Clemson vs. Duke: Five burning questions ... and a prediction

No. 2 Clemson (10-0, 7-0 ACC) will host Duke (7-3, 3-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised by ESPN.

Here are our top five questions heading into the game:

Can Clemson put aside the Senior Day distractions?

The Tigers will honor 33 seniors on Saturday, including stars Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Hunter Renfrow and Mitch Hyatt. The seniors will run down the hill one by one prior to Clemson’s game against Duke. It will be a special moment for the group, but the players also must move on from the touching moment quickly and be ready to play a few minutes later. Dabo Swinney’s team is typically great at avoiding distractions and that must continue this weekend.

“It’s a great day for them and for their families. For us, I’ll always appreciate them. That game, to win, we need to play well. They need to play well,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “You got work to do and we’ve got our hands full. So we need that same group that we appreciate and love on to show up and play well, which they will.”

Can Clemson’s secondary stay consistent?

Venables’ biggest concern entering the season was his secondary, but for the most part the defensive backs have played great. The group struggled in the second half against Texas A&M but hasn’t slipped up since, and the Tigers are currently No. 2 in the ACC in passing defense, allowing 171 yards per game. Clemson has a tough task this week as Duke’s Daniel Jones is third in the ACC in passing. Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe does a great job developing quarterbacks and has Jones looking like a top NFL prospect. Clemson had a couple of busts last week against Boston College, but the Eagles were unable to take advantage of the mistakes with starting quarterback Anthony Brown out of the game. Still, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said that Clemson put some things on tape that other teams can take advantage of if the Tigers don’t clean up their mistakes.

Can Clemson’s offense get back on track?

The Tigers were solid against Boston College but far from great. Yes, Clemson finished with 424 yards of offense, but the Tigers were only 5-for-15 on third downs and punted six times. Clemson also only scored touchdowns on two of its four red-zone trips. The performance doesn’t mean it is time to panic, but Clemson’s offense scored only 20 points against BC after the Tigers had scored an average of 60 points in their previous four games. Clemson will look to get back to putting up big numbers and clicking on all cylinders against a Duke defense that is allowing more than 400 yards per game.

Will Clemson’s special teams put together a complete performance?

The Tigers returned a punt for a touchdown against Boston College, but overall the special teams were far from special. BC also returned a punt for a touchdown, while Will Spiers punted six times for an average of 37 yards per punt. For the season the Tigers are No. 99 in net punting at 35.7. Clemson kickoff specialist B.T. Potter has even struggled as of late. Potter kicked off six times against BC with only two going for touchbacks. Early in the season a touchback was pretty much guaranteed every time Potter kicked off.

Is this the week Christian Wilkins plays quarterback?

Clemson’s star defensive tackle has made his desire to play quarterback known throughout the season. The Tigers are 28-point favorites against Duke, and with a blowout expected this could be the week Wilkins gets his shot for a few plays. Wilkins does it all for Clemson, from defense, to running back to punt team to field goal team. It would make sense for the senior to be honored on Senior Day by getting an opportunity to play quarterback.

Prediction: Daniel Jones is a legit quarterback who could be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Jones is surrounded by a solid group of receivers, and Cutcliffe does a great job of getting the most out of the talent he has. But Clemson is too talented and deep from top to bottom, and Duke will not be able to slow down the Tigers. It should be a memorable Senior Day for Wilkins and company.

Pick: Clemson 52, Duke 20

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 3:09 PM.