Welcome to the Textile Bowl edition of What We Are Hearing!
Well, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee did
the Tigers a big favor and gave them all the motivation they need to play their
best football from here on out, disrespecting the Defending Champs by ranking
them No.5 on Tuesday night. It snapped a streak of 24 consecutive weeks in
which the Tigers were ranked in the top 4—the longest such streak since the
playoff began. The Tigers had been in the top 4 every week since they were No.1
in the first rankings of 2015. Dabo had a great line in his press conference on
Tuesday. When asked if he would be upset if Clemson is ranked No.15, he said,
"If we're 15 and we beat NC State, maybe we'll be 17." That sums up
the ridiculous attitude that outsiders have had toward Clemson all season. It’s
as if the Tigers are being punished for having the greatest season ever last
year and all anyone wants to do is knock them down. The Tigers have won 24
straight and 21 by blowout, including 44-16 over Alabama. 8 blowouts in 9 games
this season. The Tigers’ numbers across the board are virtually identical to those
of the 15-0 greatest ever, and defensively they are better, yet these
people are trying to say with a straight face that there are four better
teams than this one?!
All logic dictates that Clemson should be No.1, but according
to the committee, they are No.5. Of course, most or all of the teams ahead of
the Tigers will lose, and they will be No.1 or No.2 by the time it all shakes
out on Selection Sunday. I expect the winner of LSU at Alabama to move to No.1
next week, and the Tigers will move up to No.4. Penn State also plays at
undefeated Minnesota this week, so the Tigers will move to No.3 if the Gophers
pull off the upset. Here are the current top 6:
1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Alabama
4. Penn State
5. Clemson
6. Georgia
Our teleconference with Chariman Rob Mullens is below. I
asked him how they can reconcile Alabama being ranked ahead of Clemson and Penn
State despite having an easier schedule than both teams and despite Clemson
being the only team in the top 4 for total offense and total defense,
the only team with 7 Power Five wins and the only team to hold
all 9 opponents under 300 yards. His answer was meaningless as I expected, and
honestly I don't think anyone on the committee even knows any of those facts.
The audio from the teleconference is below!
Enough of that nonsense. The fools who have been knocking
the Defending Champs and rightful No.1 team will be put in their place in the
next couple months. For now, let’s look ahead to Saturday night’s matchup with
NC State. If the Tigers win and Wake loses at Virginia Tech, the Tigers will have their 5th straight Atlantic Division Title clinched. If Wake wins, it will set up an Atlantic Division Title game next week in Death Valley with the winner going to Charlotte!
MISCELLANEOUS
Clemson leads the all-time series with NC State 58-28 and
has won 7 straight meetings…. Clemson has won 35 of its last 38 games away from
home and 23 of its last 24 true road games….Clemson and Alabama are tied for
the most consecutive weeks in the AP Top 10 at 70 straight weeks. Georgia is 3rd at
39 weeks… Clemson tied its school record last week with its 21st
straight win in Death Valley, going back to the last-second loss to Pitt in
2016. Prior to that, the Tigers won 21 straight, so the Tigers have won 42 of
their last 43 home games, losing only on a last-second field goal….Clemson has
won its last 38 straight Saturday games, the longest streak in the nation….Clemson
has scored 45 points or more for 4 straight games, a first in school history….
NC STATE SYNOPSIS
The 4-4 Wolf Pack come limping into this game with about as
many injuries as any team in the country. They have lost their top 4 corners, both
starting offensive tackles, a couple tight ends, a wide receiver and their
leading rusher. The banged-up team lost 44-10 at Wake Forest last week and gave
up 429 rushing yards to Boston College, losing to the Eagles 45-24 in their
previous game.
It seems like every other week this season, the Tigers are
facing a team that is playing or has played musical quarterbacks, and this week
is no different. Redshirt freshman Devin Leary got his first start for the Pack
against Wake last week and was the third QB to start for them this season. He is
the first freshman to start at quarterback for NC State since Russell Wilson in
2008. Aside from the injuries, that is the biggest difference with this State
team. For years, Dave Doeren has had a top-notch signal caller to rely on.
Finley, Glennon and Brissette all went on to play in the NFL. Leary has the arm
talent that could take him there too eventually, but he is being thrown in the
fire and had a poor outing last week. He was 17-45 for 149 yards with one
touchdown and 2 interceptions. He is not a threat to run the ball either.
