Game Prediciton - Clemson vs. Maryland

It’s time to put the death back in Death Valley.

Death Valley was once a venue feared by opponents because it was a rare occurrence for a visiting team to emerge victories.

The Tigers have currently won 11-straight games in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium, and look to break the record for consecutive home wins set between 1989-1991 when Danny Ford and Ken Hatfield combined for 11 consecutive wins in Death Valley.

Do the Tigers have what it takes to defend their home turf and claim the record?

MARYLAND (4-5, 2-3 ACC) AT NO. 13 CLEMSON (8-1, 5-1)

WHY MARYLAND MIGHT WIN: Saying the Terps are snake-bitten is an understatement. Maryland is on their fifth quarterback after several ACL injuries. True freshman Shawn Petty began the season as a linebacker, but will be making his second start Saturday. The key for Maryland will be how Petty handles the raucous Death Valley crowd and how he manages the game. The key target for Petty will be tight end Matt Furstenburg, who has 14 catches for 169 yards and was seemingly unstoppable against the Tigers in College Park a year ago. Defensively, the Terps are one of the best in the country allowing only 21.7 points per game. Maryland is giving up just over 63 yards rushing and 255 yards through the air in games on the road. If Maryland learned anything from watching the Tigers the last two weeks, it’s that they won’t be able to play man coverage on Clemson’s speedy wide receivers. The Terps are very disciplined and physical on defense, which could give them an advantage against a Tiger offensive line that has been very inconsistent.

WHY CLEMSON MIGHT WIN: There are only so many times a person can write about Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Andre Ellington, Nuk Hopkins, Jaron Brown and Brandon Ford. The Clemson offense continues to improve each week, and that has to be scary for opponents. The Tigers are averaging over 522 yards per game and over 42 points per game. However, this week the Tigers may have do it without starting running back Andre Ellington, who was hampered with a hamstring injury in the Duke game last Saturday. The good news is that there was absolutely no drop off when D.J. Howard and Rod McDowell entered the game. As good as the offense has been for the Tigers, the defense has also made major strides from week-to-week. At home, the Clemson defense is allowing 20 points per game. The defensive line is getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and should be able to affect Petty. The Terps could be forced to become a one-dimensional team that relies on running the ball without leading receiver Stefon Diggs and leading rusher Wes Brown.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: The Maryland defense has been stout all season, but they have yet to face a team that will test them like Clemson. The Clemson offense has been unstoppable all season long, and that trend won’t stop Saturday. For the first time in 2012, Clemson special teams will make a splash and return a kickoff for a touchdown to extend the streak to four years. The Terps will score in the first quarter, but the Clemson defense will settle down and lock down the endzone for the remainder of the game allowing the Tigers to continue with business as usual.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson, 49- Maryland, 10

Post written by Clemson Girl's Sports Bloggess, Nikki Steele.

Game Prediction - Clemson vs. Duke

Clemson and Duke will square off for the first time under the lights of Wallace Wade Stadium.

What’s at stake?

While the Tigers need a little bit of help to make it back to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game, the Blue Devils are right in the mix for a Coastal Division Championship.

The Tigers have an outside shot at playing in a BCS Bowl and need to win their remaining games in a convincing fashion.

Let’s take a look at who has the best chance to get the win.


NO. 9 CLEMSON AT DUKE


WHY DUKE MIGHT WIN: Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has done a tremendous job in turning the Blue Devils football program around. If Duke can keep him long enough, they may become a long-term contender in an ever-changing ACC Coastal Division. Duke has a huge question mark at quarterback with starter Sean Renfree suffering a concussion last week at Florida State. The Blue Devils are in good hands whether it be Renfree or Anthony Boone under center. Renfree is more of a pure pocket passer, while Boone is also a threat to run the ball. Both quarterbacks love to find the ACC’s all-time receptions leader Conner Vernon who has 54 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns. The Blue Devils have three receivers with over 400 yards and rank in the top 20 in the ACC. The Clemson secondary has had issues tackling in open space this season and if those problems occur in Durham, it could be a long night at Wallace Wade.

