The wheels came off the wagon against Pitt. That’s one of those ugly losses that has become common in recent years – like the Pitt game in 2018 and the Duke game in 2019. This coaching staff has been able to rally the troops after those two losses. But it will be much harder this time with Clemson next on the schedule.
Clemson is one of the dominant college football programs of the 21st century. This year is no exception. If anything they may be better than they have been with all-everything quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Not to mention do-it-all super senior Travis Etienne. It’s hard to imagine a more balanced and potent offensive attack than what Clemson brings to the table. If you need to look for a weakness, they don’t have the strongest running game by the numbers. But why run the ball when you have Trevor Lawrence throwing the football?
The Clemson defense is as good as it’s ever been. They allow 19.2 points per game. This is a defense that can lock you down and make you one-dimensional. In the case of the Hokies, that means stuff the run and make Virginia Tech beat them through the air. And given how talented Clemson’s secondary is, that will be a tough task. The Hokies will need to try to be balanced but that will be difficult against a talented and deep Clemson defense.
It’s no surprise Clemson is the class of the ACC. This is a talented, deep and experienced team. Most ACC teams have weaknesses that teams can exploit. Clemson really doesn’t have any. At least not enough that can turn the game in the Hokies favor. The Hokies may be able to cash in on a couple of big plays and put some points on the board. But it’s difficult to see them be able to do that for 60 minutes. You can expect Clemson to put a lot of points on the board. This is a game where you can be happy if the Hokies keep it competitive. Clemson has been steamrolling everyone they’ve played this year with Trevor Lawrence under center. And with the College Football Playoff around the corner, you know they’ll be looking for style points.
Prediction: Clemson 52, Virginia Tech 17
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