I like the guys Clemson has on offense (is Will Shipley returning?) and you know Clemson will be loaded on D. Do you think Clemson stands a good chance?

(01-17-2024 01:01 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  I like the guys Clemson has on offense (is Will Shipley returning?) and you know Clemson will be loaded on D. Do you think Clemson stands a good chance?

Shipley has declared for the NFL. Clemson will have a good RB (Mafah) and some interesting backups at RB. With Matt Luke as the new OL coach, there is cautious optimism that the OL will be better and more consistent. The WR room should be improved with some injured players returning and an expected talent infusion from the two newcomers. The big question is whether Klubnik will show improvement. Most of his issues seem to be on the mental side so we will have to wait and see. If Klubnik can show improvement then Clemson's offense has a chance to be pretty decent.

On defense, Clemson should be good. They will have some question marks in the secondary (talented but inexperienced). Linebacker and DT should be fine. DE is the one spot that could be real iffy.

I think Clemson can beat UGA but a lot of things will need to fall into place. At this point though, I would guess that UGA will end up winning by around 2 TD's.

(01-17-2024 01:01 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  I like the guys Clemson has on offense (is Will Shipley returning?) and you know Clemson will be loaded on D. Do you think Clemson stands a good chance?

As an UGA fan, I can tell you right now that Coach Kirby Smart would tell you that Clemson stands a good chance of upsetting UGA, especially so if UGA doesn't focus on Clemson. If UGA focuses on Clemson, they can blow them out, IMO. Every team has potential, even the GnaTs (aka Tech). I think Duke proved that to be the case last season: never take a win for granted.

(01-17-2024 01:29 PM)PAW79 Wrote:  

(01-17-2024 01:01 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  I like the guys Clemson has on offense (is Will Shipley returning?) and you know Clemson will be loaded on D. Do you think Clemson stands a good chance?

Shipley has declared for the NFL. Clemson will have a good RB (Mafah) and some interesting backups at RB. With Matt Luke as the new OL coach, there is cautious optimism that the OL will be better and more consistent. The WR room should be improved with some injured players returning and an expected talent infusion from the two newcomers. The big question is whether Klubnik will show improvement. Most of his issues seem to be on the mental side so we will have to wait and see. If Klubnik can show improvement then Clemson's offense has a chance to be pretty decent.

On defense, Clemson should be good. They will have some question marks in the secondary (talented but inexperienced). Linebacker and DT should be fine. DE is the one spot that could be real iffy.

I think Clemson can beat UGA but a lot of things will need to fall into place. At this point though, I would guess that UGA will end up winning by around 2 TD's.

mental side

He reminds me of several Wolfpack QB's who were good but not great and the common thread was mental processing speed. Not that they were "dumb" or really even "slow" but not at top 10-15 NCAA speed. 2 tenths of a second is enough of a deficit to fail against a top 25 defense. I've never seen a QB get faster with experience.

When it came to mental processing speed against the events on the field, NC State's best were:

1. Russel Wilson
2. Phillip Rivers
3. Erik Kramer
4. Roman Gabriel
5. Jacoby Brissett
6. Ryan Finley
7. Mike Glennon

I peg Clemson's faster mental processing QB's as:

Trevor Lawrence
Deshaun Watson
Steve Fuller
Homer Jordan
Tajh Boyd
Woody Dantzler

Klubnick seems 2-3 tenths slower than all these guys. That puts you at a disadvantage against FSU and Georgia this fall. NC State can't replace Payton Wilson so it will not be an issue in the other 10 games.

(01-17-2024 05:19 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(01-17-2024 01:01 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  I like the guys Clemson has on offense (is Will Shipley returning?) and you know Clemson will be loaded on D. Do you think Clemson stands a good chance?

As an UGA fan, I can tell you right now that Coach Kirby Smart would tell you that Clemson stands a good chance of upsetting UGA, especially so if UGA doesn't focus on Clemson. If UGA focuses on Clemson, they can blow them out, IMO. Every team has potential, even the GnaTs (aka Tech). I think Duke proved that to be the case last season: never take a win for granted.

You really expect UGa to be focused on next weeks game with Tennessee Tech?