by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
Clemson ranks first in the ACC in offense with 1564 of passing and
2075 yards of rushing. Clemson ranks first in the ACC in defense
allowing only 576 yards of rushing and 1267 yards of passing. The
Tigers' only loss comes at a one point loss to Boston College.
Besides that single loss, they've assembled a record that includes
seven wins, all but one of which involves a clear victory of more than
a touchdown.
It's true that one of the downfalls of the ACC lies in the Carolinas
failure to produce a consistently winning football team, but this
year, Clemson is the real deal. (Whether this continues through
seasons to come, we have yet to observe.)
This week, the Virgina Tech Hokies take on the Clemson Tigers, a team
fast making a name for themselves as the season's best in the ACC.
While each pair of teams can match up against each other differently,
we can still make the observation that Clemson's record against common
opponents fairs better than the Hokies' in their stomping of Georgia
Tech and their single point loss to Boston College where the Hokies
lost miserable to the Yellow Jackets and even more so to the Eagles.
Breaking down the Clemson offense, quarterback Will Procotor has a 61%
completion rate. 5'11', 210 lbs, sophomore running back James Davis
has 961 yards of rushing and 16 touchdowns. James Davis leads the ACC
in rushing, and although he sustained a shoulder injury during their
game against Georgia Tech, Clemson lists him as probably for the game
on Thursday night. His backup, CJ Spiller, also has some impressive
numbers in 573 yards and 7 touchdowns. Moving on to the passing game,
receiver Chansi Stuckey has 331 yards of reception and 3 touchdowns.
Aaron Kelly has caught for 257 yards and has 2 touchdowns. From
watching this team play, I've observed them work as a cohesive
offensive unit.
Their defense doesn't make for anything at which to scoff either.
This defense held Calvin Johnson to an unprecedented zero catches.
While you can't consider the way each pair of teams match up against
each other, you also can't help but compare what the Hokie defense did
against Georgia Tech.
Before I close my piece, I want to shed some light on a couple of
things that could give the Hokies the momentum they need to prevail
over the Tigers. (Yes, be believers; it is possible!) First, the
game happens Thursday night in Blacksburg. The Thursday night
Blacksburg crowd has the potency to cripple even the best of the
nation's teams. Also, in their losses to Georgia Tech and Boston
College, the Hokies hit a low point in terms of morale, self esteem,
and expectations, especially considering the suspensions of Chris
Ellis and Josh Morgan. They regrouped against Southern Miss and came
together as a team when they had nowhere to go but in an upwards
direction. The momentum gained from that win and feeling of a good
possibility of spoiling Clemson's season could give the Hokies enough
motivation to win this game on heart alone. Get ready Hokie fans.
It's Thursday night football!
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