A pair of ACC teams close out week 1 of the college football season with a neutral site contest down in Hotlanta. The #4 Clemson Tigers are the “road” team as they take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Monday night. Clemson finished the 2021 season 10-3 overall, capped by a 20-13 victory over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl, a far cry from what the Tigers have been accustomed to in recent years. Georgia Tech struggled again last season, finishing 3-9 to miss the postseason for the third straight season. In the all-time series between the teams, the Yellow Jackets own a 51-32-2 advantage but the Tigers have won seven straight meetings. That includes a 14-8 victory at home in the most recent matchup on September 18, 2021.
Clemson struggled last season despite their 10-3 record overall. The Tigers have won double-digit games every season since 2011 but playing the Cheez-It Bowl was a major step down after four CFP national title game appearances in the previous six years. They didn’t even win the ACC title last year, finishing 6-2 in conference play. On the plus side, Clemson brings back a ton of experience with seven starters on offense and six on defense. The flip side is that the Tigers have two new coordinators as Tony Elliott is now the head coach at Virginia while Brent Venables, who ran the defense, is running the show at Oklahoma. Pressure will be on Brandon Streeter, who was the QB coach, as the new offensive coordinator, and Wes Goodwin as the defensive coordinator, to get this team back up to par.
Last season, Clemson was 103rd in the nation in passing offense (191.2 yards per game) and 58 th in rushing offense with 168 yards per contest. The Tigers finished the year ranked 82nd in the FBS in scoring offense with 26.3 points per game last season. Clemson was 2nd in the nation in scoring defense by allowing only 14.8 points per game. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 208 of 374 passes for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 308 yards and four scores on the ground. Will Shipley led the ground game with 149 carries for 739 yards and 11scores. Kobe Pace (104 carries, 641 yards, six TD) and Phil Mafah (68 carries, 292 yards, three TD) are also in the mix. Joseph Ngata (23 catches, 438 yards, TD) and Beaux Collins (31 grabs, 407 yards, three TD) are the top two returning receivers for the program. Tight end Davis Allen (28 catches, 208 yards, three TD) is going to be a factor in the passing game as well. B.T. Potter hit all 38 extra point attempts and 21 of 26 field goal attempts with a long of 51 last season.