5 questions and a prediction as Clemson battles Virginia in ACC championship
No. 3 Clemson will attempt to win its fifth consecutive ACC title when the Tigers face No. 23 Virginia Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Clemson enters the game as a 28.5-point favorite.
Here are our top five questions heading into the matchup:
1. Will Clemson use a spy on Virginia QB Bryce Perkins?
The Virginia offense is centered around Perkins, who leads the Cavaliers in rushing, in addition to passing. Perkins has 196 rushing attempts on the season, while the rest of the Cavaliers have 198 carries combined. Virginia has 824 plays this season, and Perkins has either carried the ball or thrown the ball on 608 of them. Most teams have used a spy on Perkins to try to limit the senior’s success, and Clemson could follow suit. If so, ACC Defensive Player of the Year Isaiah Simmons seems like the perfect candidate to shadow Perkins. Simmons is one of the fastest players on Clemson’s team and should be able to limit Perkins’ rushing ability and keep him in the pocket.
“With the volume of offense he’s accounted for, it is almost every week, and rightly so,” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said Friday when asked about the possibility of Clemson using a spy. “Most teams approach is to have someone else be responsible for touchdowns, yardage other than (Perkins).”
2. How much will Virginia miss Bryce Hall?
The Cavaliers have dropped off in pass defense since the preseason All-American was lost for the year with an injury in early October against Miami. Virginia allowed more than 220 passing yards once in six games before Hall was injured and four times in six games since. Now Virginia will face the best offense and quarterback it has all season with Trevor Lawrence and his weapons.
“We were at the top of the league in almost every category defensively prior to him getting hurt and our pass defense currently ranks 11th in the ACC, you could just put ‘because of Bryce Hall next to that,’ Mendenhall said. “We have had to adapt, overcome and adjust schematically and leadership wise to account for him, and we won’t ever be able to compensate fully for him. However, he’s become unofficially titled our assistant secondary coach.”
3. Will both offensive lines hold up against strong defensive fronts?
Virginia and Clemson are two of the best in the country when it comes to getting after the quarterback. The Cavaliers are tied for sixth in the nation in sacks with 43, while Clemson is tied for 14th with 36. The Tigers have done a good job protecting the quarterback as they have only allowed 11 sacks all season, but that’s an area where Virginia struggles. The Cavaliers have allowed 36 sacks, which ranks No. 115 nationally.
4. How will the Cavaliers handle the spotlight?
This has become old hat for Clemson as the Tigers are playing in the ACC title game for the fifth consecutive year. It’s the opposite for Virginia, which is making its first appearance in the ACC title game. Mendenhall has never coached in a conference title game, although he did win a pair of Mountain West titles during his time at BYU. Clemson is a huge favorite, but that doesn’t mean BYU isn’t confident.
“They’re so full of optimism and hope and excitement. I’m not getting in the way of that. This is a moment they have earned. I don’t intend to taper it. I intend to have them channeled into their assignments and position mastery,” Mendenhall said. “Their mindset is so pure in relationship to excitement to play a college football game in a conference championship format it is so refreshing. In this day and age where conference championships in many cases are just now a warm-up for something else to come. Conference championships are why you play, in my opinion.”
5. Who can step up for Virginia outside of Perkins?
With Clemson paying close attention to Perkins, the Cavaliers are going to need others to step up. Running back Wayne Taulapapa is the most likely candidate as far as in the running game as he leads Virginia with 12 rushing touchdowns (one more than Perkins). Hasise Dubois and Joe Reed will be counted on to make plays 1-on-1 in the passing game when they get opportunities.
Prediction: Clemson has appeared on a mission since the close call against North Carolina, and the Tigers are oozing with confidence entering this matchup. Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables isn’t going to let one person beat him, and Lawrence and the Clemson offense should continue to roll against a Cavaliers defense that has struggled as of late.
Pick: Clemson 48, Virginia 17
