WHAT WE ARE HEARING: PREVIEW & PREDICTION FOR NO.6 CLEMSON vs. GEORGIA TECH

Welcome to the ACC opener edition of What We Are Hearing!

Before I begin, be sure to click HERE to check out my Friday evening preview show from the Esso Club with my co-host Gary McDaniel! We’ll be at the Esso every Friday evening to preview the Tigers’ upcoming game, what we’ve learned over the week and the landscape of college football in general, as we close with our picks for several of the biggest matchups of the week.

The Tigers were impressive in all 3 phases last week and played just about everyone in their dominant 49-3 win over SC State last week. I just about nailed my score prediction of 52-6, just one field goal off for each team, and it easily could have been 52-6 because the Tigers missed a 58-yard field goal at the end of the first half, and SC State passed on an easy field goal to go for it on 4th and goal in the 4th quarter. After scoring just 3 points against Georgia’s great defense in the opener, the Tigers’ offense didn’t waste any time getting back on track. They scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, they were a perfect 7-7 in the red zone and scored 35 points in the half. The scoring may have slowed down a bit in the second half with the backups in, but the Tigers had great offense running and passing and did pretty much whatever they wanted with the starters in. Many were critical of the Tigers’ lack of run production in the opener, giving the ball to the running backs for just 24 yards combined, but Pace and Shipley looked great last week. Shipley averaged 10 yards per carry with 2 touchdowns, Pace averaged 9.7 yards with a TD and Dixon had 4 carries for 27 yards. DJ also added a pair of rushing touchdowns on designed runs, something that was totally absent in the opener and I wrote about in last week’s WWAH. He was also 14-24 with a TD passing but threw his second interception of the season on a tipped ball, something he’ll need to clean up. Ironically, he didn’t throw an INT all of last season and had the most attempts without a pick, but he threw the big pick-six against Georgia, which really was the fault of Ross, not DJ, and he threw another INT last week. Still, last week’s game was just what the offense needed to get its feet under it, and it was great to see Ross catch his first touchdown since 2019 before his neck surgery. He would have had 2 TD’s if not for a throw that was a little high from DJ when Ross was wide open in the end zone. It was also great to see the defense repeat its performance from the opener, allowing just 3 points, even when the backups were in. And to cap it off, freshman Will Taylor showed how electric he can be in the punt return game, taking one 51 yards to set up a touchdown.

The Tigers begin ACC play for the second time in three years with Georgia Tech at home. Kickoff is at 3:30 on ABC. There was rain forecast for Saturday earlier in the week, but it looks like we might get lucky and it will hold off until after the game. The Jackets, of course, are the Coastal division rivals for the Tigers, and the two programs have a long, competitive history of hotly contested games. However, the Tigers have owned the Jackets of late, especially in the past 3 years since Paul Johnson was fired and Geoff Collins has had to transform the offense from Johnson’s triple option. In Collins’s debut for Tech, the Tigers steamrolled the Jackets 52-14 in 2019, and it got even worse in Atlanta last season with a 73-7 win for the Tigers. However, it might surprise some that Tech holds a 51-33-2 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1898. Of course, a big reason for that is that 42 of the first 43 meetings were home games for Tech. The Tigers hold a 22-17 edge since Tech joined the ACC in 1983, alternating game in Death Valley and Atlanta. The rivalry has produced a couple of sacred Clemson traditions as well. In 1973, Clemson fans took $2 bills, stamped with Tiger Paws, with them to Atlanta in order to show how much money they brought to the Atlanta economy and threatened to stop playing Tech if they did not reciprocate and play in Clemson every other year to return the favor. The scheme worked, and Tech finally acquiesced to play the Tigers in Death Valley in 1974. To celebrate the occasion, Clemson held a parade on the Friday before the game, and it has since become knows as the “First Friday Parade.” The tradition stuck, and ever since, the parade through downtown Clemson is held on the Friday before the first home game of the season. The $2 bill tradition, of course, has become a tradition for Clemson fans at all bowl games and road games as well. All the banks in and around Clemson make sure to carry stacks of $2 bills for fans to take with them on the road, and many of the banks will even stamp them with Tiger Paws!

