Written by Manuel DeLeon
Orlando, FL - No. 3 Clemson (11-1,7-1) controls its own destiny. Win, and represent the ACC in the College Football Playoff, or lose and possibly fall out of the top four completely, making the selection committee’s job just a little bit harder. The quest for a national championship won’t be an easy one for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers, they clash with a feisty No. 23 Virginia Tech (9-3,6-2) team that surprised many people this season under first year head coach Justin Fuente, who took over for the legendary Frank Beamer.
Deshaun Watson, once believed to be the outright frontrunner for this year’s Heisman Trophy, didn’t live up to the lofty expectation of the public this year, but as of late has been on a tear. Watson may be the main attraction come 8pm, but if you don’t know who Jerod Evans is, Virginia Tech’s electric quarterback, you will by the end of the night. Evans, a junior college transfer burst onto the scene and put up numbers that rival those of Watson. The junior from Dallas, Texas ranks 6th in the ACC in passing yards with 3,045, while Watson leads the pack with 3,626. The duel between these two dynamic playmakers will play a huge role in the outcome. Swinney knows the importance of good quarterback as he addressed in the pregame presser on Friday in Orlando,” They got a great quarterback. So do we. Their quarterback is surrounded by excellent skill, guys that can go make plays, body control type plays, back shoulder plays, run by you plays, one handed plays, I mean, a little bit of everything. I’ve seen it all. And our quarterback has the same thing.”
Watson puts up the better passing stats, but Evans has done a better job at limiting turnovers only throwing 5 interceptions to Watson’s 14.
Both defenses will be tested by the stable of playmakers on both teams. Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams, ranks 2nd in the ACC with 79 receptions 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns, and can take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Helping Williams shoulder the load will be Artavis Scott (64 rec. 544 yards), and tight end Jordan Leggett (34 rec. 588 yards).
On the opposing sideline, Virginia Tech has a big play guy of their own; Isaiah Ford. Ford comes in 4th in the conference with 949 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. Ford is the homerun hitter in coach Fuente’s up-tempo offense. Cam Phillips (58 rec. 776 yards) and Bucky Hodges (42 rec. 598 yards) will be looked upon often in the Virginia Tech passing game.
In addition, the running game will be a key point in determining the outcome as both teams boast good running games. This point, I believe is more important for Virginia Tech, because the best way to beat and upset Clemson is to control the clock and keep Watson on the sideline. Evans leads the Hokies in both passing and rushing yards, carrying the ball 161 times for 713 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’ll need Travon McMillian (129 carries 600 yards 4 tds) to be at his best if the Hokies look to win this one. If these two can counter balance one another, it could likely cause problems for the Clemson defense as they decide who to put an emphasis on.
When we have running backs like Cook, Fournette, and Chubb it can be easy to overlook Clemson’s Wayne Gallman. Gallman has accounted for 14 of the Tigers 22 rushing touchdowns while notching 179 carries and 943 yards, that’s 5.3 yards per carry. That’s just the tip of the hat for Clemson, their leading rusher last year was their quarterback. The excitement behind Watson last year were the plays he could make with his legs, this year has seen Watson’s rushing totals drop from 207 carries and 1105 yards to 112 and 444 yards rushing. That’s not saying he still can’t put up those numbers, it’s just Clemson is good enough for him to do all his damage from the pocket. Especially after picking up a shoulder injury earlier in the season, his rushing numbers saw a huge drop off. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that if it comes down to it and Watson needs to tuck and run, expect him to do what is necessary.
Though Clemson is the heavy favorite, this ACC Championship has the makings of a good old fashion shootout with both squads averaging over 34 points per game. Virginia Tech, was picked to finish 4th in the conference but with ACC Coach of the Year Justin Fuente and breakout quarterback Jerod Evans, were resilient and able to overcome adversity on the way to Orlando. The matchup between both quarterbacks will be exciting as both Watson and Evans can make big plays that turn the tide of a game. Clemson must stay focused on the task at hand, if the Tigers handle business, it’s simple, win and you’re in. Lose, and quite possibly miss out on the College Football Playoff, leaving room for a team like Ohio State to get in, who’s not playing for a conference title. However, this is not something that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is worried or even thinking about. During the pregame presser he was asked about his thoughts on the Playoff and other teams chances in comparison to his, “Ask me that on Sunday. Ask me that on Sunday. Right now it’s about beating Virginia Tech. That’s really all that matters to me. I could care less about Ohio State or any of the rest of them. We’ve got to focus on what we’re trying to do.”
