By Will Vandervort.
Here are the facts.
Clemson’s defense currently ranks second in the country in total defense and fourth in the country in rushing defense. Those are numbers the 17th-ranked Tigers are proud of but they are also numbers that should balloon somewhat after Saturday’s noon kickoff at No. 22 Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets (8-2, 5-2 ACC) rank second nationally in rushing offense at 335.6 yards per game as their triple-option spread attack has run over its opponents like the Ramblin’ Wreck automobile that speeds out onto Grant Field for every home game.
“Something has to give,” Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
And unfortunately for the Tigers that is usually the defense – at least in 2014, anyway.
In Georgia Tech’s 10 games this season, the Yellow Jackets have caused their opponents’ rushing yards allowed average to jump up to an average of 20.5 yards. The highest jump is Pittsburgh, who against everyone else has allowed 119.6 yards a game, but Georgia Tech rushed for 465 yards against the Panthers.
Even Virginia, who has allowed just 118.6 yards rushing a game, gave up 268 yards on the ground to the Yellow Jackets. The Cavaliers have allowed just 102.4 yards rushing in their other nine games.
“It is incredibly stressful mentally and physically,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said about defending against Georgia Tech. “There is not a lot of margin for error. They really take advantage of any mistakes that you make fundamentally, alignment, with your eyes, how you are supporting the run with the secondary – if you are a little bit late reacting or you false step or whatever, they really take advantage of you.”
The last two years, it has been said few teams have done better at slowing Georgia Tech down than Clemson. But even with that the Tigers (7-2, 6-1 ACC) still allowed 339 rushing yards in 2012 and 248 last year – both Clemson victories.
“That is the case against any high-power offense,” Jarrett said. “There are some great coaches in the country and some teams get what they are going to get. What we can’t do is let one big play or explosive play affect our whole game.
“You know going in they are going to get some big plays. Our job is to limit those big plays and as the course of the game goes on we have to stop those big plays from happening.”
Though they allowed 248 rushing yards to Georgia Tech last season, the Clemson defense did hold the Yellow Jackets 63 yards below their season average at the time. As much noise that has been made this week about the Jackets’ offense the same can be said about Clemson’s defense.
“It’s the best defense we have played to this point, no question,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said.
Since being steamrolled by Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb at Georgia in Week 1, no one has been able to run the football with any real consistency against Clemson. The Tigers have allowed its last eight opponents 490 total rushing yards – that’s a 61.3 yards per game average.
Though Georgia Tech has rushed for 318 or more yards six times this year, the Tigers can counter that with six games in which it held an opponent to 88 rushing yards or less. Twice the Yellow Jackets have rushed for 465 or more yards in a game, but Clemson has held four opponents to no more than 52 yards, while three teams (S.C. State, Florida State and Wake Forest) were held to a combined 27 rushing yards.
Georgia Tech is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. The Tigers are giving up just 2.7.
“They are No. 1 in some categories and we are No. 1 in some categories defensively so something has to give,” Jarrett said. “It is going to be a big challenge for both sides. We have athletes all over the field just like they do.”