Now that we’re caught up on our Clemson Football history, on to Saturday’s ACC opener…

MISCELLANEOUS

Clemson trails the all-time series with Georgia Tech 51-33-2, but Clemson holds a 22-17 edge since Tech joined the ACC in 1983…The Tigers won the first 4 meetings, including a 73-0 win in Atlanta under John Heisman in 1903. The next year, Heisman left Clemson to become Tech's head coach. The Tigers were 2-1-1 over the next 4 meetings, and then Heisman blew out Clemson 9 straight times, including several shutouts....Clemson (80-8) is one win behind Alabama (81-6) for the most since 2015. The Tigers (122) trail only Alabama (129) for the most wins since 2011. They have 9 more than Ohio State. Clemson leads the nation in Power Five wins (85) since 2013. Alabama has 82 and Ohio State has 78 over that span....Clemson has beaten at least 12 Power Five opponents in 4 of the last 6 seasons. In college football history, that feat has only been achieved 4 other times. Alabama, LSU, Georgia and FSU each accomplished it once….The Tigers have won 10 or more games for 10 straight seasons, the third-longest streak in history behind FSU (14) and Alabama (13), which is also an active streak…The Tigers’ streak of 6 straight outright conference titles is tied with Oklahoma’s active streak for the third-longest in history. Oklahoma won 12 in the 40’s and 50’s and BYU won the WAC 7 straight times in the 70’s and 80’s. However, Clemson is the only program to have won 6 straight conference championship games….Clemson has finished in the top-4 of the AP Poll in 6 consecutive seasons, tied with Bud Wilkinson’s Oklahoma teams for the fourth-longest streak in history. FSU did so 13 straight seasons under the late great Bobby Bowden, while USC and Miami have each done so 7 straight seasons….Dabo Swinney has the best active win percentage in the nation at .809. Nick Saban is second at .797….Dabo’s 141 wins are already the 8th-most of any coach in his first 15 seasons, but Dabo is only in his 13th full season. He can quite conceivably top Urban Meyer’s record of 165 wins in his first 15 seasons….Clemson has been ranked No.1 in the AP Poll in each of the last 6 seasons, which is the third-longest streak of all time behind Alabama (14) and Miami (7). Alabama’s streak is also active….Clemson had by far the longest active streak ranked in the top 5 of the AP Poll at 57 straight weeks before dropping to No.6 because of a pick-six in the opener against now No.2 Georgia. Alabama was second at 20, followed by Georgia and Oklahoma with just 3 each. If Clemson had remained in the AP top 5 until the end of the regular season, it would have surpassed Alabama’s all-time record of 68. Clemson’s current streak of 96 straight weeks in the AP top 10 is tied with Alabama and Nebraska for the longest streak in history behind Miami (137)…Since 2011, Clemson has finished with an equal or higher ranking than its preseason ranking every year except for 2019 and 2020, the only two years the Tigers have been ranked No.1 preseason. The Tigers were ranked No.2 and No.3 in the 2021 preseason polls….

