The Clemson Tigers’ defense dominated on Thursday night, as the team rolled to a 26-7 victory over Georgia Tech.
That’s not to say that the offense didn’t turn in a solid performance as well. After struggling at times early in the season, the offense moved the ball well in the first half, racking up 347 yards before switching to a more conservative game plan in the second half. Deshaun Watson had another solid outing, connecting on 32 of 48 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Of course, the pick actually helped the Tigers, as they tackled the Yellow Jacket defender in the end zone for a safety. The offense followed that score up with a touchdown drive to give Clemson an insurmountable 23-0 lead.
However, the story of the night was the Tiger defense.
Make no mistake about it: this was an awesome performance by Brent Venables’ defense. The Tiger front seven dominated the line of scrimmage from the opening whistle, holding Tech to -8 yards rushing on its first two possessions. While the Jackets would get on the scoreboard in the second half, they never did run the ball effectively, gaining just 95 yards on 38 carries.
While holding a team under 100 yards might not seem like such a big deal, it’s quite an accomplishment against Georgia Tech. Under Paul Johnson’s leadership, the Jackets’ triple-option attack has only failed to eclipse the century mark four times. After tonight’s stellar showing, Clemson has now done it in consecutive years.
With numbers like that, I believe that the Tiger defense is ready for next weekend’s crucial showdown against Louisville. Sure, the Cardinals run a completely different offense, and it will be extremely difficult to simulate Lamar Jackson’s speed and explosiveness in practice. But, preparing for the triple-option is no piece of cake, either, especially on a short week. However, Clemson made it look easy, defeating the Jackets at the point of attack, while holding them to just 2 of 12 on third down conversions.
In other words: Thursday night’s effort against Georgia Tech only reinforces the fact that the Tigers are a top 10 defense. Since defense wins championships, Clemson has to like it chances next Saturday.
