CLEMSON — When Georgia Tech travels to Clemson on Saturday, it will mark the 91st meeting between the two programs.
The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 52-36-2, while Clemson is 17-6 in games played at Memorial Stadium. Before Tech’s walk-off win in Atlanta last year, the Tigers had won nine straight over the Jackets. Dabo Swinney is 12-6 in the series.
This will also mark Swinney’s 250th game as head coach at Clemson. Only Frank Howard (295 games) has spent more time as the Tigers’ head coach. Swinney, who sports a 193-56 record as head coach, is attempting to pull within one win of Tom Osborne (195) for the most wins through the first 20 seasons of a head coaching career in FBS history.
Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) comes in having won two straight, while the Yellow Jackets (2-7, 1-5) have dropped four in a row. Tech is also winless (0-3) on the road this season.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Tech In Turmoil: This season just hasn’t played out the way many were expecting for the Yellow Jackets. Brent Key’s team has had issues almost everywhere, and earlier this week, he fired several members of his coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Jason Semore. Defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri will take over defensive play-calling duties, and former Clemson standout DeAndre Hopkins was elevated to receivers coach in the restructuring.
Nine games into a season, teams generally are who they are at this point, so don’t expect wholesale changes on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not like a new scheme can be installed in just a few days. However, that doesn’t mean some of the looks won’t be different, and the way the game is called is sure to change.
2. Just Run the Football: Part of the reason Key made a change at defensive coordinator was because of how porous the unit has been at defending the run. Louisville racked up more than 250 yards on the ground in its blowout win over Tech last week. The Yellow Jackets are now allowing 5.3 yards per carry, which ranks 126th nationally, and 227.1 rushing yards per game, which is 135th in the nation.
So, if there were ever any defense this Clemson offense should be able to line up and run it against, it’s this one. That means the running backs need more than three first-half carries. Even if Gideon Davidson is still out, which is looking like a distinct possibility.
Jarvis Green, starting in Davidson’s place, exploded for a 53-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the victory over Syracuse. He got three more carries on that opening drive and then didn’t get another until after halftime. A heavy dose of RPO’s was ultimately the explanation, and it is certainly a plausible one. However, more designed calls to the backs this week should definitely be in order.
3. Preparing for 2 QBs: In recent weeks, the Jackets have been playing both Alberto Mendoza and Grady Adamson at quarterback in an effort to try and spark something offensively. The results have been 11 points in a loss to Pitt two weeks ago and just 17 in the loss to Louisville last weekend. Suffice it to say, this offense isn’t really lighting up the scoreboard of late. Sound familiar?
One quarterback or two, that should not have much impact on the Tigers’ approach. Seeing as Tech has allowed 25 sacks this season, expect Tom Allen to try to do what he did to Steve Angeli last week. Get some early pressure and make whoever is taking the snaps uncomfortable in the pocket.
4. Protecting Tait: Once again, Clemson will be going with some of the backups up front along the offensive line. Elyjah Thurmon is still out at left guard, as is Harris Sewell at center. Freshman Grant Wise fared fairly well in his first career start, filling in for Sewell, and asking a true freshman to start at center is a pretty big ask.
The Yellow Jackets haven’t been all that great when it comes to getting after the quarterback, ranking 113th nationally in team sacks with just 12 team sacks this season. There is no reason the Clemson offensive line should not be able to hold up in this one.
5. Hauser On Verge: Nolan Hauser needs just one more field goal to set the all-time single-season record at Clemson. The junior is 27-of-29 on the season after banging in four last week against Syracuse. His 27 makes are the most in the country, and he is six makes ahead of the next closest kicker. He needs just three more to become the seventh player in FBS history to record 30 field goals in a single season.
Hauser also enters this game as the most accurate field goal kicker in Clemson history, having hit on 83.8% of his tries to this point in his career. He has kicked at least one field goal in 18 straight games. If he kicks one against Tech, he would set a school record for most consecutive games with a made field goal.
Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider