There are knee-jerk reactions after every college football game, and never moreso than after the opening game of the season. After the long off-season, fans and pundits alike are chomping at the bit to analyze a team’s performance. Some teams ease into the shallow end with an FCS opponent, some dive in headfirst with a conference foe in a high-stakes game. Others get the marquee opening weekend games at neutral sites, or a hostile road environment. These teams run the risk of being exposed in the wee hours of the season against a tough team.
Clemson Tigers Week 1
Georgia returned the favor for last year’s opening game against Clemson. The return match from a 2013 season-opening Tigers win in Death Valley took place at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Georgia held up their end of the bargain in the scoring department in what was shaping up to be another shootout.
After scoring three touchdowns through the mid-point of the second quarter, Clemson was shut out the rest of the way. Todd Gurley opened up a possible Heisman campaign with a four-touchdown night, and the Bulldogs’ defense shut down the Tigers in the second half.
While one game can’t give us all the insight we need to make a fair assessment of this Tigers team, we can learn some things from the loss to Georgia.
1) The defense will not be able to carry this team. Going against Gurley will not happen again, so that stat is a bit skewed. Clemson was unable to slow, much less stop, Todd Gurley, giving up three rushing touchdowns and another on a kickoff return. His 100-yard return tied the game after the Tigers led for roughly 13 seconds, and the rout was on. Clemson gave up 328 yards on the ground, and the special teams gave up the above-mentioned TD return.
The offense will be broken in by the time the meat of the schedule rolls around, which should ease the pressure on the D. With the UGA game getting out of hand in the second half, the Tigers need more help from the offense. This looked similar to the start of last year, except they couldn’t keep up with an offense led by a Heisman candidate. Clemson gave up 31 unanswered after taking a seven point lead. UGA made minced meat out of the 10-point spread with a 24-point whipping.
With offensive attacks coming up from Florida State, North Carolina, and Louisville, the defense will have to step up to help the offense. Outscoring opponents will be tough this year with a lot of new personnel. The final test against South Carolina lost a little luster after the Gamecocks were throttled at home by Texas A&M, and may turn into a shootout itself if both defenses revert to opening game form.
2) Games in Death Valley are must win. A big road game in Tallahassee will test the Tigers in a few weeks. Though FSU didn’t dominate the way folks expected them to against Oklahoma State, the Seminoles will tune up against The Citadel before hosting the Tigers in the presumptive battle for the Atlantic Division. Clemson’s home field advantage will need to be huge in their transition from Tajh Boyd/Sammy Watkins. The stretch of North Carolina, NC State, and Louisville will be key for positioning in the Atlantic. Louisville looked good in its conference debut against Miami, so the Cardinals and Tigers might be jockeying for second in the division. Getting three of their four remaining ranked opponents in Clemson is a huge plus.
Slipping up at home will put even more pressure on Clemson to win the road games. Said road games are the easier of the bunch (minus FSU) and a nice winning streak in October could erase the memory of the first game. The new offensive starters will have a chance to gel and get their footing after a few games. South Carolina State in Clemson will surely get them a win, and then a bye week comes with the ‘Noles waiting the following game.
3) The New Year’s Bowl streak may be over. After two Oranges sandwiched by a Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Tigers can’t afford many more losses to stay afloat in the at-large situation. Given the opening loss to UGA, now they’ve got a hole to dig themselves out of. It’s one game; one loss does not a season make, but since the big time matchup did not go the way of the Tigers, they have fewer chances to make an impact with the rest of their schedule. Win at FSU, and it’s all forgiven and they’re right back in the hunt.
FSU is the big pelt on the horizon, with UNC and Louisville also ranked in this week’s AP Poll. Clemson needs the big wins when they have an opportunity. The UGA game vaulted the Dogs into the Top 10, and sent the Tigers falling down. UGA can absorb more losses than Clemson, with an SEC Title Game still in the mix, while Clemson has to contend with FSU in their own division just to get a championship game berth. If FSU holds sway as a shoo-in to the first College Football Playoff, then an Orange Bowl bid could go to the second best team from the ACC. Virginia Tech, Clemson, and North Carolina could all be eyeing this slot once December rolls around. More than two losses will slide Clemson down a notch and out of the Selection Committee’s gaze and into a mid-to-late December bowl. It’s still a good slot to be in, but maintaining double-digit wins after losing such good talent to the NFL will prove very tough.
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