Carolina
Prediction: This game will come down to both sides of the line of scrimmage. Can Clemson block Clowney and company just enough to give Boyd time? Also, can the Tigers put enough pressure on Shaw and keep him from scrambling or being effective in the zone-read offense for USC? The team who wins these two battles will win the game, and my gut is telling me the Tigers will get after Shaw and will make USC one dimensional. If that happens, Clemson will get enough shots on offense to breakthrough USC’s stingy defense and make some plays. The Tigers have too many weapons to be shut down an entire game. No. 9 Clemson 37, No. 12 South Carolina 24