Five burning questions for Clemson at Georgia Tech — and a score prediction
No. 1 Clemson (4-0, 3-0 ACC) will travel to face Georgia Tech (2-2, 2-1) on Saturday after the Tigers pounded Miami last week. Clemson is a 27-point favorite for the matchup. The noon game will be televised by ABC. Here are our top five questions heading into the game:
1. Can Clemson avoid a letdown?
There was a time under coach Tommy Bowden when Clemson playing a noon game on the road following a big win would be a dangerous spot. That is no longer the case for this program. Dabo Swinney declared earlier this week that this is a chance for the Tigers to earn a “statement” win and prove that they are mature enough to handle success. Swinney is arguably the best motivator in college football, and you can bet he’ll have his team ready to go. The Tigers are 76-2 in their last 78 games against unranked teams.
2. Is Clemson’s defense really this good?
The Tigers played their best game of the season against Miami, completely shutting down a Hurricanes offense that was averaging nearly 500 yards per game. While that performance was dominant, Clemson looked vulnerable at times against Virginia the previous week. Can Clemson consistently play as well as it did against Miami, or is what we saw against Virginia (good but not great) a more reasonable expectation?
3. How much has Georgia Tech improved under Geoff Collins?
The Yellow Jackets have been an early bright spot in the ACC, starting the season 2-1 in league play with wins over Florida State and Louisville. Collins went 3-9 (2-6) in his first year in Atlanta, so a 2-2 (2-1) start is encouraging. Still, this will be by far Georgia Tech’s toughest test of the season to date and will provide a measuring stick to see just how much the Yellow Jackets have improved. Georgia Tech is averaging more than 450 yards of offense early on this season. The Tigers earned a 52-14 victory against the Yellow Jackets last year.
4. Can Georgia Tech’s freshman backfield duo give Clemson issues?
Quarterback Jeff Sims and running back Jahmyr Gibbs have flashed at times this season, and they have Georgia Tech fans feeling good about the future. Sims is a dual-threat QB who leads the Yellow Jackets in rushing with 257 yards. He is averaging nearly 6 yards per carry and 236 passing yards per game. With that said, he has struggled with turnovers, tossing eight interceptions through four games. Gibbs is averaging 77 rushing yards per game and 5 yards per carry, and Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Gibbs reminds him of Marshawn Lynch with his physical running style. It’s likely that the two will give defenses plenty of problems in the ACC over the next several years. Will that include this week?
5. Can Trevor Lawrence continue his hot start to the season?
It’s been nearly a year since Lawrence’s last interception, which came against Louisville on Oct. 19, 2019. Since then Lawrence has thrown 35 touchdowns without a pick. He is currently the Heisman favorite and for good reason, having passed for 1,140 yards, with 10 touchdowns so far this season. This game is a bit of a homecoming for Lawrence, who will be playing about 40 miles from his hometown of Cartersville, Georgia.
Clemson-Georgia Tech prediction
Clemson seems to be hitting its stride on both sides of the ball heading into Saturday’s trip to Atlanta. Offensively, Lawrence and Travis Etienne are ESPN’s top Heisman candidates thanks to their stellar start to the year, while Brent Venables has the defense looking like a group filled with veterans instead of the one that is without eight starters from 2019. The Tigers should score early and often, while Georgia Tech’s young offense will probably be able to put up some points in garbage time.
Pick: Clemson 49, Georgia Tech 20
Clemson football 2020 schedule, game scores
Sept. 12: Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
Sept. 19: Clemson 49, The Citadel 0
Oct. 3: Clemson 41, Virginia 23
Oct. 10: Clemson 42, Miami 17
Oct. 17: at Georgia Tech, noon, ABC
Oct. 24: vs. Syracuse, noon, ESPN or ACC Network (TBD)
Oct. 31: vs. Boston College
Nov. 7: at Notre Dame
Nov. 14: Open
Nov. 21: at Florida State
Nov. 28: vs. Pitt
Dec. 5: at Virginia Tech
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 8:06 AM.
