5 Storylines for Clemson Heading into First ACC Game
Let the conference season begin.
Following two weeks of non-conference opponents, the No. 6 Clemson Tigers start their quest for a seventh consecutive ACC title when Georgia Tech comes to Memorial Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. showdown.
Both teams are 1-1 and searching for a league win. However, Clemson is a massive favorite for Week 3.
Here are five storylines to monitor heading into Saturday:
1. Where did the rivalry go?: There was a time when this was one of the most hotly-contested rivalries in the ACC. No, seriously. It was. These teams played some great games in the past. But if you just started watching football in the last 10 years, you wouldn't know it.
Clemson has won nine of the last 11 meetings against Georgia Tech, including six in a row. Those have come with a 30-point average margin of victory for the Tigers, who still trail in the series 33-50-2. The Yellow Jackets dominated the matchups for about 70 years during the last century.
2. Offensive issues: Clemson is still figuring out what it is on offense. D.J. Uiagalelei wasn't especially sharp in the win over S.C. State, and he's thrown an interception in each of the first two games of 2021. The Tigers are developing the run game and trying to get more out of the offensive line.
There's still a lot of improvement that needs to take place. Playcalling can be better, but much of it is execution. It's hard to say much was solved in a 49-3 victory over an FCS squad, but receivers Joseph Ngata and Justyn Ross, all-purpose player Will Taylor and running back Will Shipley do look like standouts thus far. Does it all come together Saturday? Will a new wrinkle be introduced? There's certainly a chance.
3. Tech's slow turnaround: Geoff Collins had a tough road ahead of him replacing triple-option guru Paul Johnson in 2019, but a 7-17 record has not won over the GT fan base. There were hopes of a big step forward with sophomore Jeff Sims at quarterback, but the Jackets opened the year with a loss to Northern Illinois. Sims got knocked out of the game.
Last year, Clemson handed GT a relentless 73-7 beatdown. The year before that, it was 52-14. If Collins is using the Tigers as a measuring stick, he's coming up woefully short. It might not get any better Saturday, but for Tech, it might get much worse.
4. Will GT score a touchdown?: Through eight quarters, Clemson's defense has yet to allow a touchdown. Brent Venables' unit has put up a wall around the end zone. The Tigers are first in the ACC in yards allowed per play (4.02), and they've produced 14 tackles for a loss.
Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, but he hasn't found the end zone this season. Freshman quarterback Jordan Yates has five touchdowns passes and no interceptions. It's not the end of the world if the Tigers give up a 6-point play, but it's a badge of honor for a group that ended last season in rough fashion against Ohio State.
5. Winning is hard: Clemson's loss to Georgia might have felt like a death blow to College Football Playoff hopes to some pundits out there, but Ohio State lost in Week 2 to Oregon. USC got trounced by Stanford. Notre Dame and Texas A&M looked atrocious in wins. And Nick Saban was angry in postgame about his Alabama squad's performance against Mercer.
It's a long season. That's the reminder we all got from last week. This week, it's about controlling what you can control and continue to improve. Things have a weird way of working themselves out, and while Clemson isn't playing at an elite level right now, it's still too early to rule anything out.
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