Saturday night the Tigers have an opportunity to accomplish one of their major goals; an ACC Championship. It won't busy. The Tar Heels are explosive and are fully capable of winning. Neither team can afford to make too many mistakes and miss too many opportunities nor could they get in a deficit which could prove tough to overcome.
Clemson's Offense vs North Carolina's Defense
The Tigers will face a UNC defense that isn't great but still can be opportunistic. 2nd Team All-ACC DB, MJ Stewart, is a big part of that. He will certainly look to take advantage of any mistakes. DT Nazair Jones and LB Shakeel Rashad also are playmakers. Carolina will be without starting FS Sam Smiley. Clemson will definitely try to exploit his absence.
Clemson cannot afford to have the mental errors they have had in recent weeks. Wayne Gallman, can’t have the fumbles pop up on him again this week. The Tigers will need Gallman to be ultra-productive to keep the Tar Heel offense off of the field. Also, if Deshaun Watson has another Hiesman like performance it will be hard for UNC to keep up. Watson will have a big game but will have to avoid turnovers as well. Also, expect Clemson to take more chances on deep throws than they have in recent weeks.
North Carolina’s Offense vs Clemson’s Defense
North Carolina has a very explosive offense led by QB Marquise Williams. Williams is a dual threat quarterback. The Tigers D has struggled against dual threat quarterbacks. It will be important for both Ben Boulware and BJ Goodson to have good games. Running back, Elijah Hood, is one of the best backs in the ACC. He has a good combination of size and speed. Hood is fully capable of having a big game.
To go with their rushing attack, UNC has a trio of really good receivers in Mack Hollins, Quinshad Davis, and Ryan Switzer. All 3 can cause trouble for the Tigers’ defense. The Tigers talented secondary will have a tough task on their hands but may not have to stop the Carolina trio; but just contain them. The Tiger Dline, led by Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, will need to get pressure on Williams to prevent easy throws.
Special Teams
The kicking game is nearly equal. The difference on special teams is in the return game. In Ryan Switzer, UNC has the NCAA’s all-time punt return touchdown leader. He’s quick and fast and if he has a little room he is more than capable of taking any punt to the end zone. The Tigers will have to contain him as well as TJ Logan on kick returns.
X-Factor
Saturday night’s X-factor will be turnovers. The leader of the turnover battle will likely be the one to go home with a loss. Clemson could win with a -1 turnover margin but it will be tough. The same can be said for the Tar Heels. With these 2 offenses, 1 missed opportunity to score on offense could be the difference in the game.
Prediction
The season really comes down to Saturday’s matchup. What each team has done to this point is irrelevant. Any chance of making the College Football Playoff hinges on Saturday’s performance. Turnovers will play a big part in the outcome and as well as talent. The Tigers should be able to clean up the turnover issues and right now Clemson more talent than the Tar Heels. That should be enough to get them the win and into the playoffs. Clemson wins 48-43.