Clemson vs. Virginia Tech prediction: Tigers look to regain momentum in Lane Stadium |
David Hood
-
- Friday, November 08 2024
Which Clemson team will show up Saturday in Blacksburg? The one that obliterated opponents during a six-game winning streak or the one that let Louisville run with abandon last week in Death Valley?
Clemson is away from home the next two weeks – at Virginia Tech this weekend and at Pitt next weekend – and while ACC title hopes and College Football Playoff hopes are flickering, they are still alive. To keep life support plugged in, a win over the Hokies is a must. NO. 19/17/23 CLEMSON (6-2, 5-1 ACC) at VIRGINIA TECH (5-4, 3-2 ACC) WHEN: SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 3:30 P.M. ET CLEMSON/VIRGINIA TECH SERIES HISTORY - OVERALL: Clemson leads series, 23-12-1 NOTABLE *The contest will be only Clemson's third true road game of the season, as Clemson's first eight games included five home games, two road games and one neutral-site contest. Clemson is 8-2 all-time at Lane Stadium, and its .800 winning percentage there is tied for the highest of any opponent that has played at least five games in the venue since it opened in 1965. *Clemson attempting to win a seventh consecutive game against Virginia Tech, dating to the 2011 season when the Tigers defeated the Hokies twice. It would be Clemson’s longest streak in the series since winning nine consecutive games against the Hokies from 1955-85. *Clemson is making its first trip to Virginia Tech since the pandemic-impacted 2020 season and its first to a fully charged Lane Stadium atmosphere since 2017. *Tight end Jake Briningstool continues to add numbers to his stellar career. - Briningstool (110) needs three receptions to break the Clemson career record for receptions by a tight end (Jordan Leggett, 112). Briningstool (1,199) needs 57 yards to pass John McMakin (1,255 from 1969-71) for second on Clemson's all-time career receiving yardage leaderboard for tight ends. He continues to chase Jordan Leggett (18 from 2013-16) for the school record for career receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Briningstool presently stands alone in second place. WHEN CLEMSON HAS THE BALL Remember Ricky Bobby? Go fast. Go fast. Clemson’s offense operated at a high tempo in the first quarter last week, then it bogged down as kicks were blocked, a fourth down failed to convert, and drives weren’t finished with points. The Tigers ran 101 plays – which would indicate an offense that ran fast, but fans booed through much of the third and fourth quarters because it took so long to get plays in from the sidelines. Clemson needs to start fast, stay fast, and finish fast. And covert third downs. The Hokies are No. 84 in third down defense this season (54 of 134, 40.30%) and allow third downs in bunches — Tech's 134 third down attempts on defense are T-13 most in FBS. Clemson sits 24th in third down conversions this season (51 of 111, 45.95%). The Hokies are 83rd nationally in rush defense, giving up 157.5 yards per game and over four yards per carry. Yes, Clemson should have success running the ball. But for this offense to run efficiently, the passing game has to work. WHEN VIRGINIA TECH HAS THE BALL We’ve all seen the numbers. Clemson’s run defense has struggled at times this season, and guess what Virginia Tech does best? The Hokies are very similar to Clemson in the run game – Clemson is first in the ACC at 202.63 yards per game, and Tech is third at 201.44. Clemson averages 5.71 yards per carry, the Hokies average 5.21. The quarterback – if it’s Kyron Drones – is very involved and is second on the team in rushing with 323 yards (Klubnik is second on the Tigers with 270). But Clemson’s passing offense ranks fifth in the conference at 282.2 yards per game, while Virginia Tech is 16th at just 184.2 yards per game. However, the status of Drones and starting tailback Bhayshul Tuten is up in the air. Both were listed as questionable earlier this week, but both have also practiced this week and should be able to go. For a Clemson run defense that has struggled at times, making the Hokies one-dimensional and keeping them one-dimensional is paramount. Can the Tigers do that with no Shelton Lewis, no DeMonte Capehart and a questionable Peter Woods? WHAT WILL HAPPEN Earlier in the week, my initial thoughts leaned to Clemson. Then flipped to Virginia Tech. Then back to Clemson. Injuries are impacting both teams, and I don’t know what makes more sense – a running game shootout or a running game low-scoring affair. Some of what Tech does on offense is what Clemson doesn’t do well on defense. What Clemson does well on offense, the Hokies have a hard time stopping. We have no idea what to expect from Clemson’s special teams after two more field goals were blocked last week. The Vegas line has moved down to around 5.5, and that sounds about right. The difference? Clemson is healthy on offense and should have success through the air. In a tight one, it's… FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 30, VIRGINIA TECH 23 TigerNet picks * Points: 3 pts for best correct prediction of the week (tiebreaker is Clemson score), 2 pts for picking score exactly, 1 pt for picking the correct winner
WHERE: LANE STADIUM (65,632), BLACKSBURG, VA.
