By Adrian Beecher | SkyBoat.org
CLEMSON, S.C. — Two road wins put Clemson back in the Atlantic Coast Conference race. The Tigers return to Death Valley on Saturday with two league games left and little room to give either one away.
Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) hosts Georgia Tech (2-7, 1-5) at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on The CW. The Tigers can move to 5-2 in conference play before closing their ACC schedule Friday at Duke. Even a sweep would leave Clemson needing help elsewhere to reach the conference championship game. Miami entered the weekend unbeaten in league play, and Wake Forest had one ACC loss.
The Tigers beat Florida State 36-24 and Syracuse 18-13 on consecutive Saturdays, forcing six turnovers across the two games. At Syracuse, defensive end Jahiem Lawson returned a fumble 22 yards for Clemson’s only touchdown, cornerback Ashton Hampton intercepted a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter and Nolan Hauser made four field goals. Quarterback Tait Reynolds helped run out the clock with two first-down runs on the final possession.
That formula kept Clemson winning on the road. Saturday offers the Tigers a chance to get more from an offense averaging 22.7 points per game. Georgia Tech has allowed an ACC-worst 222.8 rushing yards per game, giving Clemson an opening on the ground. Sustaining drives and finishing them with touchdowns would take some pressure off Hauser, who leads the nation with 27 made field goals.
Georgia Tech arrives on a four-game losing streak and is winless in three road games. The Yellow Jackets lost 44-17 to Louisville last week, and coach Brent Key dismissed four assistants Monday, including defensive coordinator Jason Semore. Defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri took over defensive play-calling duties.
The Yellow Jackets still have a pair of players who can make Clemson work for its stops. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza has thrown for 1,943 yards and 11 touchdowns, and running back Justice Haynes leads Georgia Tech with 635 rushing yards after gaining 87 against Louisville. Clemson has recorded at least three sacks in four straight games and is allowing an FBS-low 3.46 yards per play on third down. Keeping Haynes in check on early downs would give the Tigers more chances to use that pass rush against Mendoza.
There is recent history behind the matchup, too. Georgia Tech ended a nine-game losing streak against Clemson with a 24-21 win in Atlanta last season. The Yellow Jackets have lost eight straight games at Memorial Stadium, where they last won in 2008. That was Dabo Swinney’s first game as Clemson’s interim head coach. Saturday will be his 250th game in charge of the Tigers, against the same opponent in the same stadium.
A win would give Clemson three straight victories heading into its league finale at Duke, which entered the weekend with the same 4-2 ACC record. With South Carolina coming to Memorial Stadium to close the regular season, Saturday is Clemson’s last chance to pick up a conference win at home.
