Death Valley almost lived up to its infamous moniker this past Saturday as the Clemson Tigers nearly gave the home crowd a real heart attack after escaping with a tight win over Notre Dame. On the flipside, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are now hanging on for dear life after another brutal loss, this time at the hands of North Carolina.
Can the Yellow Jackets get their season right back on track, or will the Tigers extend their undefeated record for the season to five games and possibly put another nail into Georgia Tech’s season’s coffin? Continue reading to get up-close into this upcoming showdown between two of the most competitive programs in the ACC.
For more hard-hitting Week 6 action, check out our in-depth previews for Oklahoma vs. Texas and Arkansas vs. Alabama.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Clemson Tigers
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson
When: Saturday, October 10
Line: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Clemson Tigers – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: TBD
Betting on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Can things get any worse for head coach Paul Johnson and his Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets? Saturday’s humiliating 38-31 loss to the North Carolina Tarheels proved to be yet another dismal collapse for Georgia Tech, who has no lost its past three games after winning the first two contests of the season in dominant fashion (a pair of 60-plus-point performances).
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Yellow Jackets saw its 21-0 lead in the first half – where they had possession of the ball for about three-fourths of the time – evaporate in the latter half of the game, which was capped-off by a trick play that saw UNC quarterback Marquise Williams catch a 37-yard touchdown to seal the victory.
Many have to wonder now as for where quarterback Justin Thomas’ head is at. Although Thomas proved to be the focal point of the offense as usual with his three touchdowns on Saturday (one in the air, two on the ground), his composure was also shook up by the Tarheels’ defense. Thomas completed just 12 of his 21 passes, threw a pick and lost a fumble in the loss to finish with just 168 passing yards.
With their team’s quarterback in quite a funk, the Yellow Jackets must continue to attack on the ground (255 total rushing yards on Saturday) to keep Thomas from taking matters into his own hands on virtually every play, and limit those costly turnovers, as Thomas was also accountable for the lone lost fumble out of the four that were coughed up by the team during the game.
Georgia Tech’s trip to Memorial Stadium is daunting indeed, but with Clemson hardly impressive in spite of their spotless record, it’s time for the D to step up and end its team’s recent struggles. Prior to the game versus North Carolina, the Yellow Jackets are giving up just less than 160 yards per game both against the pass and the run as the nation’s 28th-best overall defense.
Georgia Tech is 2-3 SU/ATD in its last five games played in Death Valley, with the last three contests all double-digit losses.
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Betting on the Clemson Tigers
Whew, that was a close one.
A late goal-line stand that prevented a Notre Dame two-point conversion to send the game into overtime vaulted the No. 12 Clemson Tigers towards their fourth-straight win for the season. However, that 24-22 victory didn’t come without its issues for the Tigers, who almost saw their 18-point lead over the Fighting Irish disappear in an instant.
But unlike Georgia Tech, Clemson’s Week 6 opponents that just recently lost after a giving up a huge lead, quarterback Deshaun Watson had enough support from his teammates to come away with a victory. Watson was far from stellar in the air on Saturday (11-of-22 for just 97 passing yards), but finding the end zone was no problem for him at all.
Two of Watson’s touchdowns for the day still went through the air while he mainly took care of business on the ground, rushing for 93 yards and another score on 16 carries. Sophomore running back Wayne Gallman came up big in that game as well to take some pressure off of Waston, finishing with 98 yards on 22 carries.
But the biggest factor for Clemson’s heart-stopping win was its solid defensive unit coming through in the end. The Tigers’ D forced Notre Dame to give up four crucial turnovers, and let’s not forget that late game-ending stand to halt the Irish’s rally. However, giving up 437 yards has got to be alarming for the ninth-best overall defense in the country.
Expect linebacker B.J. Goodson to get his squad amped up to further stifle Georgia Tech’s dwindling offense. Goodson came up with two of the team’s takeaways (a pick and a recovered fumble) in the victory on Saturday.
Clemson has won its last 12 games in Death Valley, going 8-4 against the spread in that same span.
Writer’s Prediction
The Tigers maul the Yellow Jackets, 35-24.
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