Give a look see at Clemson's offensive production from last year.*
| Name | Yr | Pos | G | Russh Yards | Pass Yards | Plays | Total Yards | Yards/Play | Yards/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tajh Boyd | JR | QB | 13 | 514 | 3896 | 613 | 4410 | 7.19 | 339.2 |
| 2 | Andre Ellington | SR | RB | 13 | 1081 | 0 | 212 | 1081 | 5.10 | 83.2 |
| 3 | Roderick McDowell | JR | RB | 13 | 450 | 0 | 83 | 450 | 5.42 | 34.6 |
| 4 | Cole Stoudt | SO | QB | 8 | 55 | 207 | 49 | 262 | 5.35 | 32.8 |
| 5 | Sammy Watkins | SO | WR | 10 | 97 | 52 | 16 | 149 | 9.31 | 14.9 |
So look at that. Andre Ellington was the leading rusher. As it stands, Rod McDowell looks to step into the role Ellington played last year. Tyshon Dye and DJ Howard will also get some of those touches. Without that running game, Clemson's passing game becomes pretty predictable.
The bigger question is can Georgia shut down Watkins and...who? Their top receiver in 2012 was DeAndre Hopkins, who is in the league. They also lost their number 3 and 4 receivers to graduation. I have no doubt Humphries and whomever they plug in at TE will be good, but how much of Boyd's passing yards in 2012 were a product of having the second receiver taken in the 2013 draft to throw to? Does it matter that half of Boyd's passing yards and TDs, as well as a third of his complete passes thrown now reside in Houston?
Watkins certainly showed promise after a stellar freshman year. However 2012 was a difficult year for him. He got hurt in the bowl game. He faced off field issues. He didn't sneak up on folks. He certainly should be better in 2013 than he was in 2012, but will he be that much better with Clemson's offense having to also break in a new running back?
We keep hearing about this game being a shoot out. We keep hearing about Georgia's defense needing to mature in a hurry. I'm not so sure that is the case. Looking at Clemson loosing 2/3 of their receiving yards and a higher percentage of their running back production, I think the defense needs to be solid, but basically has to keep Clemson from getting the home run play. Yes, we have plenty of questions on defense, but do we have so many questions that a retooling Clemson offense is just going waltz up and down the field on us?
Because that is what most national football folks think.
Because that is what most national football folks think.
To me the key is creating some pressure, keeping Boyd behind the line of scrimmage, and Watkins from being free behind the D. Does some of that happy talk out of Georgia's camp about the DBs make you feel better? I'm not sold on the happy talk, but it'll be interesting to see Clemson' approach with all the new faces.
TD
* Stats from CFBStats.com
