2009 ACC
Championship
Clemson (8-4) vs. Georgia Tech (10-2)
8:00 EST, ESPN, Saturday, December 5
 |
|
National
Rankings
|
|
GT |
|
Clem |
|
15th |
Total Offense |
74th |
|
52nd |
Total Defense |
14th |
|
12th |
Scoring Offense |
24th |
|
55th |
Scoring Defense |
21st |
|
2th |
Rushing Offense |
55th |
|
47th |
Run Defense |
45th |
|
115th |
Passing Offense |
80th |
|
56th |
Passing Defense |
12th |
|
31st |
Turnover Margin |
22nd |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
GT |
5
highest
1 lowest |
C |
|
4 |
Quarterbacks |
3 |
|
5 |
RBs |
5 |
|
3 |
Receivers |
3.5 |
|
5 |
O
Line |
3.5 |
|
3 |
D
Line |
5 |
|
3 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
2.5 |
Secondary |
5 |
|
4 |
Spec
Teams |
4.5 |
|
5 |
Coaching |
3 |
|
When Clemson and Georgia Tech meet in Tampa Saturday night, they’ll be representing more than just their respective universities. They’ll also be carrying the tattered ACC banner in front of a skeptical nation.
Known forever as a basketball league, the ACC did nothing to escape that label last weekend, losing badly in three bouts with SEC opponents. Included in that trio were the Tigers and Yellow Jackets, which lost as favorites to 6-5 South Carolina and 6-5 Georgia, respectively. The only major conference without a member in the top 10 of the human polls, it’s hoping to put on a much better show than it did last Saturday.
Of course, neither Clemson nor Georgia Tech could care less about image or its spot in the national landscape. All either school wants is a conference championship and an opportunity to play in a BCS bowl for the first time. Oddly enough, the two programs have taken somewhat similar paths to Raymond James Stadium. Both revealed some warts in September, particularly the Tigers, got hot in the middle of the year, particularly the Yellow Jackets, and now must rebound from emotional losses in rivalry games. It’s also been nearly two decades since either school has won an ACC title—Clemson in 1991 and Georgia Tech in 1990—so this is guaranteed to be a huge deal for the victor.
Perennial teases under Tommy Bowden, the Tigers finally delivered on all of their talent in Dabo Swinney’s first full season as the head coach, winning the Atlantic Division. Early on, it didn’t appear there’d be a happy ending in Death Valley when the team slogged out of the gate to a 2-3 start, including a 30-27 loss to Georgia Tech. However, Clemson rallied after a hideous loss to Maryland, regrouping during the bye week and winning six straight games before running out of steam in Columbia last weekend. The highlights came in come-from-behind thrillers over Miami and Florida State.
Throughout the hot streak, the Tigers were led by one of the league’s stingiest defenses and one of the nation’s most dynamic all-purpose players. Senior RB C.J. Spiller, no longer sharing time with former partner James Davis, has flashed every ounce of his versatility this fall. He’s run for seven scores, caught four touchdown passes, taken one punt and four kickoffs back for six, and even thrown a touchdown pass, en route to compiling 26 school records. A modern-day Reggie Bush, with the speed and explosiveness to take over a game, he’ll own the biggest spotlight and the biggest target on Saturday night.
Georgia Tech spent the regular season answering the question of whether or not you can win big when running Paul Johnson’s triple-option...emphatically. After getting briefly exposed by Miami on national TV on Sept. 17, the Yellow Jackets cranked out eight straight wins, piling up the points and the rushing yards to win the Coastal Division and rise as high as No. 7 in the polls.
At some point in early October, the light went on for QB Josh Nesbitt, who became the sparkplug for the offense, deftly distributing the ball to backs Jonathan Dwyer, Anthony Allen, and Roddy Jones. Now No. 2 in the country in rushing at more than 300 yards a game, Tech has become virtually unstoppable, a ramblin’ locomotive, when this running game is moving downhill.
Georgia Tech has taken another stride in Johnson’s second year in Atlanta. Clemson, forever climbing the mountain, has finally poked its head over the hump. Now, both programs need to go the extra mile and actually win an ACC championship on Saturday night. Considering how poorly both played a week ago, anything less is liable negate much of what they accomplished during the regular season.
