Keys to Victory: No. 2 Clemson vs. Georgia Southern

Even with Hurricane Florence's arrival looming Clemson and Georgia Southern will still square off in Death Valley at noon. The matchup between the Tigers and the Eagles is the only game scheduled in the Palmetto State this Saturday.

The Match Up:

#2 Clemson (2-0, 0-0) vs Georgia Southern (2-0, 0-0)

Georgia Southern Highlights:

All-Time Series:

This is the first meeting between Clemson and Georgia Southern.

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Stat of the Week:

Clemson's success in a close game against Texas A&M was not an anomaly. Since 2011, Clemson is 23-4 in games decided by eight points or less. Clemson's 85.2 winning percentage in those contests is the best in the nation.

Key 1: Win the turnover battle

While all football coaches preach the importance of ball security, it may be at a premium on Saturday, as Clemson (zero) and Georgia Southern (one) have combined for only one turnover this season.

In fact, Clemson enters the week as one of only five schools with zero turnovers this season and one of just three schools (LSU and Tennessee) who has played two games and have not turned the ball over.

If there is a light mist or even rain during the contest controlling the football will be more difficult. While Georgia Southern loves the option game, that play puts the wall in peril more frequently than your traditional rushing attack. One thing is true however, sloppy weather can tend to play into the favor of a team that likes to pound the football on the ground. 

Fortunately for Clemson, the erratic winds with gusts are not likely to impact the contest keeping the Tigers offense in full gear. Much like two weeks ago, we expect Clemson to have its way with an undermanned opponent inside Death Valley.

Key 2: Dominate the line of scrimmage

Last weekend in College Station, the Clemson Tiger defense was picked apart in the second half by the Aggies. During the off-season Coach Swinney talked about the fact that the front four on the defensive line looked really good on magazines, but their performance would ultimately tell the story. In the second half against Texas A&M, the four potential first-round draft picks failed to shake up A&M's momentum.

While Georgia Southern presents a completely different style attack than the Aggies, eliminating what the Eagles like to do most, which is rushing the football, would be ideal. The Eagles rank fourth in the FBS with 326.5 rushing yards per game, while Clemson has allowed just 94.0 rushing yards per game. Clemson held both of its first two opponents to 2.2 yards per attempt and would love to stifle the Eagles ground game.

Clemson has the luxury of a deep rotation on the defensive side of the ball and the players coming in off the bench are tremendous athletes as well. This matchup with Georgia Southern should be a nice tune-up for what Clemson will face in Atlanta next weekend from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Key 3: Stay healthy

Given the fact that the rest of the teams in North and South Carolina both decided not to play their games it would seem of the utmost importance that the Tigers remain healthy coming after this tilt with Georgia Southern.

Two weeks ago when Clemson hosted Furman, this was one of our keys to the game as well. Not because you expect the Tigers to be beaten this week by an injury, but any injury that looms into the next couple of weeks or throughout the remainder of the season could be a significant issue.

Unlike the Furman game, the field conditions are probably going to damp at some point during the day, and while we don't expect buckets of rain until Sunday, any issues with footing could cause a multitude of injuries if the players aren't careful.

Prediction:

This will be a fun game for everybody that's in attendance simply because it's Georgia Southern's first visit to Death Valley. Outside of that, we'd be shocked if this becomes one of those upset specials that schools like Appalachian State have pulled off before. Heck, back in 2013 Georgia Southern went "The Swamp" and knocked off Florida.

Clemson's just far too powerful, far too fast, and far too focused to allow Georgia Southern to sneak out of Death Valley with a victory. The weather won't be perfect, and neither will the play but we expect Clemson to win big.

Final Score Predictions: 

Perfect Prediction = 5 points              Best Prediction = 3 Points         Correct Prediction = 1 Point 

**Pick of the Week: Indicates which week each picker made the best prediction.