5 burning questions for Clemson against Georgia Tech ... and a prediction
No. 1 Clemson will host Georgia Tech and first-year head coach Geoff Collins at 8 p.m. Thursday (ACC Network) at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. Collins, who was previously the head coach at Temple, replaced Paul Johnson and his triple-option offense.
Here are our top five questions heading into the game:
1. How quickly can Clemson adjust?
The Tigers aren’t sure what to expect from Georgia Tech under Collins, particularly the Yellow Jackets’ offense. Clemson has been watching Temple film to prepare, but the offense is surely to have several new wrinkles to fit Georgia Tech’s personnel. The Yellow Jackets also didn’t release a two-deep depth chart, so the Tigers aren’t sure who Georgia Tech will start at several spots. Clemson will likely spend the first few drives seeing how Georgia Tech is trying to attack the Tigers and then adjust.
2. Who starts on Clemson’s defensive line and how does it hold up?
It is no secret that Clemson is replacing all four starters from its defensive line, and the young group is likely to experience some growing pains this season. Nyles Pinckney is expected to start at defensive tackle, but the other three starters will be a game-time decision. Jordan Williams is the favorite to start at the other defensive tackle spot, but he was pushed by true freshman Tyler Davis throughout camp. Two of three of Xavier Thomas, Logan Rudolph and Justin Foster will start at defensive end, and the competition is expected to continue into the season. Just because a player starts Thursday doesn’t mean they will leave the game with a starting spot. With Texas A&M coming to town next weekend, Clemson needs to find its top four defensive linemen in a hurry.
3. Can Derion Kendrick handle the starting cornerback spot opposite A.J. Terrell?
Clemson has a lockdown corner on one side of the field in junior A.J. Terrell, but there is plenty of uncertainty opposite him. Sophomore Derion Kendrick made the switch to cornerback during the spring, and while the staff was pleased with what it saw from Kendrick, he has still yet to play the position in a college game. Add in the fact that Kendrick was banged up for most of fall camp, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Georgia Tech go after him. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney feels good about Clemson’s depth at corner, but the group is inexperienced with freshmen Sheridan Jones and Andrew Booth and sophomores LeAnthony Williams and Mario Goodrich behind Kendrick.
4. Are James Skalski and Chad Smith as advertised?
Clemson’s coaching staff doesn’t seem worried at all about replacing two starters at linebacker, and Swinney called this year’s back seven the best of his career during the preseason. But Skalski and Smith have to show that they are ready to go from role players to key pieces on Clemson’s defense. Smith, a senior, enters 2019 with 74 career tackles, while Skalski, a junior, has 61. We will get our first look at how the two handle being every-down linebackers and not just situational players or injury replacements on Thursday. The two have combined for two starts during their time at Clemson.
5. Can Georgia Tech keep it close?
The Yellow Jackets are viewing the season opener at No. 1 Clemson as a tremendous opportunity rather than a doomsday scenario. Still, Georgia Tech is a 36-point underdog and no one is giving the Yellow Jackets much of a chance. Opening games can be weird, as we saw with last weekend’s Florida-Miami showdown and with Hawaii upsetting Arizona. Texas A&M was in a similar situation to Georgia Tech last year, facing Clemson with a new coaching staff and the Tigers unsure what to expect. And the Aggies gave Clemson fits. With that said, Texas A&M has more talent than Georgia Tech and that game wasn’t at Death Valley.
Prediction: Clemson has too much fire power on offense and jumps out to a quick lead, forcing Georgia Tech to play catch-up. The Yellow Jackets should make steady progress in Year 1 under Collins, but keeping it close at Clemson is a tough task. The Tigers will build a comfortable lead at the break and put it on cruise control in the second half to ensure everyone stays healthy for next week’s showdown against Texas A&M.
Pick: Clemson 45, Georgia Tech 13
