In Geoff Collins’s debut, he got a closeup view of how the best team in the country Clemson plays football. It wasn’t a pretty site in a 52-14 thrashing, but Clemson is currently doing this to everyone they play.
They beat Brian Kelly’s best Notre Dame team by 27, and held them to 3 points. Then they handed Nick Saban the worst loss in his career and clobbered a team many were calling the greatest in history. There are the defending national champions with NFL talent across the board. You have to put the defeat, ugly as it was into perspective.
Here are five takeaways I took from a game I attended.
Georgia Tech’s secondary is solid
I doubt you’ll see Trevor Lawrence put up a 13/23 for 168 yards and 2 Ints the rest of the year. Lawrence is a future 1st rounder, and so are Clemson WRs Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, and the Jacket’s secondary played reasonably well. Tre Swilling is a star in making and had a huge game. This unit will be tough all year.
Jordan Mason is a load at RB
Clemson’s D-Line isn’t the group it was last year, but that’s a talented bunch that still might be the ACC’s best defensive front. Mason had several nice runs breaking multiple tackles and averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Short Yardage Offensive Play-Calling was a mess
There is nothing that drives me crazier than a team lining up in the shotgun on 4th and 1 or running gimmick plays at the goalline. Georgia Tech head coach Dave Patenaude did both, and they failed in ugly fashion. Nothing says you don’t trust your offense more than those type of plays. Clemson’s DC Brent Venables sniffs out gimmicks plays like a blood hound – just ask Alabama.
Geoff Collins has major QB question marks
Starting QB Tobias Oliver is a fine athlete. He’s an excellent runner. His ability to throw the ball is in a word lacking. This was painfully obvious last year, and this year looked no different. Collins and Patenaude tried to balance the offense early and it went terribly. When they went more run-heavy with Oliver at QB, the offense showed signs of life. Lucas Johnson who many expected to start didn’t barely.
James Graham played a lot of the 2nd half and showed a live arm. If Oliver remains as starting QB, the offense will have to be 75/25 run to pass. If Collins wants wants more balance either Johnson or Graham must start. If he attempts a 50/50 split with Oliver, it will be a disaster and Collins will be to blame.
It’s just game one
Any sweeping statement about how Georgia Tech’s season might go after playing Clemson are pointless right now. We’ve already told you Clemson is mowing down everything in their path. I mean EVERYTHING. Next week will be a better barometer of where Georgia Tech is truly at. They will play a South Florida team coming off a 49-0 home loss to Wisconsin. They will be one of the 2 or 3 worst teams the Jackets play this season. If Georgia Tech loses that game, they could be headed to a 2 or 3 win season.
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