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September 13 Sheet

Georgia Tech at Clemson (+1) - Saturday - 9:00am Pacific
I have been high on the Tiger program since Tommy Bowden took over. This is his fourth season at the reigns which is usually a defining year for coaches. He has recruited well the last two seasons (notably better than Georgia Tech) and I am looking for this team to turn the corner this year.

Clemson finished 9-2 in 2000 but were quite a disappointment last year finishing just 6-5. The problem was on defense where they were decimated by injuries and graduation. They basically could not stop anyone giving up 33.5 points per game in conference play. This year is an entirely different story as John Lovett (formerly at Auburn) takes over as defensive coordinator. People close to the program have raved about Lovett's coaching and what he has done already. He has 8 returning starters and 16 players in all who played 200 or more snaps last year. The defense has looked sharp so far. They yielded just 203 total yards to a high powered Georgia offense in the season opener. The Bulldogs scored 24 of their points on a kickoff return, and short fields: 15 yd TD drive, 31 yd TD drive, and 19 yd FG drive. Last week Clemson held the high powered offense of Louisiana Tech (33.8ppg last year, 39 in one game this year) to only 13 points. Instead of a weakness, the defense this year is a major strength.

On offense, junior QB Willie Simmons takes over for the departed Woody Dantzler. Simmons is a super talent with all of the tools. He is said to be a better passer than Dantzler but also has plenty of athletic ability to scramble and run for yardage if need be. Bowden predicted that Simmons would throw for 3,000 yards this season. He has 407 in 2 games so far, but will continue to get better with every game. I really like how he has stepped in and established himself as the undisputed leader of this team. He has a talented cast of wideouts led by Kevin Youngblood (6-5 JR) who has emerged as the goto receiver with 16 catches in first two games. Last years leading receiver Derrick Hamilton (6-4 SO), Jackie Robinson (6-1 SR), JJ McKelvey (6-4 SR), and talented Airese Currie (5-11 SO) round out the best group of receivers Bowden has ever had here. They are currently without starter Bernard Rambert (foot injury, doubtful) at running back, but backup Yusef Kelly did well last week with 97 yards. The only real knock against this offense is the line. It is inexperienced and was hit by an injury to a starter last week. Still, Tommy Bowden is an awesome offensive coach and the offensive line will find a way to get the job done. Led by QB Simmons, and Bowden's schemes, this offense will score points.

Georgia Tech comes in at 2-0 but has not been tested at all with easy wins over Vanderbilt & UConn. They were a bit of a disappointment last year as they had 16 returning starters but went 1-6 ATS in their final seven games. They bring in a new head coach in Chan Gailey and must replace QB Godsey (3,351 pass yards, 19 TD's), RB Burns (1,165 rushing yards, 14 TD's), and WR Kelly Campbell (team high 66 catches, 814 yards). The defense returns 9 starters, just as it did last season when Clemson put up 47 points in a 3 point OT win in Atlanta. The GT offense returns just 5 starters. Tennessee transfer A.J. Suggs takes over as starting QB. He has looked good but has only needed to throw 27 passes combined in first two games. He has had all the time in the world to throw. I really have to question his mobility and ability to throw under pressure. The Clemson defense is much speedier than what he has seen in his first two games and the environment at Death Valley will be a major challenge for this inexperienced offense.

Clemson really impressed me in their narrow three point season opening loss at now #10 Georgia. The Tigers held a 7 point lead into the 4th quarter on the road but just could not catch a break down the stretch. They bounced back from that nicely and disposed of Louisiana Tech 37-13 last week. With two fairly competitive games under their belts and playing at home today they have a much better chance of playing to their full potential than the Yellow Jackets. GT has been virtually untested with a new head coach and new defensive coordinator. Clemson is 60-20-1 in last 81 ACC home games. Tigers get a key conference win here.

Clemson  1 UNIT

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