Clemson Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
The 2017 Clemson football team has the defense to be a top team, but it’ll need the offense to keep pace.
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers find themselves at a crossroads on offense. The departure of Deshaun Watson to the NFL leaves Clemson in need of a new playcaller under center.
Swinney has named redshirt junior Kelly Bryant the starter for the time being but that doesn’t mean we won’t see others at quarterback, at least in Week One.
Bryant will bring along an offense that still returns wide receivers Hunter Renfrow and Deon Cain. The duo should put up reasonable numbers as key pieces on offense.
The defending national champions still have a strong defense, that’s for sure. They have a few holes to fill with the losses of linebacker Ben Boulware and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley but they’ve got the players to fill the void.
Linebacker Kendall Joseph is prime for a bigger junior season while junior safety Van Smith looks to become the new leader in the secondary.
The trio of Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins should continue to wreak more havoc on defensive front in 2017 as well. They combined for 34.0 tackles for loss and 16.0 sacks last season.
As far as scheduling goes, the Clemson Tigers are projected to
The Kent State Golden Flashes serve as the Tigers lone tuneup game. After that, they’ll face the likes of Auburn, Louisville and Virginia Tech (both on the road). The Golden Flashes posted a 3-9 record last season.
They return 11 starters from last year’s team (five on defense, six on offense) but they’ll need to improve drastically from 2016. They are 6-18 record in the past two seasons under head coach Paul Haynes.
Kent State averaged 20.6 points per game on offense (117th in the FBS) and allowed 28.7 points per game (67th in the FBS). Statistics like these could pose problems when facing a team like the Clemson Tigers.
The Golden Flashes’ offense threw for just 141.7 passing yards while rushing for 167.5 rushing yards per game in 2017. Their starting quarterback returns with redshirt senior Nick Holley. Holley led the team in rushing yards (920) and rushing touchdowns (10) last season.
Kent State is a young team so the ACC’s level of experience may be too difficult for them to overcome. Without much a passing game, the Louisville Cardinals should shut the Kent State offense down early.
It’s the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The Tigers could give Kent State a run for their money as the favored team.
Final: Kent State 0, Clemson 42 (1-0)