I have to admit it has been hard to focus on Clemson football this week given the news that broke last Saturday in State College, PA. At this point, I am suffering from saturation from the rhetoric but I will say, I have a lot of mixed emotions about the situation. My heart goes out to the victims and my thoughts are with Penn State alums, most of whom have an unabashed loved and commitment to their alma mater and must be struggling to grapple with a terrible situation.
While we would not know it from what we are seeing on ESPN and what is being talked about on WCCP there is a huge football that will take place in a few hours at Death Valley. I am sitting here listening to the Tiger Pregame Show and I feel like I can actually write with a clear mind knowing that the focus is on Clemson and not other events that have been at the forefront this week.
Today’s game will not be a cakewalk. Wake has some good pieces who if they can get going can give Clemson fits. Remember this is a team that beat FSU, took Virginia Tech to the wire, played very well last week against Notre Dame and most importantly control their own destiny to get to Charlotte. If there is any complacency amongst Tiger fans, if Clemson loses to Wake this weekend, the Demon Deacons have Maryland next week to close out their ACC slate and with a win against the Terps would head to Charlotte.
As sobering of thought that may be I expect this Clemson team to really come out and perform well this week. Coming off the bye week this team had been grinding for 14-15 weeks going back to the start of fall camp and nine hard fought football games. There is no doubt that they needed some time away, many guys needed a chance to get healthy, and recharge their mental batteries. I feel like they were able to accomplish that and have been able to flush the Georgia Tech loss and really focus on the task at hand.
Wake Forest is led offensively by Sophomore quarterback Tanner Price and receiver Chris Givens. It should be noted that Chris Givens is the leading receiver in the ACC ahead of Clemson freshmen Sammy Watkins. Again, if you are sleeping on the Demon Deacons, they have a kid who has had a better statistical season up to this point than a guy who most believe will be National Freshman of the Year. Tanner Price is very efficient with the football, does not turn the ball over and does a good job of getting the ball to people like Givens and letting them make plays. Also expect Wake to take their shots deep as most other teams have against the Clemson man defense.
You cannot forget about running backs Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass both are capable of taking a game over on the ground. I would also would not be surprised to see some read option from the Deacons to see if they can take advantage of the Clemson defense and their inability to slow down quarterbacks in the run game. Wake may have the biggest offensive line Clemson has faced all year. That is something to keep an eye on during the game.
Clemson is going to have to tackle well in space today. They are going to have to play well with their eyes and remain on their keys. Price gets the ball out quickly so the Tigers will have to be creative in disguising coverage and how they affect the quarterback. These guys have stepped up when the team has needed it. As much criticism as the defense got coming off the Georgia Tech loss, the reality is they gave the offense enough opportunities to go out and win the game in Atlanta. I believe they will do the same today.
Defensively Wake will bring in one of the smallest defensive lines you will see in Football Bowl Subdivision but do not let that fool you into thinking that Clemson will be able to just steam roll these guys. They play with great effort and pad level. They will slant, twist and utilize their quickness and agility to create havoc for the Clemson offensive line.
The Deacons have athletic linebackers who do a nice job against the run and are solid in coverage. The guy you need to look for is safety Josh Bush who is very comfortable in pass coverage and leads Wake in interceptions. Corner Merrill Noel leads the ACC in Passes Defended. Wake Forest has some guys who are not afraid to mix it up in the box. I am excited to see how they choose to approach the potent Clemson receiver corps. I would expect them to give Tajh Boyd a lot of different looks in an attempt to confuse him and force some poor decisions.
There is a chance Clemson could get kickoff specialist Spencer Benton back today after he broke a collarbone against Virginia Tech. That has been a glaring issue in regards to field position in his absence. It has been reported that Coach Swinney would like to sit him for one more week but it would not surprise me if we see him today. I would also like to see the Catman hit some field goals when we have to have them. Dawson Zimmerman continues to have a good season punting the ball and that needs to continue today.
The game today boils down to how Clemson responds coming off the bye week. There is a trip to Charlotte at stake, this will be the last time our seniors play in the Death Valley and I can’t tell you how important it is for them to go out with a win. We have a chance to go undefeated at home in over 20 years. There is a lot to be excited about going into the game today. Despite the noon kick, I hope there is a great crowd and look forward to being in the Valley and hopefully celebrating an Atlantic Division Championship later this afternoon.
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