Kevin Vandervort / All Clemson
How will Clemson Attack a Vulnerable Tennessee Defense?
CLEMSON, S.C. — There is no doubt, the strength of Tennessee lies with its offense. It is the reason why the sixth-ranked Volunteers are playing in their first Orange Bowl since 1998.
Granted, the Vols will be without All-SEC quarterback Hendon Hooker, Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt and last year’s top SEC receiver Cedric Tillman. But they still have running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small and a running game that is averaging 205.8 yards per game.
Tennessee (10-2) is going to be just fine on offense when it plays No. 7 Clemson on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
But what about the Volunteers’ defense?
“They’re a great defense,” Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik said.
Are they?
The Vols rank 85th nationally in total defense, yielding 398.8 yards per game. They rank 127th nationally in passing defense, allowing 287.0 yards per game through the air.
They also rank 13th in the SEC in in total passing yards allowed (3,444), 13th in touchdown passes allowed (21) and 12th in opponent’s completion percentage (63.7). In other words, Tennessee’s secondary has been getting torched pretty much all season.
But does Clemson (11-2) have the weapons to take advantage of the Vols’ inadequacies on defense?
That is the unknown.
Klubnik will be making his first career start, while coming off an ACC Championship Game MVP performance. The true freshman looked brilliant in helping the Tigers beat North Carolina, 39-10, in the conference title game on Dec. 5.
He completed 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 30 yards and another score.
“They’re a great defense,” Klubnik reiterated about the Tennessee defense. “They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of veterans on there. It will be a good matchup for us.”
The Vols have been good at stopping the run. Opponents are averaging just 111.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks second in the SEC. They also have not given up too many points, yielding 23.5 per game, which ranks 44th nationally and 5th in the SEC.
“They’re a heck of a team. They have had a great year. It is going to be a really fun game,” Klubnik said.
It’s going to be fun to see what the Tigers can do. Klubnik gives them an element in the passing game they have not had really since the Wake Forest game in Week 4, when then quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw for 371 yards, five touchdowns and averaged 9.0 yards per attempt.
Clemson never came close to those kinds of passing numbers again, until Klubnik helped it throw for 317 yards and 9.1 yards per attempt against the Tar Heels. The Tigers had six plays over 15 yards, including a 68-yard pass from Klubnik to fellow true freshman Cole Turner.
They also had pass plays of 43 and 22 yards.
Clemson, who averages 179.0 yards per game on the ground, did not try to really run the football against North Carolina because it knew it could have success through the air. You have to wonder if the Tigers will try this same approach against Tennessee’s secondary which statistically is as bad or worse than the Tar Heels.
Clemson is a 5.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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