In one hundred days thousands of fans will be making the trip up I-85 South into the Peach State destined for the Mercedes Benz Stadium in anticipation of the start of the 2022 Football opener. The Tigers are set to play ACC foe Georgia Tech in the Chic-Fil-A Kickoff Classic. A sizable amount of Orange and Purple will invade Fulton County and the City of Atlanta Two Dollar Bills In Hand. It will have been two hundred fifty days since the Tigers walked off the turf in Orlando after dispatching Big 12 opponent Iowa State in the Cheez-it Bowl.
Last year, Clemson had a down year by their standards. A 10-3 season would be a fantastic season to most other programs, especially for that trainwreck in the center of the state. In 100 days, this team will set out to right the ship, so to speak, and get back on track. Too many people are down on this team but they are going to change their tune this year…….in 100 days.
In 100 days, Georgia Tech is going to “welcome” a mad Clemson team on a Monday night. My guess is, about half the stadium will be leaving around midway through the 3rd quarter.
The Yellow Jackets are depleted in a way. Last year, Clemson eked out a 14-8 win in a game they were expected to win handily. They didn’t and thus began the “Clemson is done. The Dynasty is over” rhetoric. It took the Tigers 7 games before the offense started to click. The Tigers can’t let that happen again.
GT didn’t get into the endzone last year against the Tigers and I wouldn’t expect much from them again this year. Starting quarterback Jordan Yates transferred, as did one of the top up and coming RBs in the ACC, Jahmyr Gibbs. What will we see in 100 days?
Hopefully, the injury bug will bother someone else this year and the wide receiver group will be healthy enough to make a difference. The spring game did not really highlight the passing game as much as Clemson fans would have liked. However, it was a split group and we are all anxious to see who runs out there first against this yellow jacket defense. Joe Ngata, EJ Williams and Robbie Spector need to shake off injuries and start making a difference. Add Will Taylor and Troy Stellato to that list, and there is a lot to make up for. Sophomores Dacari and Beaux Collins picked up the slack, and they return bigger, stronger and experienced. Throw in freshmen Adam Randall and Antonio Williams and this unit will make all the difference in the world to the offense, which struggled all year long.
Coach Geoff Collins’ team struggled last year offensively as well, averaging 23.8 points a game. GT’s recruiting class is ranked 53rd for 2022, so Collins hit the transfer portal, some Clemson fans so badly want Dabo to do. For 2022, GT brought in seven transfers, one of which is former Clemson OT Paul Tchio.
Returning production analysis for both teams should be a tell-all on how this game might turn out.
Clemson is ranked 42nd with 72% of the team’s production returning. This breaks out to 84% of the offense coming back, ranking 17th in the country. Defensively, the numbers show only 61% returning and ranked 89th in that category. The defensive number is based on losing LBs James Skalski and Baylon Spector, as well as cornerbacks Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich, and safety Nolan Turner. What the number doesn’t take into account is the outstanding talent replacing the five starters and the return of DL Bryan Bresee.
Georgia Tech’s overall returning production is ranked 109 with 56%. Offensively, the offensive returns 58% of it’s production (ranking 88th), and 54% of their defense (ranked 110th). With a recruiting class ranking 53rd according to 247, and losing several major producers on both sides of the ball, it is not looking pretty for Coach Collins and his yellow jackets.
