By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech football team is only hours away from facing its toughest challenge of the season, as the Hokies make final preparations for their game against No. 4 Clemson on Saturday night at Lane Stadium.
Tech enters the game as a 22-point underdog and in the throes of a three-game losing streak that has left the Hokies at 4-5 on the season. Clemson comes in with an 8-1 mark and off the heels of a 52-17 drubbing of Pittsburgh last Saturday.
The Tigers feature one of the nation's most explosive offenses, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who may be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence missed some time while dealing with COVID, but came back against Pittsburgh and threw for 402 yards and two touchdowns.
"Every now and again, you come up against a guy, or a see a guy, or coach against a guy that you really say there is nothing this guy can't do," Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "You look at Trevor, what he's been able to accomplish, the efficiency of his play, his ability to run the ball basically when they need him to but deliver the ball down the field and run the offense and by all indications he seems to be a great leader as well. Probably going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft and deservedly so. I can't imagine a more talented – and there will certainly be a learning curve for him at the next level – but a more talented guy or a guy with a higher ceiling than what his potential is."
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Saturday, December 5 – 7:30 PM
Lane Stadium; Blacksburg, Va.
vs. No. 4 Clemson (8-1, 7-1)
Head coach: Dabo Swinney (11th season)
Record at school: 138-31; Career: 138-31 (11th season)
Series: Tech trails 12-22-1 Last: Sept. 30, 2017 (L, 17-31)
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Broadcast: ABC
Radio: Virginia Tech Sports Properties
Play-by-Play: Jon Laaser
Analyst: Mike Burnop
Sideline: Wes McElroy
Virginia Tech Game Notes: CLICK HERE
Virginia Tech Press Conference Recap: CLICK HERE
Tech will have its hands full trying to slow the Clemson offense, and it probably needs a clock-eating offense itself to have a chance at upsetting the Tigers.
That is certainly something to watch. Here are a few other things that fans should keep an eye when the Hokies and Tigers kick it off Saturday night:
Tech's running game – The Hokies need to get back to their power rushing attack because this ranks as the strongest part of this team. Tech rushed for a season-low 156 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 21 and rushed for just 160 in a loss to Miami on Nov. 14. Prior to the Miami game, the Hokies had rushed for at least 200 yards in every game.
They need to get Khalil Herbert back to being the focal point of the offense. Herbert started out quickly, rushing for at least 100 yards in five of the first six games. In the past three games, though, he has been limited with a hamstring injury and has rushed for just 121 yards on 17 carries.
Clemson gives up just 113.4 yards rushing per game on the ground. But Notre Dame gashed the Tigers for 208 yards, including 140 from Kyren Williams. Not surprisingly, the Irish won.
Tech's staff probably learned some things from that Notre Dame game, and the Hokies are coming off a bye, so they figure to be well rested and prepared. The Hokies feel confident going against a young Clemson front seven (only two seniors).
"I feel like this is a great opportunity for us to go and showcase our talents and showcase all the hard work we've been putting in over the weeks, and bouncing back from the past couple of weeks," quarterback Hendon Hooker said. "Just showing everyone that we are a good offense and we are efficient and can move the ball and score points."
Turnovers – The Hokies need to take care of the ball. If they turn the ball over and give Clemson short fields in which to work, they will lose this game. It's that simple.
For the most part, Tech has taken care of the ball this season. But it faces a Clemson team that excels at forcing turnovers. The Tigers ranked fifth in the country with a plus-8 turnover margin and fourth in takeaways with 19. They also rank second nationally with 13 interceptions.
In addition, they convert turnovers into points with regularity. They have scored at least seven points off turnovers in every game this season, and against Pittsburgh this past Saturday, they scored 28 points off Panther turnovers in that 52-17 rout.
Perhaps not coincidentally, in the Tigers' closest two games this season – a six-point win over BC and a seven-point loss to Notre Dame – they failed to score a point off of turnovers. So therein lies the main key for success for the Hokies. They need to value the football.
The first quarter – Clemson has destroyed teams in the first quarter this season. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 138-31 in the first quarter and 264-102 in the first half.
The Hokies can't fall under this type of avalanche and come from behind. They simply aren't constructed that way as a team, so they need to keep the score close early in the game.
BC and Notre Dame both led after the first quarter against Clemson, and both led at halftime. For the Hokies to pull off the upset, they need to stay in the game in the first 15 minutes and hopefully build momentum. Taking a lead at halftime would be a huge bonus.
Remember, the Hokies are 32-4 under Fuente when leading at halftime.
Tech's defense – Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott made the comment earlier this week that the Hokies were searching on defense – searching for a style, an identity, a scheme to give them a chance for success. Even the players agreed with the accuracy of Elliott's statement.
"Looking at our film from the outside looking in, you could probably say something like that," defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt said. "One game, we look great. The next game, we look in between, and the next game, we don't look good at all defensively. We're just still trying to put our best foot forward, and I think every time when we play well, it's because of the preparation we had this week, and we've had two really good practices for Clemson going forward, so we're pretty excited about this game. I think they're a great team, and we're just going to be excited to go out there and play."
"We definitely haven't been it every game," cornerback Brion Murray said when asked if the Hokies had been an attacking, relentless defense. "But we have some spots in there where we have been that relentless defense and then we have other times where we haven't been so much relentless."
Tech's defense played well against NC State, BC, Wake, and Miami. But the Hokies have allowed at least 30 points in five of nine games this season and face a Clemson team averaging 45.4 points per game – eighth nationally.
The Hokies need to play their best game this Saturday. That probably means following Notre Dame's script. The Irish held Clemson to 34 yards rushing and forced three fumbles, scoring 10 points off those in a 47-40 double-overtime victory. They also held Clemson to 4-of-15 on third-down conversions.
"Notre Dame played very physical," Hewitt said. "Their defensive line brought the game to them, and that's not an easy task, very much easier said than done. They played well enough to win the game, and I think it started with that defensive front. So you have to look at the film and see what worked for them and what didn't and kind of go from there."
In closing – The Hokies and Tigers kick off at 7:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on ABC.