Clemson Football: 3 reasons Tigers will beat Florida State in Week 12

3. The defense will be much more consistent

For the past two games, the Tigers’ defense has not played to the best of their ability. In the game against Boston College, the Tigers gave up 14 points in both the first and second quarters. Clemson went into halftime with a 28-13 deficit.

Against the Fighting Irish, the Tigers allowed 23 points in the first half as well as a game-tying touchdown with 22 seconds left to send the game into overtime. The Irish accounted for 518 total yards, 22 first downs and allowed a third-down conversion rate of over 50 percent.

After a bye week, head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables expect more consistency from their defense.

This weekend, the Tigers will face a Seminoles offense that ranks 50th in the nation (fourth in the ACC) in rushing yards per game (184). They will have to be alert against an offense that has multiple rushers including dual-threat quarterback Jordan Travis. This is an area where Clemson has had problems this season.

Clemson’s defense is well-balanced, but it can use more consistency in the linebacking corps. They have allowed a 31 percent third-down conversion rate even after underachieving against the Fighting Irish. They can force some key turnovers against the Seminoles as they have turned the ball over 15 times whereas the Tigers forced 14 turnovers this season.

The Seminoles are projected to score less than 16 points against the Tigers.