GEORGIA TECH SYNOPSIS

Tech had high hopes for taking another step forward in the third season under Head Coach Geoff Collins, but the Jackets opened their season with an embarrassing home loss to Northern Illinois, which is a solid MAC program, but Collins will be expected to win these types of games, especially at home, now that he’s in his third season. Tech’s returning starter at quarterback, Jeff Simms, was knocked out in the second quarter after NIU jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Jordan Yates came in and rallied the Jackets to three unanswered touchdowns to lead the game 21-14, but NIU was able to score a TD with 38 seconds left. Rather than play for overtime, NIU converted a two-point conversion to take a 22-21 lead. Tech attempted a 60-yard field goal for the win but missed. It was obviously a heartbreaking loss at home, but Tech rebounded last week with a dominant 45-17 win over FCS Kennesaw State. QB Jordan Yates was even more impressive than he was coming off the bench in the opener. He was 12-18 for 135 yards, a pass TD and a rush TD with no interceptions in the opener. He followed that up by going 17-24 for 254 yards and 4 TD passes with no interceptions. The moxie and poise of this backup are impressive, especially for a freshman. Yates is not as dangerous a runner as Simms, but he’s athletic enough to pick up first downs with his legs and find open receivers on the run. He does a great job of keeping his head up and throwing outside the pocket. Sims’s injury is to his non-throwing arm, so he could play on Saturday, but I expect Yates to get the start after what he has shown in a game and a half. Geoff Collins is wisely keeping this one close to the vest, and he might throw Sims into the game intermittently as a wrinkle to keep the Tigers guessing. His presence would make the Tigers have to respect the quarterback run more so than when Yates is behind center.

At running back, Tech has a two-headed monster in Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Mason and Dontae Smith. Gibbs (#1) is a talented redshirt freshman at 5’11 and 200 pounds. He has a great combination of speed and power, and they like to use him in many ways, both in the pass and run game. He is their biggest home run hitter out of the backfield, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and he’s a weapon on special teams. Mason (#27), a junior, is a more of a power back at 6’1 and 218 pounds. He is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season. Surprisingly, neither back has scored a rushing touchdown yet this season, but Mason has a TD catch, and Gibbs has 5 catches for 61 yards. Smith (#4), a sophomore, has only 9 rushes this season but has scored twice and averages 10.8 yards per carry at 5’11 and 202 pounds. Tech may not have the best offensive line in the ACC, but this trio of backs might be as good as the Tigers will see in the regular season.

At receiver, junior Malachi Carter (#7) has great size at 6’3, 195 pounds. He has 8 catches for 132 yards this season. That’s an impressive 16.5 yards per catch, so watch out for him on third and long situations. Senior slot receiver Kyric McGowan (#2) is 5’11, 198 pounds. He has 9 catches for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns. The rest of their receivers have no more than 3 catches each, but sophomore Peje Harris (#18) is a big body at 6’3, 211 pounds, and sophomore Kalani Norris (#17) has 2 catches for 36 yards and a TD at 6’0, 162 pounds. He might be the skinniest and lightest receiver in the ACC! Unlike many of the teams the Tigers will see in the ACC, Tech does not have a formidable tight end as far as the passing game is concerned.

Tech’s defense is led by Defensive Coordinator Andrew Thacker, now in his third season, coming along with Geoff Collins from Temple. He was born in Trevor Lawrence’s hometown of Cartersville, GA, and he was a defensive back for Furman. As a senior, he played in Death Valley against CJ Spiller and the Tigers. Up front, look out for DE Jordan Domineck (#42). The 6’3, 235-pound sophomore had a monster game last week with a sack, 3 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles and a scoop-and-score. LB Charlie Thomas (#25) and DT Jordan Ivey (#15) have the Jackets’ two interceptions this season, and big DT TK Chimedza (#5) has their only other sack. In the secondary, look out for junior Tre Swilling (#3), son of Tech All-American Pat Swilling. You may recall Tre picked off Trevor Lawrence in the 2019 opener and nearly ran it back for a pick-six, but Trevor ran him down on the sideline and saved a touchdown.

CLEMSON STATUS

The Tigers are in a nice place right now after another great week of practice. The only bad news is that freshman OL Dietrick Pennington tore his ACL and will be out for the season. It’s a shame because Dabo thought he had a great chance to be a regular contributor on the offensive line as the season went on and he gained experience. He is the third young offensive lineman the Tigers have lost for the season, as John Williams and Tayquon Johnson have already been out. Also, backup MLB Jake Venables tweaked his hamstring in the game last week, and Dabo told me on Wednesday night that he will be a game-time decision. Being that I don’t expect this game to be too close, I expect them to hold Jake to make sure he’s healed. That should give some extra playing time to Patterson, Bentley and/or the freshman Trotter on Saturday. The good news is that super senior Nolan Turner will make his season debut on Saturday. The Tigers’ secondary has been amazing even without Turner and their other returning starting safety, Lannden Zanders, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, but Turner’s experience and presence on the field makes this defense that much better. Remember, last season Dabo said that Turner is the best safety he has coached! Tyler Davis, who missed the Georgia game, will also make his second start. WR EJ Williams put off his thumb surgery to play in the game last week, and he is expected to play on Saturday as well. Be sure to check HERE about 2 hours before kickoff for a final player availability report!