WHY CLEMSON MIGHT WIN: Let’s face it, there aren’t many teams that can keep up with Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, Nuk Hopkins, and Sammy Watkins…and Duke won’t be able to either. Florida State put up 48 points against the Blue Devils last week and although FSU has a stout defense, their offense has nowhere near the firepower of the Tigers. In conference games, the Blue Devils are giving up 212 yards per game on the ground and 259 yards per game through the air. That is great news for the Tigers who are averaging 157 yards and 329 in their respective categories. Duke will try to play a cover zero- or man coverage- which will allow the Tigers an opportunity to hit big plays. If the Duke’s cornerbacks play up on Clemson wide receivers, Hopkins, Watkins and company will run right past them. If they play off the receivers, Boyd will simply hit the underneath routes and Clemson will go on longer, more sustained drives. The Clemson defense has been much improved over the last two weeks and with increased pressure on the yet to be determined Duke quarterback, the Tigers should be able to limit Vernon’s success downfield.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Clemson’s defense has been the biggest question mark so far this season, but since the disaster at Florida State, defensive coordinator Brent Venables has watched his guys improve before his eyes. The Tigers’ high-octane offense continues to impress and this weekend will be no exception. Expect Duke to play – man coverage- a style similar to Wake Forest that will allow Boyd and company to breakoff many big plays and get into a groove early. This one may be close in the first 30 minutes, but the Blue Devils just can’t hang with the Tigers.

FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 49- DUKE 17

Post written by Clemson Girl's Sports Bloggess, Nikki Steele.

Game Prediction - Clemson vs. Wake Forest

CLEMSON – Clemson fans have gone from the agony of the open week and 14 days in between games to this week’s Thursday night game in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest, a span of just five short days since the Tigers beat Virginia Tech last Saturday.

Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe is just 3-8 all-time against Clemson, but all three of those wins have come at home at Groves Stadium. The Tigers have won three in a row in the series, but the last win by the Demon Deacons over the Tigers was on – you guessed it – a Thursday night four years ago when Wake beat Clemson 12-7 and ended the tenure of then-head coach Tommy Bowden.

The Demon Deacons are actually 2-0 in home Thursday night games, and 3-1 overall, so they have a bit of a mental advantage in this one.

What will happen? Let’s take a look.

WHY CLEMSON MIGHT WIN
The Clemson offense scuffled at times last week against the Hokies, and there was plenty of blame to go around – the offensive line struggled in both the running game and pass protection, wide receivers dropped the ball and quarterback Tajh Boyd looked out of synch from the first play of the game. Despite the offensive woes, the Tigers still scored 31 points on offense – seven points were scored on a pick-six – and Sammy Watkins had eight catches as offensive coordinator Chad Morris tries to get the Tigers’ All-American back into the flow of the offense.

This week, the Tigers get a Wake Forest defensive unit that has struggled at points this season. Let’s be honest – this Wake Forest team isn’t the same kind of team that beat Clemson four years ago. There is a reason that the Deacons have struggled to stay around .500 over the past few seasons, and the reason is they don’t have the players like Aaron Curry anymore.

The Tigers, however, have plenty of good players. The defense played better last week – getting more of a pass rush and setting the edge in the running game – and the special teams had maybe their best game of the year. If the offense finds just a little bit of a spark, it could get ugly quick.

WHY WAKE FOREST MIGHT WIN
Bad news came out of Clemson this week concerning the defensive secondary. An already reed-thin unit became even thinner when cornerback Darius Robinson fractured an ankle against Virginia Tech and had to have surgery on Tuesday. The other starting cornerback, Bashaud Breeland, suffered an abdominal strain against the Hokies and didn’t even make the trip to Winston-Salem. As a result, the Tigers will have Xavier Brewer at one corner spot [he started the season at safety], while Garry Peters will man the other side [he started the season on the bench]. The third corner will have to be redshirt freshman Cortez Davis, who has seen the majority of his time on special teams.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said earlier this week that wide receiver Adam Humphries may actually have to play on defense in an emergency situation. Wake already has the crowd on its side, and if they can get the running game going and can use the play-action pass against the inexperienced corners, this could be a long night for the Clemson defense. If the offense struggles again...

WHAT WILL HAPPEN
Wake Forest has a lot of emotion and history on its side in this game, and there is no doubt that this one might be closer than a lot of people think. However, Dabo Swinney has done an excellent job of changing the culture at Clemson and getting the players to realize the importance of each and every game. This one will be no different. The Deacons will come out swinging early and gain some momentum, but once the players settle in, it will be more about the Jimmies and the Joes than the x’s and the o’s – and Clemson’s Jimmies are just better than Wake’s Joes.

FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 35, WAKE FOREST 20

Post written by Clemson Girl's Sports Bloggess, Nikki Steele.