Clemson at Georgia Tech Betting Lines
This week will be a contrast in offensive styles, but is expected to light up the scoreboard in Atlanta, as Georgia Tech hosts undefeated Clemson in a key ACC contest Saturday night.
Both team are prolific offensively, but have trended in opposite directions the last couple weeks. While Clemson scored 115 points in its last two wins, Georgia Tech was stifled to just 28 points in its first two losses of the season, both on the road.
The Tigers won last year’s meeting, 27-13, at home to break a four-game losing streak in the series. Fourteen of the last 16 meetings have been decided by an average of 4.6 points.
Looking at the latest lines, Clemson is favored by 3 and the total is set at 64 points.
Clemson
The Tigers are having a season for generations, as a win this week will move Clemson to 9-0 for the first time since the 1981 national-title team (12-0). This year’s team has three wins over nationally ranked teams and only has in-state rival South Carolina left as ranked foes on its schedule.
The Clemson offense is high-tempo and ranks 12th in the nation in scoring (41 points per game), 15th in passing (304 yards per game) and 40th in rushing (179 ypg). Tajh Boyd paces the offense by completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,379 yards and 24 touchdowns with just three interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 16 sacks. Boyd’s top target is Sammy Watkins, with 819 yards and nine TDs on 54 catches (15.2 yards per catch). The running game is keyed by Andre Ellington with 745 yards and seven scores on 5.1 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Tigers rank 51st nationally in scoring (25 ppg), allowing 378 yards per game (209 passing, 169 rushing). The unit has 16 sacks and has forced 17 turnovers. Andre Branch is the heart of the defensive unit, leading with 51 tackles and eight sacks. Jonathan Meeks has two of the team’s 10 interceptions – eight other players have one each.
Watkins averages 29 yards per kickoff return, including an 89-yarder for a touchdown this season.
Georgia Tech
After opening 6-0, the Yellow Jackets have struggled the last two weeks in road losses to Virginia and Miami. This is the first nationally-ranked opponent for Georgia Tech this season, at it has two others on the docket in the final three games (Virginia Tech and Georgia).
Georgia Tech’s offense was held to just seven points last week and has scored just 49 points the last three games after scoring 35 or more points in the first five games. However, the offense still ranks 17th nationally in scoring (38 ppg), fifth in rushing (321 ypg) and 108th in passing (157 ypg). Tech’s triple-option attack is led by Orwin Smith (516 yards, eight TDs, 12..3 yards per carry), David Sims (496, three TDs, 5.7 ypg) and Tevin Washington (460 and nine TDs). In the passing game Washington completes 48 percent of his passes for 1,139 yards and 10 TDs with five interceptions. The offensive line has allowed five sacks. Smith and Stephen Hill are the top passing targets, combining for 30 catches for 847 yards and five TDs (28.2 yards per catch).
The Tech defense ranks 47th in scoring defense (24 ppg), allowing 341 yards per contest (171 rushing, 170 passing). The defense has recorded 16 sacks and forced 13 turnovers. Julian Burnett has 73 tackles to lead this unit, with Jeremiah Attaochu posting four sacks, Isaiah Johnson and Rod Sweeting each carding three picks.
