CLEMSON — The next game is always the most important, and that is certainly true for Clemson this week.

The 12th-ranked Tigers (1-1) head off to Georgia Tech (2-0) for not only the first road game of the season, but this game will also serve as the ACC opener for both teams.

Now in his second season as the Yellow Jackets’ full-time head coach, Brent Key has his team in position to make some noise in the ACC this season. In fact, at least on paper, this might be Georgia Tech’s toughest conference game of the season.

The rest of Tech’s league schedule doesn’t appear to be all that daunting, and you can bet this game has been circled on the calendar. Not only due to most thinking the ACC Championship runs through Clemson, but also because the Tigers have won nine straight in the series.

For the Tigers, the stakes are extremely high. After losing to LSU to open the season, the chances of securing an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff took a major hit. The path now is clear. Win the conference. And you aren’t likely to do that by dropping the first ACC game out of the gate.

Through two games, Garrett Riley’s offense has yet to come close to being what many thought it would be. Cade Klubnik started off fairly shaky. The offensive line has come nowhere close to meeting preseason expectations, and the running game has struggled because of it.

The offense did seem to find something in the second half of the comeback win over Troy, so maybe that serves as a turning point. Klubnik seemed to settle in rather nicely, and fans finally got a glimpse of what Adam Randall can do running the ball.

To come out with a win on Saturday, this team is going to need to put together four quarters of football. Something that has yet to happen this season and something that rarely happened last year. Klubnik needs to be on time with his throws. Get him into a rhythm early with some easy throws.

Where we really need to see a difference is with Klubnik’s legs. He has pretty much been a non-factor in the rushing attack after being second on the team with 642 yards on the ground in 2024. The offense was at its best last year, when Klubnik’s legs were a factor. Not to mention, it gives the Jackets one more thing to account for defensively.

A lot of that starts with the offensive line. Lose that battle up front, and all of this is likely moot. Georgia Tech features a defense that plays physical, even though it’s allowed more than 130 rushing yards per game over the first two contests.

However, I think this one will come down to how the Clemson defense plays. While it’s certainly much-improved from last year, and it’s been more than good enough in the first two games, there are still some things that need to be cleaned up.

With quarterback Haynes King expected back, Tech is going to run it early and often. Clemson needs to especially limit what happens on those first-down runs and keep the Jackets off schedule. Force King to beat you with his arm.

The Tigers are allowing just three yards per carry, but there have been times when Tom Allen’s unit has been susceptible, leaving lanes open. After LSU had five runs of 10 yards or more in the opener, that number shrank to just two against Troy.

Allen’s defense also has to be better at getting off the field. Through the first two games, opponents are converting 38% of their third downs. So far, this group has held an opposing offense to a three-and-out just three times. Two of those drives ended on third-down interceptions. LSU also had a two-play possession that ended with an interception.

Where this defense has excelled is in forcing turnovers. The Tigers have forced five through the first two games. And the Jackets have been a little sloppy when it comes to holding onto the football. Tech has already put the ball on the ground four times, while the quarterbacks have also thrown two picks.

And that’s where Clemson wins this game. By winning the turnover battle and making the Yellow Jackets pay for their mistakes. Come late Saturday afternoon, the winning streak moves to 10.

Clemson 23, Georgia Tech 16

Photo by Bart Boatwright