Clemson’s senior class looks to make history Saturday when they travel to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Only once in the long history of this rivalry has a Clemson senior class gone 4-0 against the Yellow Jackets. The only time it has happened came in 1996 when the ’96 seniors won four straight against Georgia Tech.
Clemson is also going for back-to-back wins at Bobby Dodd Stadium since they won two straight games there in 2001 and 2003 in the Atlanta-based Stadium.
Game information:
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta
Records: Clemson 3-0, 0-0 ACC; Georgia Tech 1-2, 0-1 ACC
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Radio: 105.5 in the Upstate (Clemson Tigers Radio Network); Sirius XM Radio Ch. 193
Latest Line: Clemson (minus-16)
Series: Georgia Tech leads 51-30-2
Last year: Clemson won 24-10 at Death Valley
Streak: Clemson has won three straight games
Three story lines
Conference play has arrived for No. 2 Clemson. This will mark the seventh straight year Dabo Swinney’s team has started their ACC season on the road. The Tigers are 4-2 during this current run.
Clemson has won each of their last three conference openers, and with a victory on Saturday, the 2018 seniors can become Clemson’s first senior class to sweep their conference openers since 2005.
A victory on Saturday would make Dabo Swinney the first Clemson coach to beat Georgia Tech four consecutive times. In the previous two Clemson four-game winning streaks in the series, Clemson had multiple coaches. Clemson also won four straight from 1898-’03.
Georgia Tech players to watch
Taquon Marshall, QB: Despite missing significant time in the second half due to a lower-body injury on Sept. 8 at USF, Marshall passed for a career-high 183 yards and ran for 113 more. It marked the third time in his career that he rushed and passed for at least 100 yards in the same game, the seventh time that he has rushed and passed for a touchdown in the same game and the seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career. Marshall also had the longest completion of his career at USF, an 81-yard touchdown strike to senior AB Clinton Lynch.
Jordan Mason, RB: He has taken over for running back KirVonte Benson, who suffered a season-ending injury against USF in Week 2.
David Curry, LB: After missing the entire 2017 season due to a foot injury, junior inside linebacker David Curry is tied for Georgia Tech’s team lead with 12 tackles on the young season.
Georgia Tech scouting report
Georgia Tech is ranked No. 1 nationally in rushing offense with 392.7 yards per game, 34.7 yards per game more than the next-closest team, Navy (358.0 ypg).
Georgia Tech is one of eight teams that currently ranks among the nation’s top 25 in both total offense (21st – 510.3 yards per game) and total defense (23rd – 302.3 ypg) this season. Joining the Yellow Jackets on the list is this week’s opponent, Clemson (20th in total offense – 513.0 ypg, 10th in total defense – 268.0 ypg), as well as Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Mississippi State, North Texas, Oklahoma State and Washington State.
Sophomore running back Travis Etienne ranks eighth in the ACC and 36th nationally with 269 rushing yards this season.