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Clemson looks for bounce-back effort vs. Georgia Tech (Oct 28, 2017)
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney isn't interested in how and why his team lost at Syracuse on Oct. 13.
"I'm anxious to see how this group is going to respond," Swinney said.
If recent history is an accurate barometer, Swinney's team will respond in a positive way when the No. 7 Tigers (6-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) host unranked but dangerous Georgia Tech (4-2, 3-1) Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
Since taking back-to-back losses at N.C. State and South Carolina to end the 2011 regular season, Clemson is 10-0 following a defeat. The Tigers have gone a school-record 78 consecutive games without losing two in a row.
"The story is all about how you respond, how you grow, how you develop," Swinney said. "When you get beat, it's an awesome opportunity to teach."
Swinney hopes that some lessons are imparted when the Tigers play a Georgia Tech team that could easily be undefeated. Coach Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets lost a 42-41 double-overtime decision against Tennessee in their season opener, then absorbed a 25-24 defeat at Miami on Oct. 14.
"Georgia Tech is a football team that's 4-2, but truly, literally, two plays away from being 6-0," Swinney said. "I have no idea how they lost the Tennessee game. They really dominated that game. Then the Miami game comes down to a fourth-down play and two defenders go up, and how they don't get the ball, I don't know."
As usual, Georgia Tech will present a formidable rushing attack out of the triple-option offense.
"You don't ever have to worry about who they are," Swinney said. "They have an identity, they know how to recruit to the triple-option and how to execute it. It is assignment football at its finest. You have to defend it with such discipline and great technique. They stress you from all angles."
Something will have to give on Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets rank second in the nation with an average of 372.8 rushing yards per game while Clemson's rushing defense allows only 107.9 yards per game, which ranks 13th nationally.
Georgia Tech averages 5.78 yards per rush, which is 12th in the nation. Clemson is eighth in yards allowed per rush at 2.90.
Three Georgia Tech offensive linemen have been honored as ACC Lineman of the Week this season, most recently right guard Shamire Devine. The senior had 10 knockdown blocks in last week's victory against Wake Forest as the Yellow Jackets rushed for 427 yards.
Johnson is pleased to see the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Devine coming into his own.
"He's had a challenge with his weight from the first time he got here," Johnson said. "He's fought through and maintained and is probably right now playing the best he's played since he's been here. That's encouraging, and hopefully he can stay healthy and stay out there."
Junior quarterback TaQuon Marshall and sophomore B-back KirVonte Benson have been the primary beneficiaries of solid efforts by the Yellow Jackets' offensive line.
Marshall leads the league in rushing at 117.3 yards per game while Benson is second at 108.7. They have combined for 16 touchdowns.
"Their quarterback has been very impressive," Swinney said. "He's a guy who knows the system and he's empowered to make a lot of decisions."
Clemson has, however, fared quite well against Georgia Tech's offense in recent years. In the past two meetings, the Tigers have held the Yellow Jackets to a combined 166 yards on 80 carries, an average of barely 2 yards per attempt.
Georgia Tech is 5-5 against Clemson since Johnson was named head coach prior to the 2008 season, but the Tigers have won four of the past five matchups since hiring defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
"Their line is more mature, their receivers are more mature," Venables said. "It's a group that has grown up in the system. We're going to have to be very sound in what we're doing. It's a lot of stress for everybody."
The concern for Clemson's offense is the health of quarterback Kelly Bryant, who sustained an ankle injury against Wake Forest on Oct. 7, then was knocked out of the Syracuse game late in the second quarter with a concussion.
The junior, who has rushed for 393 yards and passed for 1,375, is expected to start.
"Kelly is getting better every single day," Swinney said. "He will continue to progress all through the week and be ready to roll."