Players to Watch: While Spiller is the obvious focal point of the Clemson attack, QB Kyle Parker might be more influential on the outcome. Just a redshirt freshman, when he’s been good, he’s been real good, but when he’s been bad, he can grind the offense to a halt. A terrific athlete, who has made strides throughout the year, he is coming off his worst game since the Maryland loss in early October. And if he wants to avoid having that effort in Columbia become a trend, he better know where Morgan Burnett is at all times. Georgia Tech’s rover and best all-around athlete, he’s a proven thief, picking off 11 passes over the last two seasons. If Burnett can help take speedy WR Jacoby Ford out of the game, Parker’s options are limited.
Spiller had to be salivating as he watched the film of Georgia gashing Georgia Tech for 339 rushing yards last Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets routinely flowed too fast to the ball and overran the cuts of the Bulldog backs. Spiller is one of the nation’s premier cutback runners. Uh-oh. Tech’s tackles are average, which heaps increased pressure on middle linebacker Brad Jefferson to be a little more patient this week and keep Spiller from getting past the second line of defense.
Obviously, as the running game goes, so goes Georgia Tech. The Jackets need Nesbitt’s injured ankle to be fine and Dwyer to get back on track after rushing for just 33 yards a week ago. It won’t be easy. Clemson is solid up front and will hold an edge on an average Tech offensive. Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers bring speed and girth, respectively, off the edge, and tackles Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson have had a habit of gumming up the inside and clogging holes for opposing runners.
Tech’s secret weapon is, well, not that big of a secret. Demaryius Thomas might be the most dangerous receiver to ever play in an option offense, making at least one or two big plays downfield every game. Considering the identity of this offense, he’s been remarkable in catching 44 balls for 1,077 yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll get a stiff test in Tampa against a veteran Clemson secondary that’s picked off 21 passes, including 14 combined from the dynamite safety duo of DeAndre McDaniel and Rashard Hall.
Clemson will win if ... : it runs the ball even remotely as well as Georgia did on Saturday. Georgia Tech is not the same team when it gets bullied around the field and allows too many long drives. If you can milk the clock against the Yellow Jackets, you can wear down an already thin defense and keep Nesbitt and Dwyer idle on the sidelines, where they can’t hurt you.
Although Spiller is the cover boy, don’t be surprised to see some Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper out of the backfield as well. Harper can batter defenses with his 235-pound frame and Ellington is another dangerous change-of-direction type back. What really burned Tech last weekend was the combination of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, which ensured both were fresh in the second half. Clemson will be looking to mimic that same blueprint.
Georgia Tech will win if ... : Nesbitt regains his midseason form. He was average in last week’s loss, partly because of the turned ankle and partly because of Georgia’s superior interior linemen. When Nesbitt was humming in October and early November, opposing defenses didn’t have a chance. If you focused on him, Dwyer would make you pay. And if Dwyer drew too much attention, Allen or Jones would spring a long gainer down the sideline. It was, for a time, a thing of beauty.
However, when the ballcarriers start absorbing first contact near the line of scrimmage, the Jackets are in trouble. In other words, Nesbitt and his support staff are going to need better blocking up front from the offensive line. It’s essential for Brad Sellers, Phil Smith, Joseph Gilbert, Cord Howard, and Sean Bedford to hold their blocks long enough for Nesbitt to make his decision to either pitch it or tuck it and run.
What will happen: Conventional wisdom stresses how difficult it is to beat a team twice in the season. Already halfway there, Georgia Tech is determined to disprove the theory.
Forget what happened last weekend. Neither Tech nor Clemson was very good, and both will be much sharper on Saturday night. While each school is going to give up yards on the ground, the Yellow Jackets are the one team in this game that can become completely dominant when it starts to roll downhill. The Tigers did spring leaks in run defense in Columbia, which will be a harbinger of things to come in Tampa. In a predictably tight game, neither team will get much separation until Dwyer explodes for the defining moment in the final quarter. He’ll bust through the Tiger secondary and into Yellow Jacket lore with the game-winning gallop that sends Tech to a BCS bowl game.
CFN Prediction: Georgia Tech 28 … Clemson 24 ... Line: Georgia Tech -1