At the half, the No. 12 Clemson Tigers are down to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 13-7, in Atlanta. Below is an analysis from both sides of the field with 30 minutes of the game to go.
Offense:
— On the opening drive, Cade Klubnik fumbled on a quarterback keeper. This initially seemed like a good decision from the veteran quarterback, but he was unable to protect the ball and fumbled deep in Clemson territory.
— Clemson’s offensive woes continued throughout most of the half. The team followed the opening drive with a missed field goal from 52 yards. The Tigers were able to piece together a couple of first downs, but not well enough to phase the Yellow Jackets’ defense.
— The Tigers couldn’t move the ball until the final drive of the first half. Clemson had the ball in their own territory on a third-and-22. It looked as if the drive was going to end, but Adam Randall broke free for a pivotal 30-yard first down. This gained momentum for the Tigers and led to their first points of the day.
— To win this game, Clemson must establish its dominance in the trenches and successfully run the ball. This will allow the team to control time of possession more efficiently and have more success on both sides of the ball.
— Klubnik will also need to settle in. He looked shaky during the opening offensive possessions; however, he was able to gather himself during the latter stages of the second quarter. Klubnik is currently 9-for-14 with 72 yards through the air, and also has 10 carries, which have gone for 29 yards.
Defense:
— Clemson came out shaky on the opening drive, giving up 67 yards in an effort led by Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King. But the Tigers settled in quickly, tightening up in the red zone and forcing a fourth-down stop to hand the ball over to the offense.
— On the final drive of the first quarter, sophomore cornerback Ashton Hampton got burned on the outside by FIU transfer Eric Rivers for a 42-yard deep ball that was nearly a touchdown. Georgia Tech’s wide receiver corps eclipsed 100 receiving yards in the first quarter alone; the Clemson secondary needs to tighten up if they want to pull out a win.
— Since the fourth-down stop on the initial drive, the Tigers’ defense hasn’t been able to slow the Yellow Jackets’ offensive momentum, allowing one touchdown and two field goals on three consecutive drives.
— The run defense has held up well against the top-10 rushing offense, allowing 60 yards on 15 carries to King and duo Jamal Haynes and Malachi Hosley. While they’re averaging four yards per carry, none have had a rush over 10 yards.
— Purdue transfer Will Heldt has looked great through the first two quarters of the ACC matchup, totaling three tackles with two for a loss. Since stepping on campus this past spring, the 6-foot-6 defensive end has immediately impacted his unit.
