Bowl eligibility is at stake as Clemson hosts Georgia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday in South Carolina.
Both teams are coming off their fifth victories of the season as Clemson (5-4, 2-4) notched an upset of Notre Dame while Georgia Tech (5-4, 4-2) soundly beat Virginia.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets are still in the hunt for a berth in the ACC championship game, as they are in third place in the conference, just one loss behind second-place Louisville.
Saturday will mark the second of three straight home games for the Tigers in Clemson, S.C. Last week, the Tigers were powered by running back Phil Mafah, who ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-23 win over the then-No. 15 Irish.
Clemson’s defense shined, too, picking off Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman twice. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who was named a semifinalist this week for the Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
“We made plays all around and created havoc,” Trotter said. “I am really glad we were able to do that. I am really proud of my guys.”
While Mafah had a standout game, Clemson could get running back Will Shipley (concussion) back in the lineup this week. Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley said coaches will manage Shipley’s carries if he returns against Georgia Tech.
“You got to do a good job of kind of charting the touches and the amount of plays that they have,” Riley said.
Georgia Tech has won three of its last four games and totaled 514 yards of offense in a 45-17 victory over Virginia last week. Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King had 291 yards of total offense, rushing for two scores and throwing for one touchdown.
“We’ve got to stay with our foot on the gas and continue to get better every week,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “We got a tough stretch of the season — we really do.”
Clemson has an eight-game winning streak against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have not won at Clemson since 2008.
–Field Level Media
