On Sunday Clemson moved up to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. The Tigers garnished six first place votes, their most since the 1984 squad had 15 first place votes on September 17, 1984.
The six first place votes were the third most behind No. 1 Ohio State’s 39 and Baylor’s 7.
What does all that mean? It means the stars are truly lining up for one of those special seasons that comes around once every 34 years at Clemson. The Tigers’ 58-0 victory over Miami did more than get Al Golden fired in South Beach, it also proved to the rest of the world that the Tigers are a legitimate threat to win the national championship this year.
Of the top four teams in the AP poll, Ohio State, Baylor, Clemson and LSU, the ACC’s Tigers appear to be the most balanced among them all.
Clemson leads the ACC and ranks 16th nationally in scoring offense at 38.4 points per game. The Tigers rank 24 nationally and third in the ACC in running the football (215.0 ypg), third in the conference in throwing the ball (250.4 ypg) and 28th nationally and second in the ACC in total offense (465.4 ypg).
If a defense goes nickel and tries to match the Tigers’ spread looks, Clemson hands the football to running back Wayne Gallman, who is getting more than his fair share of yards. Ask Louisville, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami what Gallman and the offensive line can do.
“The Wayne Train” has rushed for 702 yards and scored six touchdowns already this season. He has rushed for at least 111 yards in four of the last five games.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson isn’t too bad either in running situations. He is second on the team with 332 yards and has three touchdowns. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He ran the ball for 98 yards against Miami and 93 yards against Notre Dame.
Okay, with the Tigers running the ball so well, defenses can just stack the box, right? They can, but ask Boston College what happens if you do that.
Watson and Clemson’s dynamic wide receivers went off on Boston College’s top-ranked defense to the tune of 420 yards and three touchdowns.
In each of the last three games against Georgia Tech, Boston College and Miami, the Tigers have had at least 532 yards of total offense. Against Georgia Tech they threw for 336 and ran for 201. Against Boston College, who came in with the game plan to shut the running game down and get after Watson, they threw for 420 yards. Against Miami, who just could not stop the Tigers, they rushed for 416 yards.
It marked the first time in Clemson’s 119-year history it threw for 400 and rushed for 400 yards in the same season.
But Clemson’s balance doesn’t just stop on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, the Tigers are even more impressive, and this is the one area that puts Clemson in a class of just two.
Clemson and Ohio State, of the true contenders to possibly reach the College Football Playoff this year, are the only two teams that rank in the top 16 in scoring offense and scoring defense.
Like Baylor and TCU, the Tigers have proven they can score 50 plus points on an opponent, but unlike those teams they have proven they can shut a team down at the same time. See the Miami game for example.
Defensively, Clemson ranks seventh in scoring defense (14.3), fourth in total defense (262.3), ninth in passing defense (156.9) and 13th in rushing defense (105.4). Opponents are converting just 20.4 percent of the time on third down, which ranks second in the country.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables does a great job taking away what his opponent does best.
Notre Dame is one of the nation’s best running teams, yet the Tigers held them to a season-low 111 yards rushing.
Georgia Tech, who leads the ACC in rushing and had 261 yards in its upset win over Florida State the other night, gained just 71 yards on the ground. It was the worst performance ever for a Paul Johnson coached Georgia Tech team.
Miami led the ACC and was averaging over 300 passing yards a game prior to playing Clemson. The Tigers held the Hurricanes to a season-low 93 passing yards on 13 of 32 passing which included three interceptions.
So you tell me, is there a more balanced team in the country than Clemson right now? The stats and the results on the field will tell you there isn’t.