Clemson football hosts Georgia Tech in an interdivisional ACC matchup. Can the Tigers slow the Yellow Jackets’ rushing attack and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive?
Clemson and Georgia Tech meet on Saturday night in prime time for what is ostensibly an elimination game for the ACC Championship game. Clemson football has even higher aspirations of defending their national title on the line. Both are second in their respective divisions and trail a team that is 4-0 in the ACC.
No. 7 Clemson (6-1, 4-1 ACC) is a bye week removed from their first loss of the season. Syracuse upset the Tigers 27-24 in the Carrier Dome as 24-point underdogs. Kelly Bryant is supposed to be back after exiting that game with a concussion when he was slammed into the turf.
Georgia Tech (4-2, 3-1) is coming off a 38-24 win over Wake Forest. Their only ACC loss came against Coastal-division leader, Miami, 25-24. Quarterback TaQuon Marshall is the leading rusher in the ACC at 117.3 yards per game. B-back Kirvonte Benson is second with 108.7 yards per game. They spearhead the second-best rushing attack in the country, averaging 372.8 yards per game.
The Tigers are 14-point favorites. The total is 50 or 49.5 depending on where you do your recreational gambling. Both numbers have been bet down a couple of points from where they opened.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Clemson Tigers game:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Clemson, SC
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Clemson-Georgia Tech is being called by the traditional ESPN on ABC broadcast team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor. Herbie and Taylor hopped on a plane after GameDay this morning in Columbus to get to Clemson for the nightcap. However, if you are not on the East Coast, the game will not be on your ABC affiliate but on ESPN2. If you are west of the Mississippi or in the West Virginia market you will get the Big 12 game, Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech.
Keys to Victory
This game will come down to the Clemson defensive line against the Georgia Tech offensive live. Clemson’s defensive line had looked like the best in the country until their last game. Eric Dungey and the Syracuse offense were able to keep the pace up and wear down that vaunted line. The Orange were able to win the time of possession battle, get 12 more first downs, and give Dungey enough time even though they still gave up six sacks.
Georgia Tech will try to do it in a different way than Syracuse. The Orange rushed for 162 yards, 61 from their quarterback. However, they had the balance of using Dungey’s arm for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Marshall has only thrown for 456 yards and five touchdowns all season. Marshall is a better runner, but is Georgia Tech going to be able to get near their season average on the ground with the Clemson defense focusing on the run?
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Prediction
Getting a bye week to prepare for the triple option is always a huge advantage. Clemson has also not had a huge problem with it in the past. The Tigers have beaten the Yellow Jackets four of the last five seasons including the last two. Georgia Tech will keep it close by virtue of their clock-burning, ground-chewing offense. If they can pop a big play or two in the passing game, the Yellow Jackets may be able to not just cover but pull off the upset.
Final Score: Clemson 24, Georgia Tech 17