Clemson at Virginia Tech: 5 Things to Watch For

In a typical college football season this is the weekend that conference championships would be played.

Instead, the Tigers are headed to Blacksburg, Va., looking to clinch a spot alongside Notre Dame in the ACC title game. The two teams have been on a collision course since the Fighting Irish knocked off the Tigers 47-40 in double overtime back on Nov. 7.

Only six times in program history has Clemson played a regular-season game in the month of December. The last time it happened was 2001 when the Tigers knocked off Duke 59-31 in a game that had been pushed after 9/11.

Third-ranked Clemson (8-1) comes in as a substantial favorite and looking to knock off the Hokies for the sixth consecutive time. Virginia Tech (4-5) comes in reeling, having lost three straight and four of their last five. They did have a bye last week, giving them extra time to prepare for the Tigers.

5 Things To Watch For

1. Trevor Lawrence and the Heisman: After missing five weeks of action, through no fault of his own, most had assumed that Lawrence was no longer in the discussion for the sports most prestigious award. Not so fast. After throwing for over 400 yards and 2 touchdowns last week against Pitt, the junior quarterback is at the very least back in the discussion. However, Lawrence needs another big game in Blacksburg to keep himself there.

2. Running Game: The Tigers rushed for 145 yards last week against Pitt. On the surface that might not seem like a big deal, but the Clemson running game has struggled this season. The Panthers are one of the better run defenses in the country and run a scheme that the Tigers have struggled rushing the ball against this year. Last weekend was a small step in the right direction. The Hokies run defense is not very good. They are allowing teams to rush for 189 yards per game and 4.8 YPC. If Travis Etienne is going to break out and have one of those monster games on the ground, this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

3. Braving the Elements: It isn't very often that Clemson has to play in brutally cold weather. Temperatures in Blacksburg will be hovering around the freezing mark by the time kickoff rolls around and it will be interesting to see how the players respond. Not many on the roster are accustomed to playing in that kind of cold. Fortunately, they'll only have to deal with the cold and not rain or snow.

4. Derion Kendrick: Three times this season the All-ACC cornerback has been held out of games due to being in Dabo Swinney's "love shack." In other words, he's been in the doghouse. However, at some point the Tigers will need Kendrick on the field. He's still one of the best cover guys on the team and as the competition ramps up in the postseason, Clemson is going to need him. A second straight game without him in the lineup could be a bad sign of things to come.

5. Championship Phase: After the loss to Notre Dame, the Tigers knew they had absolutely no margin for error. It took them three weeks to get back on the field, but once they did it was readily apparent this team was ready for the stretch run. With a spot in the ACC Championship Game on the line, the team will break out the special orange britches. Expect another focused Clemson team right out of the gate on Saturday night.

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