Homecoming Havoc: Clemson hosts Ramblin’ Wreck

By Stephen Jerdan  |   Wednesday, October 18, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

Clemson Tigers
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In what will surely be a battle between two of college football's most balanced teams in Saturday's primetime television slot, the No. 12 Clemson Tigers will host the No. 13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a game that will, in all likelihood, determine who will make an appearance in Jacksonville's ACC Championship Game.

Clemson, currently 6-1 (3-1), will enter Saturday's historically close rivalry with, arguably, the nation's most dominating offense. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring offense with an outstanding 43.9 points per game, and are averaging just over 250 rushing yards per game.

Leading the ACC's top offense are three of the conference's best position players in QB Will Proctor and running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller.

Proctor, a fifth-year senior and first-year starter, has outperformed preseason expectations and fit into coordinator Rob Spence's offense like a kid in a candy store. Proctor has dissolved all doubts by connecting on 96 of his 151 passes for 1,302 yards and 10 scores thus far. In addition to his deadly accurate arm, the senior also has the natural ability to scramble, and has rapidly become the Tigers' vocal leader.

Davis has, unquestionably, been the star of the Tigers' prolific offense, as well as a mentor to Spiller, a fellow halfback. Not only does Davis have 118 carries for a lengthy 745 yards - an average of 6.3 yards per carry - but the sophomore stud also leads the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns.

Though Davis is the proven starter and leading producer of the offense, Spiller, a freshman phenom, has proved invaluable to Tommy Bowden's Tigers. On 61 carries this season, Spiller has produced 407 yards and six touchdowns, and an additional 11 receptions for 134 yards and a score. Spiller's most notable play came against Wake Forest, when the young back raced 72 yards for the game-winning touchdown run.

Although the offense, namely the rushing game, has been the highlight of Bowden's Tigers, Clemson also has a defense comparable to a wrecking ball. The Tigers rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense, sixth in rush defense, and fourth in total defense, and are led by pre-season All-American and defensive leader Gaines Adams.

Adams has been a force to be reckoned with in the backfield this season. The senior defensive end enters Saturday's contest with 7.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, as well as a season-saving fumble recovery for a touchdown against Wake Forest that sparked a 24-point fourth-quarter Clemson comeback.

The Tigers' defense is guaranteed to be tested, however, with a pair of stars in all-world wideout Calvin Johnson and dual-threat QB Reggie Ball.

Johnson, a junior, currently sits second in the nation in receiving touchdowns with a career-best eight scores. The 6-foot-5 All-American has tallied 2,284 yards and 21 touchdowns in two and a half seasons in a Tech uniform, and has accounted for 44% of receptions, 55% of receiving yards and 80% of receiving touchdowns for the Ramblin' Wreck this season.

Ball, a four-year starter, has already accounted for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, including rushing for 315 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Though Ball has proven inconsistent in years past, the senior has led the Jackets to a 5-1 (2-0) record and appears more poised than ever.

More influential than individual stats, however, is the recent history in this 70-year-old border war.

In what has proven to be an abnormally intense rivalry, 13 of the last 16 games played between Clemson and Georgia Tech have been decided by five points or less. Moreover, six of the last 10 have been decided by only a field goal.

Additionally, Tech holds a 22-game lead in the overall series, but the two schools have split the rivalry with each laying claim to a 14-14-1 record since 1972.

This year's contest, though, will have more implications than ever before.

In what could very well be a preview of the ACC Championship Game, the Jackets and the Tigers will each be fighting for the lead in their respective divisions. While the winner of Saturday's matchup will likely stamp their ticket to Jacksonville, the other will almost surely fall into a pit of jeopardy in a conference where anything can happen at this point.

Add in a first-ever visit from ESPN's College Gameday (the nation's most popular pregame show), Clemson's elaborate and elegant homecoming celebrations, and national TV exposure to a heated rivalry with conference championship implications, and you have the recipe for what will surely be the ACC's game of the year.

Though Saturday's matchup will likely be a nail-biter, the Tigers should come out on top when all is said and done. Homecoming revels will have Tiger Nation riled, and a sold-out Death Valley will, as always, prove to be one of college football's most hostile environments.

While Tech has an arsenal of offensive weapons and a five-game winning streak, the Tiger offense, which has scored at least 50 points in four separate games this season, and an aggressive home environment will likely prove to be too much, and the Clemson Tigers should all but cement their trip to the ACC Championship Game.
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