Deshaun Watson, once believed to be the outright frontrunner for this year’s Heisman Trophy, didn’t live up to the lofty expectation of the public this year, but as of late has been on a tear. Watson may be the main attraction come 8pm, but if you don’t know who Jerod Evans is, Virginia Tech’s electric quarterback, you will by the end of the night. Evans, a junior college transfer burst onto the scene and put up numbers that rival those of Watson. The junior from Dallas, Texas ranks 6th in the ACC in passing yards with 3,045, while Watson leads the pack with 3,626. The duel between these two dynamic playmakers will play a huge role in the outcome. Swinney knows the importance of good quarterback as he addressed in the pregame presser on Friday in Orlando,” They got a great quarterback. So do we. Their quarterback is surrounded by excellent skill, guys that can go make plays, body control type plays, back shoulder plays, run by you plays, one handed plays, I mean, a little bit of everything. I’ve seen it all. And our quarterback has the same thing.”
Watson puts up the better passing stats, but Evans has done a better job at limiting turnovers only throwing 5 interceptions to Watson’s 14.
Both defenses will be tested by the stable of playmakers on both teams. Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams, ranks 2nd in the ACC with 79 receptions 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns, and can take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Helping Williams shoulder the load will be Artavis Scott (64 rec. 544 yards), and tight end Jordan Leggett (34 rec. 588 yards).
On the opposing sideline, Virginia Tech has a big play guy of their own; Isaiah Ford. Ford comes in 4th in the conference with 949 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. Ford is the homerun hitter in coach Fuente’s up-tempo offense. Cam Phillips (58 rec. 776 yards) and Bucky Hodges (42 rec. 598 yards) will be looked upon often in the Virginia Tech passing game.
In addition, the running game will be a key point in determining the outcome as both teams boast good running games. This point, I believe is more important for Virginia Tech, because the best way to beat and upset Clemson is to control the clock and keep Watson on the sideline. Evans leads the Hokies in both passing and rushing yards, carrying the ball 161 times for 713 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’ll need Travon McMillian (129 carries 600 yards 4 tds) to be at his best if the Hokies look to win this one. If these two can counter balance one another, it could likely cause problems for the Clemson defense as they decide who to put an emphasis on.
When we have running backs like Cook, Fournette, and Chubb it can be easy to overlook Clemson’s Wayne Gallman. Gallman has accounted for 14 of the Tigers 22 rushing touchdowns while notching 179 carries and 943 yards, that’s 5.3 yards per carry. That’s just the tip of the hat for Clemson, their leading rusher last year was their quarterback. The excitement behind Watson last year were the plays he could make with his legs, this year has seen Watson’s rushing totals drop from 207 carries and 1105 yards to 112 and 444 yards rushing. That’s not saying he still can’t put up those numbers, it’s just Clemson is good enough for him to do all his damage from the pocket. Especially after picking up a shoulder injury earlier in the season, his rushing numbers saw a huge drop off. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that if it comes down to it and Watson needs to tuck and run, expect him to do what is necessary.
Though Clemson is the heavy favorite, this ACC Championship has the makings of a good old fashion shootout with both squads averaging over 34 points per game. Virginia Tech, was picked to finish 4th in the conference but with ACC Coach of the Year Justin Fuente and breakout quarterback Jerod Evans, were resilient and able to overcome adversity on the way to Orlando. The matchup between both quarterbacks will be exciting as both Watson and Evans can make big plays that turn the tide of a game. Clemson must stay focused on the task at hand, if the Tigers handle business, it’s simple, win and you’re in. Lose, and quite possibly miss out on the College Football Playoff, leaving room for a team like Ohio State to get in, who’s not playing for a conference title. However, this is not something that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is worried or even thinking about. During the pregame presser he was asked about his thoughts on the Playoff and other teams chances in comparison to his, “Ask me that on Sunday. Ask me that on Sunday. Right now it’s about beating Virginia Tech. That’s really all that matters to me. I could care less about Ohio State or any of the rest of them. We’ve got to focus on what we’re trying to do.”