Finally, a night game in the Valley.
I can hardly contain my excitement. Neither can any other Clemson fans I’ve spoken with, so this should be testament to how truly electrifying the atmosphere will be tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow’s game has been dubbed “Solid Orange.” All fans have been instructed to wear orange from head to toe, and the players will be in all orange as well.
Though as of yesterday there were still 5,000 tickets for sale, I’m sure the seats will be brimming with plenty of excitement and plenty of noise. It will be close to sold out come gametime. I believe the surplus of unsold tickets has to do with the lateness of the game (out of towners might’ve been put off by booking hotels in Clemson), and the fact that Florida State typically takes 7,000 tickets but only took 4,000 this year.
After all, this is a BIG GAME. Clemson’s future in the Tampa Bay race hinges on this game. The Clemson/FSU rivalry is always a great competition, too.
This year, the Atlantic Division rivalry is definitely tipped in Clemson’s favor.
Here’s why:
1. Clemson has a huge homefield advantage. When I attended the ACC Media Conference, I asked every player I spoke with which ACC venue was the hardest place to play. Every single one said Death Valley. They attributed it to the outrageous noise levels and the intimidating amounts of Clemson orange. Tomorrow will be no different. In addition, Bobby Bowden has lost his last three games in Death Valley. And though Clemson lost 41-27 in Tallahassee last year, Clemson was only down by one touchdown with a minute to go. FSU scored again when Clemson failed to recover an onside kick, making the 14-point lead the largest deficit in Coach Swinney’s 15-game coaching career. Coach Swinney’s probably ready for a bit of retaliation on his home turf.
2. Florida State’s only strength is its offense, but Clemson’s big strength is its defense. Sure, Christian Ponder might average 309 passing yards a game. But DeAndre McDaniel is leading the country in interceptions. The rest of the secondary ain’t too shabby, either. And if Ponder decides to hang onto the ball and run it himself, God help him. While Da’Quan Bowers is not going to play tomorrow due to injury, his back-up, Malachiah Goodman, has seen plenty of snaps. There’s good depth on the defensive line. Ricky Sapp and Brandon Maye will be ready to take Ponder down any moment, too, and given the situation with Ponder’s bruised ribs, FSU better hope one of those guys doesn’t give him a good lick early and either a) put him out of the game entirely or b) severely limit his mobility.
3. Clemson’s weaknesses are made strengths by Florida State’s weaknesses. For example, Clemson’s offensive line can often be a wild card, but Florida State’s defensive line is worse. Apparently, they’ll also be without DT Budd Thacker and DE DeKoda Watson. And while Clemson has young WRs and a freshman QB in Kyle Parker who can sometimes be inconsistent, FSU’s youthful secondary has failed to emerge yet this season.
4. FSU may not kick it to Spiller, but there’s always Jacoby Ford. Bobby Bowden has said publicly that the Seminoles aren’t going to kick it to C.J. Spiller, and if they do, it’s a mistake. However, I’m pretty certain that Randy Shannon didn’t intend to kick it to Spiller as much as the ‘Canes did, either; but the ball seems to go to C.J. Spiller like a magnet. After all, the guy’s a superhero! Even if Spiller doesn’t get his hands on the ball to take a kick return 60+ yards into the endzone, there’s always the equally lightning-fast Jacoby Ford returning kicks alongside Spiller. This paired with FSU’s lacking special teams coverage in recent years seems to be a definite advantage for the Tigers.
(Sidenote: Spiller only needs one kick return for a touchdown to establish the all-time NCAA record.)
5. Oh, and did I mention Clemson has C.J. Spiller? Expect Spiller to have a huge game tomorrow night. While he shines on a weekly basis, he shined even brighter when in the national spotlight in the televised Clemson/Miami game. Tomorrow night, Clemson is host to ESPN’s primetime game. It’s the first nationally televised night game in Death Valley in a couple of years. This paired with C.J.’s motivation to silence the “Spiller for Heisman” critics will absolutely light #28 on fire. I’ll be interested to see how well the Seminole defense’s attempts to stop him will work.
Final prediction: Clemson 38-24.