CLEMSON — A new era begins on Saturday when Clemson welcomes North Carolina to town. Or at least that is the hope.
Tait Reynolds makes his first career start at quarterback, signaling the end of Chris Vizzina’s short-lived run as the Tigers’ signal caller. There is so much youth in so many other places on the offensive side of the ball, you might as well go with the rookie quarterback while we’re at it.
That’s not to say Reynolds shouldn’t be starting at this point. As dead as the offense has been, it’s actually shown a little more life when the freshman is on the field.
Unfortunately for Clemson, Reynolds is making his first career start against what might be one of the best defensive fronts it sees all season. After two games, the Tar Heels are Top 15 nationally in both pressures and sacks, and with the way the Tigers’ offensive line has performed to this point, that is a bad recipe.
Reynolds fared well in the win over Georgia Southern when he had a clean pocket. However, when under pressure, the freshman completed just one pass for one yard. Expect Bill Belichick to apply the pressure and see if he can force the young quarterback into some mistakes.
North Carolina has also yet to allow an opponent to average three yards per carry on the ground. With how ineffective the Clemson running game has been, does anyone feel good about the Tigers finding their rushing attack this week? Again, this is where the dysfunctional offensive line comes into play.
Speaking of those guys up front. If you are wondering why they’ve looked so bad, let’s take a look at how many starts each of the six starters has had at their current positions coming into the season.
- LT Brayden Jacobs: 1
- LG Elyjah Thurmon: 0
- C Harris Sewell: 0
- RG Ronan O’Connell: 0
- RT Collin Sadler: 0
- RT: Easton Ware: 0
That is a lot of newness, and at all five spots. Yes, Sewell and Sadler have played a lot of football for Clemson and have also started some games, but both are at brand-new positions now.
Having said all of that, it’s still hard to fathom how this unit has been as bad as it’s been. Now those guys face one of the biggest challenges of the season, and that is likely where this game is won or lost.
Oh, and let’s not forget about Clemson’s red zone issues last week. Five trips inside the 20-yard line and only one touchdown to show for it. And North Carolina has allowed just one red zone touchdown through the first two games.
The Heels offense, led by quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., isn’t built to light up the scoreboard. UNC managed just 15 points in the season-opening win over TCU.
Tom Allen’s unit fared much better in the win over Georgia Southern than it did in the blowout loss to LSU. The Eagles managed just 22 rushing yards against Clemson, and the Tigers need that run defense to hold up again this weekend.
If those defensive tackles can be a little more disruptive, Will Heldt and Jahiem Lawson might be able to apply more pressure to the quarterback this week. The Tigers come in ranking No. 136 nationally in pressure rate despite having the 11th-highest blitz rate. Those are pretty eye-opening numbers, as Clemson has just three sacks and eight tackles for loss through the first two games.
Clemson is currently a 3.5-point favorite, but this one feels like it might be an ugly affair where the first one to 20 points could come out on top.
If the defense can create some turnovers and win the margin, Clemson comes out victorious. However, I am not sure that is what is going to happen, and I am also not sure either team gets to 20.
North Carolina 17, Clemson 13