#10 Clemson (7-1, 4-1 ACC) @ Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC), Thursday, October 26th, 7:45 PM, ESPNHD, XM Satellite Radio ch 191-193.
The Line: Clemson -4.5
Edge goes to:
Offense: Clemson
Defense: Push
Special Teams: Virginia Tech
Intangibles: Virginia Tech. Tech rebounded from losses to BC and Georgia Tech by beating a solid Southern Miss team last weekend. Nonetheless, Virginia Tech isn’t used to not being in the driver’s seat in the conference race and this young team has something to prove against Clemson. Everyone is calling this a “circle the wagons” type of game and I’m one of those everybodies. VT has nothing to lose. Clemson has everything to lose.
A Feast Of Tasty Stats:
When Clemson Has The Ball:
Total offense CU #1 456.2 ypg
Total defense VT #2 242.4
Passing Offense CU #5 195.5 ypg
Passing Defense VT #1 144.1 ypg
Rushing Offense CU #1 260.8 ypg
Rushing Defense VT #5 98.6 ypg
Scoring Offense CU #1 42.2 ppg
Scoring Defense VT #2t 12.7 ppg
When VT Has The Ball:
Total Offense VT #6 332.7 ypg
Total Defense CU #1 230.4 ypg
Rushing Offense VT #7 119.1 ypg
Rushing defense CU #2 73.0 ypg
Passing Offense VT #4 211.9 ypg
Passing Defense CU #2 158.4 ypg
Scoring Offense VT #2 29.1 ppg
Scoring Defense CU #1 12.5 ppg
Turnovers:
CU #4 +.38 per game
VT #7 +.14 per game
Penalties:
CU #3 43.9 ypg
VT #10 57.9 ypg
Net Punting:
CU #5 37.1 net yds
VT #11 32.6 net yards
Kickoff Returns:
CU #1
VT #9
Kickoff Coverage:
VT #2 44.4
CU #12 35.2
Our panel of DFIG "experts" say:
Willy Mac:
One of main keys of this game comes down to the position match ups and who we've both beaten this year. I know that's a grade school way of looking at things, but it works sometimes. To start, GT embarrassed them and we embarrassed GT. They've got an extremely inexperienced offensive line and we've got an extremely talented, strong, and fast defensive line. They've had an extremely shaky offense and we've had an extremely good defense given all the losses. Ol' Beamer and that neckbubble that is a storage space for rainy day plays and calculations are reportedly going to play both their starter QB Sean Glennon and backup Ike Whitaker. Glennon is more of a pocket passer who has terrible numbers (8 TDs and 6 INTs, with crucial fumbles scattered in between). Whitaker is more of a scrambler which is good in case the line breaks down, but we've already seen that in Reggie Ball. Let's put it this way, we've seen better offenses than this already. I think that once we get the running game going with Spiller/Davis, its gonna be a horse race. Our horses are much faster.
Shout out to Mike Vick
Clemson 41, Virginia Tech 20
Stay classy Virginia TechChili:
I’ve had a bad feeling about this game all year. Even though the Hokies are down this year, Lane is still a tough place to play, especially on Thursdays. Willy Mac is using Gamecock fan math by saying we’ll win because we crushed GT who crushed VT, but we all know that is bullshit, and while it may work sometimes, I don’t think it works this time. I think our running game will incur some more resistance than it has recently, but I don’t know if there’s a team in the country that can shut it down, and certainly VT can’t. Clemson will rely on Proctor more than in weeks past, and if you watched the way his long passes wobbled and almost fell into the hands of defenders last week, you’ll probably agree with me that that might be a frightening prospect. The return of Chansi Stuckey should aid Proctor, and chances are that our offensive line will give him excellent protection. Clemson’s defense will have their hands full with Glennon and Ore and a VT team that has, at times, put up big numbers in the air and on the ground. I think this game will be a battle, with the deciding factor being Clemson’s ability to add a passing attack that’s been absent for about a month.
Proctor sucks: VT 21, Clemson 17
Proctor doesn’t suck: Clemson 30, VT 20
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