GAMETHREAD: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Clemson Tigers

IT’S FINALLY GAMEDAY!!! Now normally, I’ll be putting some kind of preview in the How to Watch post, but I waited a bit too long to decide that I wanted to do that, so it’s going to be in the Gamethread today. For these previews, I’ll be looking at a few different things to be keeping an eye out for, whether that be how a particular player looks or a certain match up, and then I’ll give my score prediction, so let’s get into it!

Who exactly will be starting tonight?

This is something we’ve known since the Geoff Collins hire was announced, but Georgia Tech isn’t releasing a traditional depth chart, but rather an “Above the Line” chart. With the way the chart is set up, no starters are listed at this time. Instead, starters from the previous week will be listed in bold. This week, though, there is no such luxury, and we’re left guessing until toe meets leather tonight.

What exactly is the offense going to look like?

We got a brief look at the offense during the spring game, but I’m sure Dave Patenaude still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Looking at the Above the Line chart, Georgia Tech will have plenty of options to play with tonight, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of it as Tech tries to find some kind of hole in a young Clemson defense.

A battle of depth in the trenches

Clemson is pretty stacked on both lines. To put that in perspective, Clemson lost nearly their entire defensive line from last year, and they are still expected to have one of the best defensive lines in the country. Tech, on the other hand, is expected to be in the midst of a transition year. There’s also been a good bit of shuffling along both lines, so we’ll probably see a few different assortments of linemen.

Tech’s secondary is talented, but so is Trevor Lawrence

If you’ll remember back to our bold predictions, I made the prediction that Juanyeh Thomas and Tariq Carpenter will be considered the best safety duo in the ACC. That wasn’t just a way-out-there prediction; I think they’re both pretty good safeties, and they’ll face a big test tonight — along with the corners — as they face the best quarterback in college football. Trevor Lawrence has talent on talent on talent, so he’ll be a tough test for the Tech secondary.

Will we see more than one kicker for Georgia Tech?

Sophomore kicker Wesley Wells was placed on scholarship after last season and is expected to be the starter again this year, but he isn’t the only kicker Above the Line. Now, I know it’s always a good idea to travel with a back-up kicker, but I think there’s a chance that Brenton King will also be out there. From some stuff I’ve read, King is finally healthy — something that has hindered him his entire career — so now that he’s healthy, we could finally see what he can do.

Score Prediction

48-24, Clemson wins.

Good teams win, but great teams cover. Yeah, let’s go with that. Tech covers the spread. I think we’ll see everything Tech has to throw tonight. Tech’s best bet in this game will be mixing up tempos and trying to take advantage of a young Clemson defensive line. At the end of the day, though, I don’t see Tech being able to keep up with the depth that Clemson has accumulated over the years. Trevor Lawrence is also a generational talent, so not many defenses are going to be able to stop him. I think we’ll also see some good promise from Tech. I think Clemson is just in another league right now.

What’s your score prediction for tonight?