In what could be our biggest game of the year, the Jackets are all the way turnt up for this one. #12 Clemson comes to town in week three, and feelings about this matchup are way different from what they were in the preseason. Many had Clemson winning the national championship, and since then, the Tigers lost their opening game against LSU and had to generate a comeback win against Troy last weekend. Because of Clemson’s struggles, this game seems wide open. However, we cannot forget that Clemson is the ACC
standard until proven otherwise. Can we eliminate sloppy play and pull off the upset? Here is what I think I know about the Jackets’ chances against another ranked ACC foe.
We need to stop playing sloppy during the first quarter
We are playing a game of “let’s see how many times we can turn the ball over, and then we’ll actually lock in and win.” I think it is time to stop playing whatever game this is, because we cannot continue doing this and getting away with it in conference play. After starting the Colorado game with three straight turnovers, we had two consecutive turnovers against Gardner Webb. That puts us at 127th in the country with a -4 turnover margin, and 123rd with five total turnovers. Yikes. We cannot beat Clemson if we give them free gifts to begin the game. The defense even started slow against GW and allowed an easy touchdown on the first drive, and was overall just sloppy. They currently sit in the middle of the pack of college football with 315.5 yards per game allowed. I would love to see that number decrease in the future. If we want to go to Charlotte, we need to start strong and finish strong. We also had 12 penalties for 94 yards. Against Colorado, we had eight penalties for 65 yards. That puts us at 10 penalties per game, good for 128th in the country. We need to be a more disciplined team and eliminate stupid penalties that cost us in big moments. Turnovers and penalties can make a massive difference in those close games, especially ones where we need something to fall our way. This Saturday, everything will need to fall our way.
Our offensive line will need to play the game of their lives to win this game, + will we see both quarterbacks?
Clemson’s defensive line is absolutely no joke. I know you all have heard of TJ Parker and Peter Woods, and we will probably know them very well after this week. Our offensive line has taken a hit since last season, and we have shown signs of struggle. I am a little concerned with what I have seen so far, and I am fearful they will really be exposed this week. On the contrary, part of me really hopes and thinks they could tighten up like they did against UNC in 2023 and allow the run game to explode. Taking a look at Clemson’s run defense, they sit at 40th in the country, allowing 93 yards per game. In week one, LSU’s Caden Durham definitely had a decently productive night running, but the team only totaled 108 rushing yards. I would be shockingly pleased if we saw over 200 yards rushing, so we will definitely need to rely on the passing game more this week.
This may be completely controversial, but I would not be surprised if we see Aaron Philo come in for some drives like he did against Miami last year. I actually wrote this sentence before Philo started against Gardner Webb, so I really think it’s not controversial anymore and could actually happen. Philo brought a different element to this offense that we have not seen in a long time. His arm with King’s legs is a deadly combo that I think we should experiment with. There is also the possibility that we only see Philo, as we don’t know the extent of King’s lower-body injury or how it could affect his play this week. In the backfield, I loved what I saw from Malachi Hosley last week, as he had 100 yards and two touchdowns. The duo of Hosley and Haynes may be one of the best in the country. To see all of these players have a great game, the offensive line needs to do its part. We are currently 10th in total offense with 547.5 yards per game, so it will be a physical battle to see if the Jackets can keep this average up against a talented defense. We will see if this line can rise to the occasion and surprise me with their performance.
Clemson has not lost to the Jackets since 2014
That’s right, it has been 11 years since we beat the Tigers. They have always been the more talented team, and that remains true this year. Their roster is loaded, and many have them as their favorite to win the College Football Playoff. However, weeks one and two showed that the Tigers are not invincible, and if we play close to perfection, we can win this game. This would be a statement win and would put us in a great position to make it to Charlotte, but all of the pieces will have to fall in the right places. It is about time they do, however.
Clemson has no run game
In Clemson’s opener against LSU, they had…wait for it… 31 total rushing yards. Their leading rusher was senior Adam Randall with 16 yards, who hasn’t seen much of the field at all. He had 533 yards receiving and only 44 yards rushing throughout his Clemson career before this season. He picked up the slack against Troy and totaled 112 yards, but that was Troy. Their second leading rusher in that game had only five yards. Randall will need to start producing more yards, or else Clemson will be relying solely on Cade Klubnik through the air. With the way our secondary looked against Gardner-Webb, Klubnik could have a big game, especially since we know they will not be running the ball very often. Tech’s defense needs to lock in and play with a little more firepower against easily the most talented quarterback and receiving core the Jackets have seen all year.
Bobby Dodd better be full
Coach Key, the athletic department, players, and die-hard fans have all said it. We need to start filling this stadium up and being there to support the players. Jamal Haynes said in the postgame press conference on Saturday that “It’s the fans, the student section, it’s everybody that’s inside the stadium that’s a part of GT that is defending home field.” I expect Bobby Dodd to be packed in WHITE on Saturday! We have our best shot at beating Clemson in a long time, and a win would create some serious momentum moving forward. Tailgate, support, and be there early. As always, Go Jackets.
