CLEMSON — Clemson is once again a double-digit favorite this weekend as Dabo Swinney’s team hits the road for a primetime matchup against Boston College.
The Tigers (2-3, 1-2 ACC) are fresh off a beatdown of a terrible North Carolina team, while the Eagles (1-4, 0-3) come in after having gotten thoroughly dismantled at Pitt 48-7. The last time a Clemson squad lost to a team with a losing record at the time of kickoff was when BC did it to the Tigers in 2010. Clemson has won 35 straight games against teams with losing records, the nation’s third-longest active streak.
The Tigers come in leading the all-time series against Boston College 21-9-2. Clemson has won 12 straight in the series, dating back to 2011.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Create Some Momentum: Blowing North Carolina’s doors off is all fine and good, but that Tar Heels team might be the worst Power-4 team in the country. That program is in absolute shambles at this point. So, as well as the Tigers played in that first half, before taking the foot off the gas, no one is sure exactly how much we can take from the performance.
What this team really needs to do is put together back-to-back solid performances. The Eagles aren’t all that good either, but they aren’t nearly as bad as UNC. While BC has lost four of its first five, three of those losses were games they could have just as easily won.
If Clemson has any hope of finishing the season strong, this game is a must-win. Create some real momentum before heading back home to host SMU.
2. Disruptive Front Four: Despite the dismal record, BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan is putting up some solid numbers. He has thrown for 1,277 yards, with nine touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Lonergan isn’t much of a threat with his legs, so he can’t be allowed to sit in the pocket and scan the field. The Tigers have had just too many issues in coverage.
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen hasn’t been overly aggressive with the blitz, probably because of the inconsistencies on the backend, so that means the pressure needs to come from the front four. TJ Parker had by far his best game of the season last week in Chapel Hill, and that will need to continue up in Chestnut Hill.
Boston College is only rushing for 85 yards per game, but leading rusher Turbo Richard is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. This defense just can not afford to give up chunk plays in the running game and that starts up front. Outside of the North Carolina game, that’s been an issue, at times.
The defensive front needs to control the line of scrimmage, and the linebackers need to be gap sound.
3. Fast Start: We all saw last weekend just how beneficial getting off to a fast start can be. Momentum can go in either direction, but the positive momentum the Tigers created on that first touchdown had a snowball effect. You could sense the energy that one play created. Not to mention the confidence boost.
Getting off to a fast start also helps get quarterback Cade Klubnik into a quicker rhythm. Much of the Tigers’ offensive issues this season have boiled down to Klubnik just not playing well. This team needs the Klubnik from last week, not the one we saw over the first four games.
4. Protect the Quarterback: Speaking of Klubnik, his protection needs to be better. The Eagles don’t have an elite pass rush, but they are racking up two sacks per game and Clemson has had some issues up front.
Tristan Leigh is not yet back to 100% and that’s been pretty obvious. Walker Parks was held last week, and Collin Sadler missed a chunk of camp with some back issues. Elyjah Thurmon missed the win over UNC and won’t be back for this one. All that to say, the Tigers have dealt with some injuries up front.
However, banged up or not, one thing you can bank on with BC is that they are going to play physical. Can Matt Luke’s group match that physicality? If they can’t, that could spell trouble, seeing as Klubnik has had some issues with trusting his pass protection and he’s not performed very well when under duress.
5. Run the Freaking Ball: Clemson didn’t have a ton of success running the ball last weekend, but to be fair, they really didn’t need it. In the first half, the Tigers threw it 24 times, while running it just 12. Something tells me that won’t work this week.
Adam Randall needs at least 15 carries, and one of those younger backs needs in the neighborhood of half a dozen touches minimum.