TexansSeminole
Hall of Fame
#5 Florida State @ #3 Clemson
8 PM EST
PREVIEW
I can't tell you how pumped I am for this game. It is the biggest ACC game in a long time and the first top 5 matchup of the college football season. Both programs have a great team this time around and it should be a fun game to watch. NFL talent will be on display all over the field in this one.
For the Florida State offense, it starts with redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston. If you haven't had a chance to watch this guy play, do your self a favor and watch his first big game tonight. The guy is having a fantastic season. In five games he has thrown for 1,441 yards at 11.72 yards per attempt and a 73% completion rate. He has thrown 17 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions, and also has 2 TDs on the ground. We'll see how he plays in this one.
Watch out for LT Cameron Erving, WRs Kenny Shaw, Kelvin Benjamin, and Rashad Greene, RBs James Wilder, Devonta Freeman, and Karlos Williams when Florida State is on offense. Williams was the #1 safety coming out of high school and just recently moved to RB. He ran for a 60-something yard TD on his first career carry. That guy is explosive and could be a difference maker in this game. On defense, #7 Christian Jones is a heck of an ILB. If you are scouting inside linebackers for the Texans this year, check this guy out. He fits the 3-4 ILB role perfectly. DT Timmy Jernigan is another projected first rounder to watch.
For Clemson, it's all about QB Tajh Boyd, WR Sammy Watkins, and pass rusher Vic Beasley. Boyd has thrown for 1,783 yards at 9.64 yards per attempt and a 66.5% completion percentage through six games. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions, and has also run for 5 TDs. I expect Boyd and Watkins (582 yards and 4 TDs) to be effective. FSU has some nice players in the secondary, but almost all of them are young and relatively inexperienced. The Beasley vs. Erving matchup should also be intriguing as both are projected first rounders.
Go Noles!
8 PM EST
PREVIEW
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- After Clemson's great escape against Boston College, the third-ranked Tigers can finally focus on No. 5 Florida State and the Atlantic Coast Conference's first top-five showdown in eight years.
"It may be the biggest game in ACC history. We don't know," said defensive end Vic Beasley, who had a big scoop-and-score TD in the Tigers' 24-14 victory Saturday. "But our goal is to win a national championship."
It's the league's first matchup of top-five teams since No. 5 Miami defeated third-ranked Virginia Tech 27-7 in 2005. And Saturday night's winner in Death Valley will have another impressive line on its resume for the hunt for the national title.
"Obviously, we know it's a big game, got a lot of national relevance, conference relevance and all that," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday.
The Seminoles (5-0, 3-0) are well rested and confident, coming off a 63-0 victory over Maryland and then an open date last weekend. Clemson needed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to remain undefeated.
Tajh Boyd rushed for a 6-yard score with 13:44 left to put the Tigers (6-0, 4-0) ahead for good. Linebacker Tony Steward sacked Eagles quarterback Chase Rettig, who coughed up the ball into Beasley's waiting arms for a 13-yard touchdown.
When the final seconds ticked off, Clemson's players could finally do what many fans have since the Tigers opened with a 38-35 victory over then fifth-ranked Georgia on Aug. 31 -- talk about Florida State.
"Last year they got us, but I feel like we should have won. We're looking for payback," said Beasley, who has a career-best nine sacks so far this season.
Clemson was ahead 27-13 in Tallahassee last season in another top-10 matchup when the Seminoles rallied for a 49-37 victory.
I can't tell you how pumped I am for this game. It is the biggest ACC game in a long time and the first top 5 matchup of the college football season. Both programs have a great team this time around and it should be a fun game to watch. NFL talent will be on display all over the field in this one.
For the Florida State offense, it starts with redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston. If you haven't had a chance to watch this guy play, do your self a favor and watch his first big game tonight. The guy is having a fantastic season. In five games he has thrown for 1,441 yards at 11.72 yards per attempt and a 73% completion rate. He has thrown 17 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions, and also has 2 TDs on the ground. We'll see how he plays in this one.
Watch out for LT Cameron Erving, WRs Kenny Shaw, Kelvin Benjamin, and Rashad Greene, RBs James Wilder, Devonta Freeman, and Karlos Williams when Florida State is on offense. Williams was the #1 safety coming out of high school and just recently moved to RB. He ran for a 60-something yard TD on his first career carry. That guy is explosive and could be a difference maker in this game. On defense, #7 Christian Jones is a heck of an ILB. If you are scouting inside linebackers for the Texans this year, check this guy out. He fits the 3-4 ILB role perfectly. DT Timmy Jernigan is another projected first rounder to watch.
For Clemson, it's all about QB Tajh Boyd, WR Sammy Watkins, and pass rusher Vic Beasley. Boyd has thrown for 1,783 yards at 9.64 yards per attempt and a 66.5% completion percentage through six games. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions, and has also run for 5 TDs. I expect Boyd and Watkins (582 yards and 4 TDs) to be effective. FSU has some nice players in the secondary, but almost all of them are young and relatively inexperienced. The Beasley vs. Erving matchup should also be intriguing as both are projected first rounders.
Go Noles!