I will be interested to see if DJ can take another step forward with his command of the offense and how they use him in the run game. Hopefully, after two games with the same starting offensive line that features Bockhorst at center and freshman Marcus Tate at guard, those guys will start to show some cohesion and assert their will in the run game. I would also like to see Frank Ladson and Ajou Ajou record some big plays. They both had a great camp, but we’ve yet to really see it manifest in a game this season. Ajou scored his first career TD at Tech in Atlanta last season. We might also see some more of freshman slot receiver Troy Stellato, who made his first catch last week for 12 yards. I’ll also be watching TE Braden Galloway, who did not have a catch last week. He had 3 for 13 yards against Georgia, but it was Davis Allen who made a couple big catches last week. As for the run game, I want to see Shipley and Pace continue on the pace they set for themselves last week. And it will be interesting to see if Dixon can “get out of Spiller’s dog house,” as Dabo said after the game last week. Dabo said that Dixon needs to grow up a little, so we’ll see how he responds on Saturday. You may recall that I told you in the middle of August that I thought Pace and Shipley had passed by Dixon, and we have seen that play out already in the first two games. The offense also needs to protect the ball much better than they did last week. They lost a fumble and had two interceptions (one by DJ and one by Taisun), and they fumbled the ball a couple more times but recovered. DJ also got away with one that probably should have been caught for a second interception. It was nice to see Taisun’s remarkably early comeback to lead the offense to a touchdown in his first drive, but then he came back and threw the INT.

Defensively, they just need to keep doing what they’re doing. Hopefully, they’ll rack up a few sacks on Saturday because they only have one in each game so far after tying for the national lead in sacks last season with Pitt. That’s mainly attributable to the fact that JT Daniels got the ball away quickly, and so did SC State’s quarterback. Both of Tech’s quarterbacks can scramble, but I expect the Tigers to have some better opportunities to rush the passer on Saturday.

Finally, special teams have been outstanding for the Tigers. I can’t wait to see if Will Taylor can score the Tigers’ first punt-return touchdown since Ray Ray McCloud a few years ago. He came very close last week! He told us this week that he had never returned punts before, being a quarterback in high school, but he is a natural with his quickness and athleticism. And he’s a natural at fielding them too, with his baseball experience as an outfielder. We saw how naturally gifted he is already, and with CJ Spiller’s coaching, he could turn into one heck of a return man. Taylor, of course, will transition to wide receiver eventually, just like the transition Hunter Renfrow made from quarterback to receiver. It’s easy to see the similarities in those two! Taylor should have plenty of opportunities to return punts on Saturday, as I expect the defense to force several punts.

PREDICTION

The last two meetings have been blowout wins for the Tigers, and, although Tech is much improved, Saturday night will be no different. The Tigers’ defense is too good, and they have too much fire power on offense. If the freshman Yates starts at QB, as I expect him to, look for Venables to cook up some exotic blitzes to rattle him. Yates looks to have poise beyond his years and experience, but anyone is susceptible to being rattled by Death Valley and Brent Venables in his first start on the road. The defense will give up its first touchdown of the season, but it will still be dominant. Dabo is the only Clemson coach in history to win more than 3 in a row against Tech. Make it 7 in a row!

The Prowl toward a 7th consecutive ACC Title, 7th consecutive College Football Playoff and 4th national title continues….

CLEMSON    55        Georgia Tech    10