FSU Football: A First Look at Clemson

This week’s opponent is one that Florida State has had circled on its calendar since the schedule was released and for good reason. Clemson will enter Saturday’s contest ranked No. 3 in the country and winners of 25 of its last 26 games.

Junior quarterback Deshaun Watson is the unquestioned face of the program, but the Tigers are loaded with talent from top to bottom. Clemson defeated Florida State 23-13 at home last year and will look to win in Tallahassee for the first time in a decade on Saturday night. The Tigers come in a 3-point favorite, marking only the second time that FSU has been a home underdog under head coach Jimbo Fisher.

On Clemson

Record: 7-0 (4-0 ACC)
Offensive Ranks: 35th in yards per game (474), 17th in passing yards per game (304.9), 70th in rushing yards per game (169.4), 26th in points per game (36.6).
Defensive Ranks: 8th in yards per game allowed (299), 7th in passing yards per game allowed (166.1), 34th in rushing yards per game allowed (132.4), 9th in points per game allowed (15.3).
Last Game: Defeated N.C. State 24-17 in overtime on Oct. 15.

On Offense

Watson might be one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he always seems to play his best against Florida State. After accounting for nearly 300 total yards as a true freshman in a 23-17 overtime loss in Tallahassee in 2014, Watson totaled more than 400 yards against the Seminoles last season.

Running back Wayne Gallman’s status may be up in the air with a concussion, but the Tigers are very deep at the pass-catching positions. Mike Williams, who missed almost all of 2015 with a neck injury, has emerged as one of the nation’s best receivers with 39 catches for 578 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Deon Cain leads the team with six touchdown grabs while Jordan Leggett has been very reliable as a tight end. In all, Clemson has five receivers with at least 200 yards receiving and six with at least two touchdown grabs.

Up front, redshirt senior center Jay Guillermo is the veteran of the group. Tyrone Crowder, a junior, is very good at right guard while the Tigers are young at tackle, starting two true sophomores. Clemson however, has allowed just seven sacks so far this year.

On Defense

Despite losing Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson, Clemson has been downright dominant up front. The Tigers rank fourth nationally with 25 sacks and 21st when it comes to allowing the fewest yards per carry at 3.3. Defensive tackles Carlos Watkins and freshman Dexter Lawrence have each been outstanding this year as has defensive end Christian Wilkins. Watkins and Lawrence have combined for nine tackles for loss while Watkins leads the team with 4.5 sacks. Wilkins ranks among the ACC’s leaders with a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss.

At linebacker, the duo of Ben Boulware and Kendall Joseph have combined for 124 tackles, including 10 for loss, a pair of sacks and two interceptions. Redshirt junior Dorian O’Daniel has been used largely as a blitzer, but has played well as the third linebacker.

The Tigers are very experienced in the secondary, but it’s sophomore safety Van Smith who leads the team with 65 total tackles. Cordrea Tankersley is an experienced and physical cornerback while Jadar Johnson leads the team with three interceptions. Johnson intercepted FSU’s Sean Maguire in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ last trip to Tallahassee in 2014. Clemson leads the ACC and ranks eighth nationally with 11 interceptions.

On Special Teams

As expected, redshirt sophomore Greg Huegel has been reliable as a placekicker, making eight of his 10 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards. Senior Andy Teasdall has not had a great year punting, averaging 38.4 yards per punt. 12 of his 28 punts however, have been downed inside the 20-yard-line.

With Artavis Scott returning kickoffs and Ray-Ray McCloud returning punts, the Tigers have been dangerous in the return game. Scott is averaging better than 25 yards per kickoff return with a long of 77. McCloud is averaging 12.3 yards on punt returns with a long of 74. Clemson has been very good at covering kicks this season as well.

Summary

Finding a chink in Clemson’s armor isn’t easy. Head coach Dabo Swinney has built Clemson into a perennial national power and much of that has to do with improvement on defense in recent years. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has made Clemson one of the best units in the country. On offense, Deshaun Watson is as good as they come at quarterback and is loaded with talent around him. For FSU to top the Tigers, it’ll need to bring its “A game”.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson