Number 4 Clemson seen a series of ACC championships and college football The playoff appearances that spanned six seasons come to an end in 2021. However, even in this “off year”, the Tigers finished with a six-game winning streak to finish with 10 wins for the 11th straight season. The level of excellence under coach Dabo Swinney is why the Tigers have entered 2022 in the position of playoff contender, even after suffering the highest turnover in a season since Swinney was encouraged to become a head coach.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has been hired to replace Lincoln Riley at Oklahomaand offensive coordinator Tony Elliott got the job of Virginia replacing Bronco Mendenhall. Swinney also lost a defensive line coach with the exit of Venables, and an offensive line coach played a role off the field as part of the bigger upset. Although despite all the changes in titles and responsibilities, Clemson mostly settled for internal promotions to fill vacancies and piece together the next era of Tigers football.
Monday night’s national stage serves as the setting for Clemson’s debut into this new era, as Swinney himself said “the torch has been passed” to a new team of players and coaches. The enemy of this stage is familiar – the Tigers’ annual interdivisional rival, Georgia Technology. The Yellow Jackets have their own motivations heading into the pivotal 2022 season for coach Geoff Collins, setting up a great conclusion to the five-day weekend that is Week 1 of college football during the party. work.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: Need to Know
DJU is looking for a rebound: Clemson Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, and as a true freshman in 2020, he played relief for Trevor Lawrence when the Tigers starter was sidelined with Covid. Last season was a shocking disappointment, however, as Uiagalelei threw just nine touchdowns for 10 interceptions and finished last in the ACC in passing efficiency. He lost weight in the offseason and won the starting job before that opener, which is a much bigger mark now than the five-star freshman. Cade Klubnik has arrived to present real competition. Monday night against Georgia Tech will be the first of many data points for the comparison between these two Clemson quarterbacks, and if DJU wants to grab the QB1 responsibilities, he can do so with form closer to his impressive debut in 2020.
Collins enters a pivotal year for Georgia Tech: There would always have been a longer leash for Collins after he took over the program from Paul Johnson and promised to keep the Yellow Jackets off the optional offense. That would require rebuilding the roster with multiple recruiting classes, and so when the wins didn’t pile up early, there wasn’t much panic around Atlanta. But this is Collins’ fourth season and Georgia Tech still hasn’t won more than three games in a season with him at the helm. Collins hit the transfer gate for instant help on the depth chart, but he also lost his best offensive weapon on the running back. Jahmyr Gibbs transferred to Alabama. The Clemson game itself won’t determine whether Geoff Collins is in the hot seat at the end of the season, but how the team faces the ACC favorites will be a sign of their position in the pecking order and what to expect going forward.
Clemson’s D should be among the best in the country: One of the reasons AP voters and preseason predictors across the country are putting Clemson in the national top five despite the quarterback’s poor play in 2021 is because of a solid defense that should remain salty even after the loss of Venables. Clemson returns six players with starting experience along the defensive line, has top-notch talent in the back seven and, as a group, should be one of the top five defensive units in the nation. defensive tackle Bryan Breseedefensive side Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson all earned first-team All-ACC honors in preseason voting, as well as CBS Sports Preseason All-America honors. This group should lead the Tigers out of the gate as Clemson’s 2022 offense finds its way here in the season opener.
How to watch Clemson vs. Georgia Tech live
Date: Monday September 5 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
TV: ESP | Direct: fuboTV (Try for free)
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Prediction, Picks
Georgia Tech gave Clemson fear of a potential upset last season, falling to a 14-8 draw at Death Valley. I think there will be more runs in this year’s deal, but not enough scored by the Yellow Jackets for this game to hit the most. Clemson is more than happy to pilot his elite defense and solid rushing offense to comfortable wins, and that playthrough is well below 51 points. Prediction: Under 51
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