ACC Championship Clemson vs Virginia Tech

Here we go again, Clemson (9-3) out of ACC’s Atlantic Division taking on Virginia Tech (11-1) out of the ACC’s Coastal Division. These teams met on October 1, with the Tigers putting a beat down on Va Tech, 23-3. In fact, this is the only loss suffered this season by the Hokies….perhaps a little pay back is in the wind?

Here we go again, Clemson, true to who they are, or at least, who they seem to be, have entered their “Bermuda Triangle Zone” and for no known scientific reason have faded from the national football radar detection grid! What’s with these guys? Every year… great athleticism, great skill, and seemingly, mentally focused to handle adversity when she comes a knocking…. and then… suddenly… gone!

Here we go again, in their last four games against, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, & South Carolina, the Tigers have turned the ball over 12 times… that’s right… 12! As a result, they have lost three of four, their only win was a “nail biter” against Wake Forest, 31-28!

Ok…. enough with here we go again! Let’s take a peek at the stats from the first game between the Tigers and the Hokies.  As mentioned, Clemson 23 Virginia Tech 3. Turnovers were even, 1 apiece and  penalties were almost identical, the Tigers had 5-61 yards and Va Tech had 6-60 yards. The Hokies ran the ball slightly better 133 yards to 119 for Clemson. While the Tigers had a big edge in passing yards, 204 to 125 the total yard output favored Clemson, 323 to 258. So as an initial look, the difference in the first game seems to be Clemson’s ability to effectively pass the ball against a very good Virginia Tech defense… or should we say, a very good Virginia Tech run defense.

Alright, let’s take a peek at these two teams vs the run and the pass. Clemson is allowing 196 YPG against the pass and 187 versus the run, while the Hokies are holding opponents to 99 YPG rushing and 203 YPG passing. Pretty clear that in the first meeting, Clemson recognized the Hokies strength against the run and quite effectively took to the airways. So look for Clemson to throw the ball and in my view, if they do that, I believe it will be the deciding factor in today’s game.

Besides the turnovers, what else have the Tigers been doing on offense and defense that may have impacted their recent woes and determine the outcome of  today’s game? In their last three losses, Clemson has rushed the ball for 95 yards against G-Tech, 34 yards vs NC State, and for 70 yards versus South Carolina. It looks as if the Tigers have abandoned the run in these past few games, a strategy that can and often does lead to disaster. Keep in mind, when they prevailed against Tech in their first encounter, the Tigers did rush the ball for 119 yards. In other words, that kept the Hokies LB’s and Safeties honest in their reads and allowed for Sammy Wadkins and DeAndre Hopkins to create some separation in their routes. To have a shot, Clemson has to recommit to the run! Please look for that early as I believe that strategy will impact late.

All that said, I think Clemson stays lost in the Triangle… Sorry to say…… Here we go again….. again, Virginia Tech 30 Clemson 16