Clemson vs Virginia Tech: Our Take

Each week we give our three keys to the game and our predictions. Here is a look at this week's opponent Virginia Tech.

The Match Up:

#2 Clemson (4-0, 2-0) vs Virginia Tech 4-0 (0-0)

All-Time Series

Clemson Leads 21-12-1
at Blacksburg: Clemson leads 8-4
at Clemson: Clemson leads 9-6-1
at Neutral Site: Clemson leads 4-2
ACC Championship Games: Clemson leads 2-0
First Meeting: 12-5 Clemson, 1900 (Charlotte)
Last Meeting: Clemson 42-35, 2016
Streak: Clemson won 4 in a row
Last Virginia Tech Win: 41-23 at Clemson, 2007
Last Virginia Tech win at Blacksburg: 24-7. 2006

Key 1: Quiet the Lane Stadium Crowd

Two weeks ago Clemson traveled to Louisville for an early season road contest featuring two teams inside the top 15 in college football. College GameDay was in town, and Louisville fans had revenge on their minds. 

A raucous crowd awaited an unproven and untested quarterback Kelly Bryant who had never taken a snap on the road under hostile conditions. At the half, Clemson had turned the Cardinal fan volume down, five minutes into the 3rd quarter, Clemson pressed mute. It was now 26-7, and Clemson would soon score again taking a 33-7 lead on the road.

The same plan of attack needs to take place here. In fact, Virginia Tech fans that just read this are agitated that I could even compare them to Louisville. That's the real difference in these crowds. Virginia Tech eats, sleeps, and breathes football. In light of recent events, Louisville might want to turn their attention a bit more toward the gridiron as well.

Key 2: Feed the Beasts

Clemson's averaging 272 yards per game on the ground this season. Last week, it was true freshman Travis Etienne who made another statement about his playing time. Etienne shredded Boston College in the 4th quarter and ripped off his third 50-plus yard run of the season. Currently, Etienne is second in the nation in yards per rush. The Jennings, Louisiana native has 292 yards on 23 carries. I'm pretty sure I matched that type of play on EA Sports NCAA Football at some point during my Xbox 360 days.

His partner in crime is another young star, Tavien Feaster. Many people assumed Feaster would be putting up numbers similar to Etienne's, but Feaster has found a bit of a niche pounding the ball. Even with a new role, he's been one step away from taking the ball to the house several times.

It doesn't hurt that these two have a couple of additional partners in Adam Choice and CJ Fuller who both can break one into the open field at any time.

Key 3: Frustrate Josh Jackson

This one seems easy enough considering Clemson's defensive mastermind Brent Venables' ability to disrupt any and everything Clemson's opponents try to do.

This week, the Tigers face a versatile young quarterback, in Jackson. But this is Josh, not Lamar Jackson, and Clemson's defensive starters bottled up Lamar at Louisville. I expect to see more of the same in Blacksburg tonight from a talented Clemson defense.

Cam Philips is a heck of a wide receiver, but Clemson's defensive line can throw off the timing between quarterbacks and their wide receivers. This aspect of Clemson's defense will lead to a mistake or two from Virginia Tech's young quarterback, and the Tiger offense will capitalize on these extra opportunities.

Prediction:

Tonight's game is Clemson's first visit to Lane Stadium since registering a 23-3 win on October 1, 2011. That game, in a lot of respects, was Clemson and Dabo Swinney's coming out party. The ACC was on alert. Clemson's young talented starts took over in the second half and would beat Virginia Tech a second time that season to win the ACC Championship in Charlotte.

This season, Clemson's just the better team. The Tigers are going to be the best team on the field in every game they have remaining in the regular season. One thing we know, the best team doesn't always win, but I think Clemson's sleepy performance against Boston College probably came at a good time. 

© Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Caption

Had Clemson cruised to victory last weekend, this game could have been ripe for a letdown performance. I don't see that coming based on the previous week's early effort. 

Clemson's rushing attack and the elusiveness of Kelly Bryant will be too much for the Hokies. This one might be close at the half, but I expect the gap in talent and depth to be a factor.

The Tigers also have more weapons surrounding their starting quarterback, and that's why Virginia Tech will struggle to keep up with Clemson's ability to score.

The Hokies are 1-6 all-time against teams ranked No. 2 in the country. The lone victory was Tech’s 31-7 win over No. 2 Miami on November 1, 2003. I think they move to 1-7 all-time against the 2nd ranked team when this one comes to a close. 

Final Score Predictions:

Best Prediction = 3 Points        Correct Prediction = 1 Point