Behind Enemy Lines: UVa vs Clemson (Clemson perspective...

Oct 2, 2020, 8:44 AM

https://247sports.com/college/virginia/Article/UVA-Football-Clemson-Behind-Enemy-Line-Dabo-Swinney-Trevor-Lawrence-Charles-Snowden-Noah-Taylor-152277679/

Behind Enemy Lines: UVA vs. Clemson

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The Virginia Cavaliers head to Death Valley to face the No. 1 Clemson Tigers on Saturday night. Ahead of the primetime affair (8:00 p.m., ACC Network), we put Clemson insider, Anna Hickey of Clemson247 on the hot seat for insight on the Tigers.

How well do Jackson Carman and Jordan McFadden, who are two of the best offensive tackles in the ACC, match up with UVA outside linebackers Charles Snowden and Noah Taylor?

ANNA HICKEY: This will be a fun matchup to watch in my estimation. Carman and McFadden have been really good to date. But Saturday will be a big test in pass pro, especially first-year starter McFadden.

Dabo Swinney this week when asked about Taylor and Snowden:

"They're an Okie front so they seem to always have an edge guy. They like to box everything. They get their hands on things, they got us a couple of times last year. But they're long and improved. You can see they look a little thicker. They move No. 7 all over the place. No. 11 is a 6-foot-7 guy that gets his hands on balls and does a really good job of creating pressure. They do a nice job with their blitz packages in how they attack your protections and backs. They got us a couple of times last year, did a good job with their twist game. But the length is a problem on the edge with the way they box everything.”

And here’s offensive coordinator Tony Elliott this week when asked what's different this year about Virginia's defense compared to last season:

"Looks like Noah Taylor has really taken advantage of this offseason. He was a versatile guy last year. But this past game, he was all over the place. I saw him middle-of-the-field playing safety, in the box playing linebacker, and defensive end... They got a lot of length. Very versatile and multiple. They do a lot of things that can really challenge you by their ability to change structure with the flexibility of Taylor and Snowden on the outside and those guys being linebackers slash DBs at times, or going down to play defensive end. They like to blitz you a lot."

So Clemson is aware of the challenge.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables seemed impressed by UVA's performance both from a perspective of running the ball, but also in pass protection. The Tigers have already racked up 10 sacks in two games. Who are the playmakers in the Clemson front seven?

ANNA HICKEY: Clemson’s defensive line is better than it was last year because it’s deeper, more experienced, and features a couple of true freshmen phenoms getting starting reps. Clemson will be without starting defensive end Justin Foster on Saturday. Third-year player Justin Mascoll has started in his place the last two games. Mascoll is good but not a game-changer. K.J. Henry and freshman Myles Murphy rep the other side. Murphy is a freshman who has more than double the tackles for loss (5) than anyone else on the roster. Along the interior, keep an eye on if stud tackle Tyler Davis (No. 12) plays. He did not play vs. The Citadel two weeks ago after injuring his MCL. Five-star freshman Bryan Bresee has played well to date and he started vs. The Citadel.

Swinney coined Virginia’s offensive line vs. Clemson’s defensive “a key matchup” and harped on Virginia’s cohesiveness and experience up front.

"That's a key matchup. We are going to find out on Saturday night. I think we're much improved in the defensive line and hopefully, that'll show. We only had one sack on them last year and didn't have many PBUs either. They were 10-of-18 on third down. I thought they dominated us on short-yardage. We're going to have to play better up front."

Tight end Braden Galloway is a player that UVA defensive coordinator Nick Howell said really impressed him on film. He's second on the team on the team in receptions. What does he bring to the table and who are the other pass-catchers to watch in the passing game?

ANNA HICKEY: Galloway was out last year serving an NCAA-mandated suspension. What hurt Clemson offensively last year was his absence. Clemson sorely missed a middle-of-the-field passing-catching threat— Hunter Renfrow had graduated, Amari Rodgers was recovering from ACL surgery, and the options at tight end were bleak in that regard. So Galloway certainly provides a much-needed boost. Clemson will start Rodgers in the slot and sophomore Joseph Ngata in the boundary. Cornell Powell (veteran) and Frank Ladson (sophomore) will play to the field-side. With Tee Higgins in the NFL and Justyn Ross out for the year with a spinal injury, wide receiver was a question mark I had entering the season for Clemson. And I continue to ponder the ceiling for this group, especially for the postseason. Not to say I doubt them. I just need to see more before I have the utmost confidence in them. But it doesn’t hurt that Trevor Lawrence is their quarterback.

Ngata missed most of The Citadel game two weeks with an ab injury, so that’s something to monitor.

Clemson's run defense through two games is giving up 1.5 yards per rush attempt. The stat, however, that stands out more is yards per reception the defense is giving up. In wins over Wake Forest and The Citadel, Clemson is giving up 16.8 yards per catch. The secondary has also not notched an interception. That said, opposing quarterbacks are connecting on just 44.9% of their passes. Is the secondary a concern in the early going for Clemson?

ANNA HICKEY: The Citadel is a triple-option team and was 3-of-11 through the air vs. Clemson. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman was 11-of-21 vs. Clemson for 182 yards and zero touchdowns. So 16.8 per sorta misleading. However, Virginia will present the toughest passing attack the Tigers have faced this season. Billy Kemp is dangerous in the slot, and Virginia’s length at tight end and receiver could provide challenges. This week, Dabo Swinney said 50-50 balls would be an important matchup.

“[Brennan Armstrong] is savvy, he's tough... He's not afraid to put the ball up and give them the chance to make a competitive play. And that's where we're going to have to do a great job. They had a lot of 50-50 balls in the game. [Lavel Davis] did a heck of a job. … Hopefully, our guys will play big and with the right fundamentals and physicality to hopefully have the right body position we need to have."

To answer your question, I wouldn’t say we have a large enough sample size to say the secondary is a concern. Derion Kendrick, the team’s best corner and a returning starter, didn’t play vs. Wake. The boundary corner spot is shared by Mario Goodrich and Andrew Booth, who were highly touted prospects out of high school but are limited in experience. I’m curious to see how Clemson performs at safety (which features sophomore and first-year starter Lannden Zanders) and boundary corner when tested through the air.

Virginia ran tempo vs. Duke, so that makes it even more important that Clemson gets lined up correctly and on time.

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COMMENTS
How do you see Saturday night playing out? What's your prediction?

ANNA HICKEY: Clemson is a four-touchdown favorite. Not sure I’d touch that on either side. Virginia certainly has some pieces that could test Clemson and provide a legit benchmark for the Tigers. There’s also the human nature element of Miami being next on the schedule. But on the whole, the talent disparity is too much for Virginia to stay competitive in the fourth quarter. I might be tempted to take the over (55 points).

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Behind Enemy Lines: UVa vs Clemson (Clemson perspective...

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