The reigning national champions appear on the schedule this week for Florida State as the Seminoles look to beat Clemson in the place they call Death Valley for just the second time since 2003. Like last season, the Tigers come in with a loss, but are the favorites to win the ACC and get back to the College Football Playoff for a third straight season.
Rather than rebuild with losses to players like Wayne Gallman, Mike Williams, Cordrea Tankersley, Jordan Leggett and most notably, Deshaun Watson, Dabo Swinney’s team has reloaded behind a stout defense and a dynamic ground game. Clemson will look to become just the third ACC team to beat FSU in three straight years, joining itself from 2005-07 and Wake Forest from 2006-08.
On Clemson
Record: 8-1 (6-1 ACC)
Offensive Ranks: 34th in yards per game (443), 69th in passing yards per game (222.7), 25th in rushing yards per game (220.2), 35th in points per game (32.9).
Defensive Ranks: 13th in yards per game allowed (305), 21st in passing yards per game allowed (182.3), 20th in rushing yards per game allowed (122.9), 8th in points per game allowed (15.1).
Last Game: Won at N.C. State last Saturday, 38-31.
On Offense
Junior quarterback Kelly Bryant might not be the second coming of Deshaun Watson, but he has been efficient and isn’t afraid to take shots downfield with his arm. His biggest strength however, lies in his legs. Bryant leads the Tigers with 548 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, but young running backs Tavien Feaster and Travis Etienne provide big play threats on the ground as well. Those two have combined for more than 1,000 yards rushing, 11 touchdown rushes and a 7.2 yards per carry average.
At wide receiver, Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud have all put up comparable numbers. Cain leads the team with 440 yards receiving and four touchdowns while Renfrow leads the Tigers with 39 catches. Tight end Milan Richard has become a bigger factor down the field in recent weeks. Left tackle Mitch Hyatt headlines an offensive line that is very good and starts three juniors. Senior guard Tyrone Crowder is one of the best in the ACC.
On Defense
Up front, there may not be a better defensive line in the country than Clemson. The Tigers are big, physical, athletic, talented and deep. Defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant have combined for 13 sacks and 26 tackles for loss this season. Defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins provide huge plugs in the middle of the front. Clemson ranks second nationally with 33 sacks on the year — just one behind leader USC.
The linebackers for the Tigers are also very good. Kendall Joseph was expected to be one of the ACC’s best players at the position and ranks second on the team with 69 tackles, but the big surprise has been senior Dorian O’Daniel. O’Daniel leads Clemson with 82 stops, including 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a team-high two interceptions — both of which were returned for touchdowns. Safeties Van Smith and Tanner Muse have provided a productive tandem. Senior cornerback Ryan Carter leads the Tigers with eight pass break-ups.
On Special Teams
Clemson has desperately missed kicker Greg Huegel, who was injured in practice earlier this season. Adam Spence has been forced to fill in for Huegel and has gone just 4-for-9 on field goals and only 1-for-6 from 30 yards and beyond. Will Spiers is averaging better than 42 yards per punt with 18 of his 44 kicks having been downed inside the 20-yard-line. McCloud is a dangerous punt returner with a touchdown already to his name this season, but the Tigers have not been very good in punt coverage.
Summary
With no glaring weaknesses, Clemson is once again the favorite in the ACC and a contender for college football’s ultimate prize. Deshaun Watson may be gone, but the Tigers are still deep at the skill positions with a number of players capable of beating even the good defenses. The defense for Clemson is again one of the best nationally and that starts with a defensive front that is hard to penetrate. If there is one area where the Tigers are vulnerable, it could be on special teams, but that phase of the game has not been a strength for FSU in 2017.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
finance85
November 8, 2017 at 10:26 am
When a team has a bad placekicker, they might actually be better overall for it if they have a good offense, and they are playing a team that doesn’t force stops on third down.
For example –
Clemson has the ball between the FSU 25 and 35. It’s third and long. Clemson knows they can’t trust their kicker, so they consider it 4 down territory. FSU coaches play for the stop on third down, and play a zone, allowing Clemson to make a catch, but not get first down yardage. Clemson is fine with this, because now they have 4th and short, and they intended to go for it on 4th down anyway.