No. 19 Clemson looking to bounce back, focused on Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wasn’t particularly keen on rehashing his team’s loss to Louisville last week, discussing his chances of reaching the ACC Championship game, or talking about the recently released College Football Playoff rankings.
“I’m just trying to find a way to beat Virginia Tech,” Swinney said.
The No. 19 Tigers (6-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) play at Virginia Tech on Saturday after a 33-21 loss to the Cardinals in a game in which they dominated statistically. Clemson rushed for more than 200 yards, threw for more than 200, and did not commit a turnover. Yet the Tigers weren’t sharp defensively and had two field goals blocked in a game that marked their first ACC loss this season.
The Tigers still can advance to the ACC title game, but they need to win and need mishaps from Miami or SMU in the regular season’s final three weeks.
“Life is hard,” Swinney said. “Football is hard. Disappointment is hard. Failure is hard. It takes courage to keep going. When something doesn’t go your way, you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go.
“We don’t control our destiny anymore, but you know what we do control — our decision of what we do today. We still control our effort, our accountability, our attitude, and our work ethic. We control how we respond. We control all that.”
Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2) is also coming off a loss, having blown an 18-point, second-half lead in a 38-31 overtime setback at Syracuse last Saturday. The defeat continued the Hokies’ trend of losing close games — all four of their losses have been by seven points or less.
“We weren’t able to finish, which is something we’re addressing, and I’m reflecting on,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said. “We have to be better there, and it starts with me.”
The Hokies could take a big step toward salvaging their season with a victory over Clemson, but the Tigers have been their nemesis over the past decade. Clemson has beaten Virginia Tech six straight times.
“Looking at the film, arguably this is the best team we’ve played,” Pry said.
Injury report
The Hokies played without injured starting quarterback Kyron Drones and starting tailback Bhayshul Tuten against Syracuse and listed those two, along with cornerback Mansoor Delane, who was injured against the Orange, as questionable for Saturday’s game. Tuten ranks second in the ACC in rushing yards (951) and rushing touchdowns (12).
Pry sounded optimistic Wednesday about the status of all three.
“I think all three of them have a good chance,” he said. “To this point, the progression, I’m pleased with that.”
On the Clemson side, defensive linemen Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart and Tré Williams were injured against Louisville. Swinney said Capehart and cornerback Shelton Lewis are out, and said Woods and Williams were “day to day.”
Demanding better defense
The Tigers gave up 210 yards rushing and did not force a turnover in the loss to Louisville. They also did not have a sack, all of which Swinney pointed out at his news conference earlier in the week.
“I thought we got our butts kicked,” he said. “We didn’t play physical enough. Didn’t play hard enough. You just burn the tape.”
Now they face a Virginia Tech team averaging 201.4 yards rushing per game, which ranks 26th nationally.
“We’re going to have to be a lot better at doing what it takes to stop the run,” Swinney said. “It’s not complicated. We’ve got to do those little things better.”
Finding a way to close
Virginia Tech’s four losses have come by a total of 21 points. The Hokies have led going into the final two minutes of all four games.
“We’re looking at what we have to do to get over the top and have a closer’s mentality and finish these things out,” said Pry, who is 1-11 in one-score games at Virginia Tech. “We’re taking a hard look at it from a lot of angles.”
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