If I believed that I wouldn't even bother to watch. D obviously has to play well because that QB is for real and they have an outstanding WR. We can win on execution and scheme. If we have some luck, then good. Sometimes you do, sometimes the other guy does. I would take it but not counting on it.
I thought Durham was going to be a lock down corner but he barely gets any playing time now. Are these guys in front just better?
That is a first. I don't know why but Clemson's defense is always underrated. That is a very good defense and make no mistake. Every time it lost a 4-5 star for one reason or another, they had an immediately replacement. They will be all over our D line, looking for and creating gaps to get into the backfield and disrupt the option before Thomas wants to make his decision. As we have seen that can frustrate him. Our O line had best step up because Venables can also coach the defense, maybe as good as Foster at VT, who I think is the ACC gold standard. We can win, but not because they have a weak defense,. In spite of it. Our O got just two scores on them last year remember.
Yes. See Johnson's AJC comments on needing longer bursts from scrimmage. The master of the long, time-consuming drives knows the longer it takes the more chance of mistakes, and the field has to be shortened occasionally. But to do that somebody needs to spring somebody on the edge, and that somebody has to have enough speed to get to the edge, and enough to get downfield. Maybe sooner than later, but we can hope.
We can't win without controlling the ball on offense. Our defense is capable, but too fragile and too light to withstand pounding by OL that are athletic and outweigh them by 35 pounds. We have to keep opponents offense , and our defense, on the bench for 35 + minutes each week or face almost certain annihilation.