With RB Ricky Person out, 6’0, 197-pound freshman Zonovan
Knight (#24) is their leading rusher with 389 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
He averages 4.7 yards per carry. 5’10, 185-pound freshman Jordan Houston (#20)
will split the carries. He averages 5.7 yards per carry and has 2 touchdowns
this season. The Pack’s leading receiver is 6’3, 210-pound junior Emeka Emezie
(#3), who has 39 catches for 410 yards and one touchdown this season. 6’0,
195-pound sophomore Thayer Thomas (#87) has just 26 catches but 3 touchdowns, and
6’4, 212-pound freshman Devin Carter (#88) hasn’t scored but averages 16.2
yards per catch. TE Cary Angeline (#6), a 6’7, 250-pound junior, has 21 catches
and 4 touchdowns to lead the team. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a tight end wear
#6 before!
Defensively, the Pack is led by senior DT Larrell Murchison
(#92), who has 7 sacks this season. Junior LB Louis Acceus (#2) has 4.5 sacks.
With all those corners out, State has just 3 interceptions this season, and 2
of them are by junior Chris Ingram (#7). State is dead last nationally (No.130)
with just 5 turnovers created this season.
State has a reliable kicker in sophomore Christopher Dunn.
He is 15-18 this season and has missed just once inside 50 yards. His long is
from 43.
CLEMSON STATUS
The Tigers have been clicking on all cylinders for the last 4
games, ever since the lone close-call at UNC. Again, it’s eerie how similar
this season is to last. That scare in Chapel Hill occurred almost a year to the
day as the Syracuse game last season. After Chase Brice and Travis Etienne led the
Tigers to the win in that Syracuse game, the Tigers blew out their next 10
opponents for the national title, and they are doing the exact same thing now. Etienne
has been brilliant in the last 4 games, breaking the Clemson career rushing
touchdown record held by James Davis last week with his 48th rush
TD. He also tied C.J. Spiller’s career all-purpose touchdown record and became
the first Tiger to rush for over 200 yards 3 times in a career. Trevor Lawrence
has been equally brilliant, throwing 3 touchdowns in each of the last 4 games.
It’s the first time that’s happened since Tajh Boyd in 2012. Not even Deshaun
did that in his illustrious career! Trevor is also spreading the ball around
very equitably to his numerous weapons. Ross, Higgins and Rodgers each had a
touchdown reception last week. On the season, Ross has 5, Higgins and Rodgers 4
and Overton has 3. The WR corps is also doing a terrific job blocking at the
second level—something in which former WR Dabo Swinney takes great pride—and that’s
paying huge dividends in the run game.
The story of the season, though, has been the defense
exceeding all expectations. They have actually held opponents to fewer points
than last year’s unit that led the nation, and Clemson is the only team in the
nation to hold all 9 opponents this season to less than 300 total yards. In
fact, the last team to do that was Alabama in 2011 and before that LSU in 2006!
In this day and age of fast-tempo spread offenses, it’s an even more remarkable
feat. The Tigers held A.J. Dillon and Boston College to just 97 yards rushing a
couple weeks ago. In their games before and after Clemson, BC rushed for 429
and 496 yards respectively! And the Tigers have been without Xavier Thomas for
the past 3 games. They get him back on Saturday along with Denzel Johnson, who
missed the Wofford game with a bruised shoulder. Keep an eye on K’Von Wallace
Saturday night. He has an interception in each of the last 3 years against the
Pack! He told me after the game last year that they did not recruit him, and
that has been a source of motivation for him. The one he had two years ago in
Raleigh sealed the game for the Tigers.
PREDICTION
Clemson has won 7 straight Textile Bowls, but Carter-Finley
Stadium has been a nightmare over the years for the Tigers. Two years ago, it
took a punt return TD by Ray Ray McCloud—the only one of his career—and an INT
by Wallace to escape with a win. However, it will be a different story this
year with a beleaguered Wolf Pack plagued by injuries. With the cold weather
and the season they are having, it might not even be much of a crowd advantage
for the Pack, and normally it’s one of the toughest places to play in the ACC.
With a banged-up offensive line, a true freshman left tackle and Xavier Thomas
back, I expect Brent Venables to wreak havoc on that redshirt freshman Devin
Leary in his second start. The Tigers cruise to a 5th straight
blowout, a 25th straight win and 8th straight over State.
The Tigers win 10 for a 9th straight season, tying Texas for the
third-longest such streak of all time!
The Prowl toward a 5th consecutive ACC Title, a 5th
consecutive College Football Playoff appearance and a 4th National
Title continues….
CLEMSON 55 NC State 10
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