Coming off of a big win last week in the Carrier Dome, the Tigers return to Death Valley this weekend to play UNC Charlotte at 7:30 p.m.
In just the first three games, Clemson has scored more points and averaged more yards than any season in Clemson football history. And what is crazy is that they are not even playing their best football yet. Coach Swinney has even said that at this point in the season, this year’s team is better than last year’s. It’s an exciting time for the Tigers, but with that comes a lot of expectations.
One of those expectations is to absolutely dominate against Charlotte. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index Matchup Predictor, Clemson has a 99.5 percent chance of winning. This comes as no surprise, as Clemson is the No.1 team in the country and Charlotte is not even ranked.
Even though everyone else may not be giving Charlotte the time of day, Coach Swinney and the Tigers think that Charlotte will really challenge them. Calling Charlotte “the most explosive team we’ve played up to this point” Swinney said, and that “schematically this is probably the biggest challenge for our defense.” Moving into this weekend, the Tigers must treat it as if they are playing their most important game of the year. At this week’s press conference, Dabo explained that Charlotte “is a team that could embarrass us if we don’t have a good week of preparation.”
The 49ers have a solid defense, as they are No.5 in the country in most sacks, with the Tigers atNo.2. Charlotte’s success is largely credited to defensive end, Alex Highsmith. Coach Swinney called Highsmith the “best player that they’ll face” up until this point in the season, going on to say that he plays like Xavier Thomas.
Charlotte’s offense is not too bad either. Coming off of a dominating 52-17 performance, the 49ers proved that they have no problem putting points on the board. With a mobile quarterback in Chris Reynolds, Charlotte will no doubt have a plan for attacking Clemson’s defense. That being said, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, will surely have something up his sleeve to combat whatever plan Charlotte may have.
Charlotte is a talented team and they will give this game their all. However, Clemson is just on another level in terms of talent. So, it is safe to say that the Tigers will come out on top.
In addition to getting to watch the Tiger’s face off against the 49ers, fans in attendance will get to witness a Disney movie being filmed at half time; some fans might even make a cameo in the film. What more could you ask for than cheering on your Clemson Tigers at home while getting a taste of Disney magic in between play?
