Earlier this week Will Vandervort and I talked about how tough it has been in years past to snatch a victory from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on their home turf.

We made jokes about the ghost of Bobby Dodd being the reason for unexplained mishaps in previous meetings between the boys in orange and the Ramblin’ Wreck.

I strongly believe that the greatest thing that could’ve happened did happen when Clemson hired current defensive coordinator Brent Venables in 2012. The discipline he has instilled in his group of warriors would rival some of the best units in the armed forces. Each guy does his job so that the next man may do his. If one guy is out of line or undisciplined it could cause serious ramifications for the whole group.

The defense plays with their heads, hands, and eyes, mix that with a front four the controls the line of scrimmage and you get a group that wreaks havoc. Accountability to one’s self is the reason that this defense has bottled up anything that Paul Johnson may have drawn up in the game plan.

Until Brent leaves Paul Johnson will have to continue licking his wounds when they match up against the Tigers. The offensive line continued their ascension and picked up where they left off from last week’s game against Georgia Southern. They gave their backs a little bit of wiggle room and gave the quarterbacks adequate time to throw the football, that’s all one can really ask for. It may be all they need when you look at the skill set that surrounds this offense. Weapons absolutely everywhere.

This team is getting more and more comfortable and it shows on tape. Trevor Lawrence can place the ball as good as anybody in the country looking as if he’s playing with darts instead of a football. I was in awe when I looked at how Trevor operated the 2-minute drill right before the half. You’re hard pressed to draw it up like that let alone have a true freshman lead it as efficiently as he did. It was beautiful altogether. He made smart decisions with the ball, stayed cool as a Capri Sun, ran when needed and ultimately put points on the board.

As he continues to get reps, the guys around him grow more and more confident in his abilities and it is a scary sight when you realize that we don’t really know what his ceiling looks like.

I will say this about the quarterback situation. Kelly Bryant is a very, very capable quarterback. Regardless of how this race continues to play out if the Tigers want to make this team a championship contender this year than KB2 will have to be a big part of it. He played two series before being relieved of his duties for the remainder of the first half.

Here is something that I’ll share. When the game plan is being put together throughout the course of the week there’s an order to it. One of the main pieces in play is putting together the first nine. Yep that’s right the first nine plays of the game.

The aim for that is to put in different packages, formations, and plays to force the defense to show you how they are going to play you in certain looks. That being said, the goal of the first nine at least when I was there was to be the building blocks for the rest of the game plan not necessarily putting points on the board. He managed and led an effective drive in the second half that resulted in a touchdown.

The fact that he still comes in head high after not playing after the second series shows everyone what kind of leader he is. Being in the position that he’s in and still maintaining and displaying positive vibes is a lot easier said than done. For that I applaud him because I know many that wouldn’t be as graceful as he’s been.

I believe this is a special team surrounded by unbelievable people. Every week is a one game season and in order to get to where they want to go they are going to have to have all hands on deck. From one tiger to another.