Clemson’s New Year’s resolution: Stop the run

By Lee Roberts  |   Wednesday, December 31, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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After losing to Florida State earlier this season to drop to 4-5, few people expected the Clemson Tigers to be playing in a New Year’s Day bowl game. Three straight dominating wins later, and here they are waiting to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Gator Bowl. The Tigers hope their roller-coaster season ends at an apex with a win over Nebraska. If that happens, it will be because the Clemson defense rose to the occasion.

In the team's three-game winning streak to close out the regular season, the Clemson defense held its opponents to only eight points per contest. Granted, Duke, Virginia and South Carolina aren’t exactly challenging Oklahoma for offensive productivity, but considering the Tigers allowed an average of 27.6 points in the three previous games, it was a welcome change.

The Tigers' defense was stout for most of the season, aside from that three-game stretch, and finished 10th in the nation in points allowed. Of course, it hasn’t faced an offense as potent as the Cornhuskers’ this season.

Nebraska averaged 458.3 yards and 36.2 points per game during the regular season, good for 12th and 17th in the nation, respectively. While overshadowed by his fellow Big XII quarterbacks, Joe Ganz -- who completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,332 yards and 23 touchdowns -- put up a tremendous season.

Nebraska was no slouch on the ground, either, rushing for 173.5 yards per game. Nebraska’s four losses came against Oklahoma, Missouri, ACC champion Virginia Tech and Texas Tech in overtime. The Huskers have faced top teams and moved the ball, but one common denominator in the losses is the lack of offensive balance. Throwing out the Oklahoma game that saw Nebraska get beaten handily, the Huskers lacked a prominent running game in their losses. Against Virginia Tech and Missouri, the Huskers failed to gain 100 yards on the ground.

If Clemson can shut down Nebraska’s running game, it should win the game. Nebraska will use the run to set up the passing game. If you don’t allow Ganz to use play-action and have receivers in one-on-one situations, it will be extremely difficult for him to pick apart the Tigers’ defense.

Many people debated whether Clemson deserved to be playing in the Gator Bowl after a 7-5 season which included two wins over FCS opponents. If Clemson shuts down Nebraska’s running game, it’ll be victorious and will validate its invitation to the Gator Bowl. It will also go a long way in validating the hiring of Dabo Swinney – another questionable decision. With so many question marks surrounding this game, Clemson can rely on its defense to provide the answers.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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