TELEVISION: ESPN (Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich)
RADIO: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather)
RADIO: Gridiron Radio Network (Noah Britt, Jon Reynolds, Sonny Sonnhalter)
SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM 161 or 194
- HOME: Clemson leads series, 9-6-1
- ROAD: Clemson leads series, 10-4
- NEUTRAL: Clemson leads series, 4-2
- LAST MEETING: Dec. 5, 2020 (45-10, W)
- STREAK: Clemson, Won 6
David Hood - TigerNet senior writer - 30-23 Clemson
Mickey Plyler - The Roar 105.5 morning show host - 30-20 Clemson
Nikki Hood - Staff writer - 28-17 Clemson
Brandon Rink - Associate editor - 26-22 Clemson
Tony Crumpton - Associate editor - 24-17 Clemson
Ryan Kantor - Contributing Writer - 41-28 Clemson
Ariana Pensy - Intern - 28-24 Clemson
Merrell Mann - Photographer - 30-24 Clemson
Brooks Thomason - Intern - 31-20 Clemson
Grayson Mann - Staff writer - 23-21 Clemson
Game
Actual
David Hood
Plyler
Nikki Hood
Rink
Crumpton
Kantor
Pensy
M. Mann
Thomason
G. Mann
Georgia
34-3 UGA
27-24 CU
23-21 CU
24-17 CU
29-20 UGA
27-20 UGA
28-21 UGA
24-17 UGA
17-14 CU
27-21 UGA
27-23 UGA
App State
66-20 CU
34-14 CU
30-16 CU CU
38-17 CU
34-17 CU
31-17 CU
35-10 CU
30-10 CU
31-10 CU
31-13 CU
28-10 CU
NC State
59-35 CU
34-13 CU
38-16 CU
42-20 CU
30-13 CU
28-10 CU
35-14 CU
34-17 CU
38-17 CU
31-10 CU
31-10 CU
Stanford
40-14 CU
44-20 CU
48-17 CU
38-10 CU
44-16 CU
42-14 CU
41-17 CU
45-17 CU
48-21 CU
40-20 CU
41-17 CU
FSU
29-13 CU
41-13 CU
42-10 CU
42-17 CU
38-16 CU
35-14 CU
40-14 CU
55-7 CU
44-20 CU
31-16 CU
45-14 CU
Wake Forest
49-14 CU
47-20 CU
44-20 CU
52-14 CU
45-20 CU
48-13 CU
48-14 CU
35-14 CU
42-13 CU
38-17 CU
45-10 CU
Virginia
48-31 CU
38-16 CU
42-17 CU
38-17 CU
44-20 CU
45-14 CU
47-14 CU
45-17 CU
45-13 CU
42-20 CU
41-17 CU
Louisville
33-21 UL
44-28 CU
40-25 CU
45-24 CU
40-21 CU
34-21 CU
49-31 CU
37-27 CU
42-27 CU
41-28 CU
38-21 CU
Points
-
6
6
12
13
10
10
7
6
10
7
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