GT player predicts win over Clemson, other programs see Tigers as vulnerable

The ACC Kickoff is over, but the words from the two-day event could reverberate through some locker rooms in the future.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Jul 22 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

In honor of Shark Week, I can tell you that the teams in the ACC are acting like sharks that smell blood in the water, circling Clemson, waiting for a chance to pounce. I can also tell you that Clemson isn’t the chum the rest of the league thinks they are.

The just-concluded ACC Football Kickoff was an odd affair – Wednesday was when the Atlantic Division teams took center stage, but everyone walked around talking about ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips’ comments about gated neighborhoods.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of comments, including some pointed at Clemson. Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham has apparently been convinced by his coaches that the Tigers won last season’s game because of stolen signals.

I guess the Tigers weren’t able to steal signals on the touchdown drive when Louisville went ahead 24-17 in the third quarter. Or on the next drive, a 13-play, 65-yard effort that took almost seven minutes off the clock. I am guessing stolen signals caused a missed field goal at the end of the drive.

But maybe they were stolen on the next two drives when the Cardinal playcalling went into a shell and ran eight plays that turned into negative one yard. Or on the next two drives that saw the Cardinals move the ball with ease at times, but struggled to close drives because Brent Venables called blitzes – one that ended with a James Skalski sack and one that ended with an Andrew Mukuba sack.

But that shows that the rest of the league is going to hang onto any shred of belief that the Tigers’ run, which ended last season and saw an underwhelming Wake Forest team win the Atlantic, is really over. Miami players have revenge on their minds this season, hoping to avenge losses to Florida State and UNC from last season, but they are also pointing to big games at Texas A&M (week three) and at Clemson (the 11th game) as benchmarks for what they hope is the beginning of the rise to the top.

And, after speaking with new Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his players, there is no doubt that things have changed in Coral Gables. Cristobal is no nonsense, a disciple of Nick Saban, and he’s quickly done away with the nonsensical turnover chain.

He coached at Alabama from 2013-2016 and saw the Tigers up close in two National Championship games.

“If not for a couple of spectacular special teams plays (in the first game in Phoenix), who knows how that could’ve gone, right?” Cristobal said. “A surprise onside kick and a kickoff return for a touchdown. It’s a game-changer. And then a year later, a very tight game as well that went down to the wire and Clemson won. He’s (Swinney) built a great program. He’s certainly set a very high standard for their program and for the conference. He’s done a great job.”

It will be interesting to see the final preseason ACC voting – will Clemson garner enough votes to be picked first? A lot of the writers I spoke with are picking dangerous NC State, which returns dynamic quarterback Devin Leary and an outstanding defensive leader in linebacker Payton Wilson. Some think that Wake Forest, with 19th-year (it only seems that way) quarterback Sam Hartman, will once again challenge for the title.

But it was Georgia Tech defensive back Zamari Walton who put an exclamation point on the day by saying he believes his team can knock off Clemson in Atlanta on Labor Day. His quote wasn’t meant as bulletin board material and he wasn’t throwing shots at Clemson, but a belief in his team. He then said that the loss to Clemson last season (a 14-8 Clemson win) has motivated his team.

“It’s very exciting. I think the team knows how much of a big deal it is right now,” Walton said. “Last season we lost by single digits and that’s been burning in my soul. So I know we will be ready. I am definitely excited to play against Clemson in week one. They have good coaching and they’ve had generational quarterbacks and that has been one of their big things. They stick to their plan and they are a very disciplined team.

“But I definitely think this is our team. If you look at the last three years, we have been improving every year and I think this fourth year is our breakout year. It’s going to be a shocker. My prediction is we are going to win. I don’t know what the score is going to be, but I definitely have Georgia Tech on top.”

Clemson defensive end KJ Henry hears all of the remarks and he knows other programs think Clemson is on the decline. And he’s ok with that.

“In this line of business, and playing the sport we do, it is about proving people right or proving people wrong,” Henry said. “That is what every opinion allows us to do. Either prove you right or prove you wrong. It is as simple as we see it, and now we are going to file it away.

“It is on-going. It never stops. It is always something new. We are never going to be good enough. None of us are perfect. It is amazing to see people trying to critique us on what we have been doing our whole life. We love that, though. It is kind of a kick that you get out of it. More than anything, it keeps you humble. For a lot of us it keeps that drive.”

Chum in the water? Not yet.