ATLANTA — It was a tale of two halves for Clemson on Saturday. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the exact same thing happened a week ago against Troy.
Once again, the 12th-ranked Tigers found themselves trailing at halftime, and for the second consecutive game, Clemson came back to take the lead in the second half, but this time, they could not hold it.
Georgia Tech scored on a 55-yard field goal by Aidan Birr as time expired, giving the Yellow Jackets a 24-21 win, snapping a nine-game losing streak to Clemson.
The Tigers fall to 1-2 on the young season, and have started 0-1 in ACC play. With the loss, Clemson’s College Football Playoff hopes are, at best, on life support.
This Is Not a Playoff Team
So many people were buying the Clemson hype during the preseason, with some national analysts even picking the Tigers to win it all. However, after three games, it is plainly obvious this team is nowhere near that caliber. This team doesn’t look like it belongs anywhere near the playoff.
Coming into the season, it was hard to envision a scenario in which this team started 1-2. It was even harder to think the offense would have so many issues staying out of its own way.
Mixed Bag for Klubnik
There was some good and some bad. The fourth-quarter drive to tie it up at 21-21, that is the Klubnik most expected this season. He was making plays with his legs, and when the team needed it most, Klubnik guided the team down the field, capped off by a short touchdown run from Adam Randall.
The senior signal caller finished 15-of-26 for 207 yards, with one touchdown, one interception and two fumbles (one lost).
Although it was his legs that really made a difference, as this was by far his best rushing performance of the season. Klubnik finished with 17 carries for 62 yards, with one rushing touchdown. Whatever happens the rest of the way, Klubnik’s legs have to be a big part of this offense.
Another Solid Day for Randall
The converted wideout carried the ball 15 times for 80 yards, scoring one touchdown. A lot of those yards were hard-earned, tough yards, too. Once again, he did his part.
Costly Turnovers
Klubnik’s two turnovers proved costly, particularly the interception he threw inside the Tech 5-yard line. Not getting points on that drive ended up being huge. It is the first time this season the Tigers have lost the turnover battle.
Defense Could Not Get Final Stop
When this defense needed to step up and get a stop, it could not do it. While Tom Allen’s unit only allowed two touchdowns on the afternoon, the group allowed Tech to eat up the final 3:26 of the clock.
With the game tied at 21-21, this unit needed to bow up and get the ball back to the offense one more time. They just could not do it.
Obviously, there are still some things that need to be cleaned up, but there were some good things, too. Both times that Klubnik turned it over, the defense kept Tech out of the end zone.
Having said that, Tech ran for 147 yards and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. 87 of those yards came in the second half.
Haynes King was responsible for 101 of those yards by himself, as the Tigers too often left lanes open for the veteran quarterback to escape.
On top of that, there were too many missed tackles, with several coming from guys in the secondary.
Terrible 3rd Down D
Neither one of these defenses was very good at getting off the field. Georgia Tech converted 8-of-15, while Clemson converted 7-of-12. The Tigers did hold the Jackets to 0-for-2 on 4th down tries, but over the final two quarters, Georgia Tech converted 5-of-9 times on third down.
TJ Moore Once Again Non-Factor
Once again, Moore was MIA. He had just two catches on the afternoon, and with this team without Antonio Williams, more is needed from the former five-star talent.