Tigers run past Tech 31-7

In a battle for ACC supremacy, the Jackets were manhandled by No. 12 Clemson 31-7.

The Jackets had a difficult time containing the Tigers rushing attack, as they amassed 321 yards against Tech's rush defense which was previously ranked No. 6 in the nation.

That rushing total is the highest allowed by Tech since 2004 at North Carolina in a losing effort where the Tech defense allowed 284 yards on the ground.

It's also the highest number of yards allowed in Jon Tenuta's tenure as defensive coordinator.

"They're a very physical football team. I said at the beginning of the week that these guys were the best football team we had faced top to bottom all season so far," said head coach Chan Gailey.

Clemson's defensive line was able to penetrate into the Jackets' offensive backfield for the majority of the evening.

Quarterback Reggie Ball had difficulty throwing the ball down field all night long as he was being chased around the pocket. For the night, Ball was 12-25 for 117 yards, while throwing a touchdown and an interception.

The Jackets went from the 13 minute mark of the first quarter until there were only three minutes left in the third quarter without picking up a first down. Tech's offense was held to 206 total yards for the game with only 88 of those on the ground.

The last time that the Jackets were held to under 100 yards rushing was in last year's 51-7 loss to Virginia Tech where they ran for only 74.

"We gave up a lot of big plays in the game. It hurts morale and it hurts momentum," Gailey said.

Another very noticeable problem for the Jackets was getting the ball into the hands of their best player, Calvin Johnson. He was thrown to four times during the game, but was held without a catch. It was the first time Johnson was held without a catch in his collegiate career, which spans 31 games.

While many will point to the number of times he was thrown to as the main reason why he was a non-factor, it may have had more to do with the lack of time that Ball had to deliver the pass.

"We [had] no rhythm. It seems like we have been in a rhythm every week so far, but they did a great job of keeping us out of rhythm with their pass rush. We will need to study film in order to make sure that this does not happen again," Gailey said.

The reason for Clemson's domination along the offensive and defensive lines may have resulted from the size differential between the two lines. The Tigers offensive line is anchored by four seniors and one junior. Clemson's starters average 314 lbs across the line. Senior left guard Roman Fry left the game after the third play with an apparent knee injury, and he was replaced by junior Chris McDuffie who is 6-foot-5 330 lbs. On the defensive line, the Tigers shortest player is 6-foot-4 and weighs 305 lbs.

In the first half, Clemson running back James Davis had ten more yards on the ground than the Jackets 79 total yards of offense.

On a more positive note, the Jackets were able to keep the Clemson passing attack in check.

For the first half, Clemson quarterback Will Proctor was 6-12, for 55 yards and threw one early interception.

While Clemson dominated the stat sheets early on, Tech was a field goal and a key tackle away from being tied 3-3 with the Tigers at halftime. Instead, Travis Bell hooked his early 37 yard field goal wide left and Clemson running back Davis broke safety Djay Jones' tackle at the Tech 2 yard line to score Clemson's first touchdown of the game.

In the second half, the Tigers continued to run the ball well and sealed the game up late in the third quarter when backup running back C.J. Spiller juked and ran 50 yards to the end zone to put the Tigers up 17-0.

"In the second half, they started doubling down on our tackles and got some movement on us. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make a play," said senior defensive tackle Joe Anoai.

While Tech was able to put together a drive early in the fourth quarter to make the game 17-7 on a miraculous 35 yard touchdown pass from Ball to James Johnson that bounced off of Clemson defender Crezdon Butler, it was not enough to bring the Jackets back into the game.

On the ensuing drive, Spiller again drove a dagger through the heart of the Jackets chances as he faked out both senior linebacker KaMichael Hall and senior cornerback Kenny Scott on a 50 yard scamper to the end zone after catching a screen pass out of the right flat.

It was the first and only pass completion of the second half for Clemson. The Tigers would go on to score once more to finish the game on a six yard touchdown run by James Davis.

All is not lost for the Jackets though. Tomorrow the team kicks off against Miami for Tech's homecoming. The winner of this game controls their own destiny. If Tech wins, they have a very good chance to play in the ACC championship and possibly get revenge against the Tigers on Dec. 2 in Jacksonville.

"We understand what is at stake, and we will prepare for Miami," Scott said.