Countdown to Kickoff
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net November 21, 2014

By Will Vandervort.

Here is an inside look at Saturday’s game as the 22nd-ranked Tigers host Georgia State in Death Valley. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports South in the Greenville-Spartanburg area.

 

 

 

About Georgia State: The Panthers are 1-9 and have lost nine straight games by an average of 22 points per game. In the last three games they have been beat by an average score of 35.3 points to Georgia Southern Appalachian State and Troy. They allowed an average of 52.6 points per game in those three defeats.

Georgia State’s offense: Entering this week, Georgia State ranks 21st in the nation in passing yards per game (288), 21st in third-down conversion percentage (.465) and 32nd in yards per pass completion (13.1). Individually, the passing combination of Nick Arbuckle to Donovan Harden is the key to Georgia State’s offensive success. Arbuckle is 16th in the nation in passing yards/game with 281.2, and is 26th in touchdown passes with 19. He is also 29th in completions per game with 21.4 and is 28th in passing yards per attempt at 7.94. Harden is 33rd in the nation in recep­tion yards with 796 and is 23rd in touchdown receptions with seven.

Georgia State’s defense: The Panthers are not very good on defense as they rank 119out of 125 FBS schools in total defense, allowing 500.1 yards per game. They are 124th in rushing defense (309.2) and 125th in scoring defense (43.9 points per game). Linebackers Joseph Peterson (91) and Trey Payne (71) lead the team in tackles.

Records: Clemson 7-3, 6-2 ACC; Georgia State 1-9, 0-7 Sun Belt

Series record: first meeting

Worth noting: Former Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski is the offensive coor­dinator at Georgia State. He was fired from BC after his second season because he interviewed for an NFL job after the season was completed. In his two years at Boston College, Jagodzinski was 20-8 overall, 11-5 in the ACC, won two Atlantic Division titles and had a 5-1 record against top 25 teams.

Stat worth noting: Running back Wayne Gallman has gained 487 yards on 109 carries this year, but he has come alive in the last three weeks with 289 yards in 61 carries. That com­putes to 96.3 yards per game average.

Stats worth noting: Clemson’s defense is among the best in the nation. The Tigers lead the nation in third down defense (.257), tackles for loss per game (10.0), yardage on tackles for loss (457) and yardage on sacks (312). The Tigers are second in the nation in total defense, allowing just 262.1 yards per game, and second in sacks per game (3.80). Being able to stop teams in rushing yards and passing yards is rare, the Tigers rank in the top 10 in the nation in both categories. Clemson is fourth in pass defense, allowing just 155.2 yards per outing, and rank 10th in rush­ing defense, allowing 106.9 yards per game. Clemson, Wisconsin and Stanford are the only three schools in the nation in the top 10 in rushing defense and pass defense. Clemson ranks in the top 20 in the nation in 19 different statisti­cal areas.