Saturday seems like a perfect time for Clemson to match up with Virginia. Virginia has struggled to show any consistency and is on a 5 game losing streak. On the other hand, the Tigers have played sloppy in recent weeks. The Cavaliers are looking for something to get them going and if Clemson has a few early turnovers the game could be tighter than most people think.
Clemson's Offense vs Virginia's Defense
The Cavs defense has been very good this season. They are 78th nationally in scoring defense. Virginia has struggled to stop the run. Their defensive line has been the weakness in run defense. Linebackers Henry Coley and Daquan Ramero, along with strong safety Anthony Harris are amongst the ACC leaders in tackles because they've had to stop the run. Rod McDowell and Zac Brooks should get plenty of chances to carry the ball on Saturday. Look for one of them to go over 100 yards.
The Cavs have managed to perform alright against the pass. Harris leads the ACC in interceptions while defensive end Brent Urban has broken up 8 passes at the line of scrimmage. Both will have to excel Saturday for UVA to pull the upset. Tajh Boyd can't stare down receivers or it could lead to interceptions or batted down passes. A good run game will be key to make the play action pass work. If the run game is good, Harris will have to come up to play the run thus not being a huge factor in the passing game. If so, Sammy Watkins can have a record breaking performance for the 2nd week in a row.
Virginia's Offense vs Clemson's Defense
Virginia will hope to slow down the pace of the game and keep the ball for long drives. The Cavs have shown that they like to run the ball as much as anyone and have relied heavily on running back Kevin Parks. Parks is a good all purpose back who leads the ACC in TDs with 10. Look for UVA to have a game plan centered around him. Clemson will have to have a good push from their defensive tackles and you can expect Spencer Shuey and Stephone Anthony to have a lot of tackles.
The Cavalier passing game has been terrible to say the least. QB David Watford has 7 TDs while throwing 9 interceptions. He will have to be a game manager and protect the football for the Cavs to have any chance to win. To put in perspective how bad their passing game has been, Virginia's leading receiver has 350 yards receiving while Clemson has 3 receivers beyond that mark, although Tim Smith had 10 receptions for 151 yards in their last game. It would be huge for him to carry that performance over against the Tigers. Look for the defensive coordinator to pressure Watford with blitzes causing him to make bad passes. Allowing him to sit back in the pocket would not be good.
Special Teams
Clemson does have a big advantage with Chandler Catanzaro at kicker. He has proved time and time again that he can make pressure kicks. The return game for each team hasn't been stellar. If there was a game for the Tigers to have a score on a kick or punt return, it will be this weekend. The Cavs aren't very good at kick coverage, and they don't have a very good punting average either.
X-Factor
Turnovers will be a huge factor in this game. Clemson should be able to get by with a -1 turnover margin and most likely -2. But the past few weeks, the Tigers have been prawn to turn the ball over. If somehow UVA does not turnover the ball and forces Clemson into 3 or 4 turnovers, the Cavs could make this a close game.
Prediction
Virginia is a team that is struggling yet hungry for a win and especially fiesta at home. Clemson needs to come out and establish themselves right from the start. A few early scores with defensive stops will kill any hopes Virginia would have. The Tigers don't want another dogfight and could benefit from building a comfortable halftime lead. Look for that to be the case Saturday. Clemson wins 45-19.
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