CLEMSON – This is a big weekend for this Clemson football team
The 23rd-ranked Tigers (6-2, 5-1) will hit the road for a matchup with Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2), with Dabo Swinney’s team hoping to bounce-back after the demoralizing loss at home to Louisville.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Pride is On the Line: We are fixing to find out exactly what this Clemson team is made of. The loss to Louisville basically nixed any hope the Tigers had of making it to the ACC Championship Game. Miami or SMU would have to lose twice for it to even be possible.
So, what is left to play for? With the playoff expanding to 12-teams this season, all of the NY6 bowls are now a part of that. Second-tier bowls are pretty much the only thing on the table at this point, barring a ton of unforeseen chaos. All of that to say, this team is playing for pride.
Swinney did a really good job of pushing all of the right buttons last year when the team entered the final stretch of the season sitting at 4-4. It will take a similar effort to keep this season from coming off the rails.
2. Can Tigers Find Way to Stop Run: The Tigers were flat-out gashed on the ground last week as the Cardinals racked up more than 200 rushing yards. After the lackluster performance, Clemson is now allowing 140 yards on the ground per game. For a program of this caliber, that has prided itself on its ability to stop the run, that is unacceptable.
Things aren’t about to get any easier either. Even without leading rusher Bhayshul Tuten, the Hokies managed to gain 249 yards on the ground in last week’s loss to Syracuse. Tuten and his 6.7 yards per carry is likely to be back for this one.
Even more concerning is the fact that backup quarterback Collin Schlee ran for 54-yards and this defense has had its share of struggles slowing athletic quarterbacks that can run. Starting quarterback Kyron Drones is even more of a threat with his legs and there is a very good chance he is back this week.
Can the Tigers find a way to slow down this high-powered rushing attack? Especially if Peter Woods isn’t able to go? The defense allowed six runs of 10 yards or more last weekend, with two of those going for more than 40. That can not happen again this week, no matter who is available or unavailable.
3. Where Are the Explosives; Clemson had just two passing plays that went for more than 15 yards in last Saturday’s loss. One of those came late in the fourth quarter after the game was all but decided. This offense has been at its best when it has shown an ability to stretch the field. The receivers have to give Cade Klubnik more help than they did last weekend, otherwise it might be another long evening.
4. Can This Team Execute a Basic FG Attempt: Four times this season Nolan Hauser has had a field goal attempt blocked. Twice against Florida State and two more last weekend. Not once were those due to any wrongdoings on his part. All four were blocked and each time it was due to a breakdown in the protection on the left side.
There is absolutely no excuse for this to be an ongoing issue. Those deficiencies should have been corrected weeks ago, yet they reared their ugly head again against Louisville. Has that been addressed?
5. Win Battle at Line of Scrimmage: Clemson just lost the battle at the point of attack last week. Louisville was the more physical team and for much of the night it wasn’t even close. On both sides of the ball.
After showing signs of massive improvement in the first year under Matt Luke, the offensive line took a step back last week. The run blocking wasn’t up to par in the first half and neither was the pass protection.
Things were no better on the other side of the ball. The defensive line just looked undisciplined a lot of the night. Over-pursuit, bad angles and missed tackles were all issues.
To win this game, the Tigers have to win the lines of scrimmage.
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
