PLAYERS TO WATCH
–WR Justyn Ross may be a freshman, but he’s playing like an elder statesman. Ross, who at 6-foot-4 provides a big target, scored his second touchdown of the season last week on a 57-yard catch-and-run and wound up with 103 receiving yards on only three receptions. The top receiver in Alabama as a high school senior, Ross already is flashing his big-play potential and reminds coaches of former star Mike Williams.
–RB Travis Etienne finally received the lion’s share of carries last week and responded with a career-high 162 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging 7.7 yards per carry this season and will be looking to build on that early success against a Georgia Tech defense that has proven rather porous in losses to South Florida and Pittsburgh. “He just sneaks up on you,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of Etienne. “He’s a special talent. If he touches it enough, something good is going to happen.”
–QB Trevor Lawrence is a Georgia native who starred at Cartersville High School, which is about 45 minutes from Atlanta, so he’ll have plenty of friends and family on hand for his return to his home state. “It definitely adds some excitement,” Lawrence said. “And I’m feeling more comfortable. They’ve done a good job of playing me in important situations, so I feel like I’m prepared.”
–LB Isaiah Simmons has moved into a starting role at the nickel position following the graduation of Dorian O’Daniel, who always had his best games against Georgia Tech. Simmons, a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore, is equipped to pick up where O’Daniel left off. “He brings a lot of the same attributes as Dorian,” Swinney said. “He’s just longer, bigger and probably a better cover guy when it’s all said and done. He’s a very dynamic guy, he’s physical. He can do whatever we need him to do.”
SERIES HISTORY: Georgia Tech leads the series, 51-30-2, but Clemson has won each of the last three games and five of the last six.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Everybody thinks option teams are all the same, but they’re not. They’re very different. It’s all ice cream, but its strawberry and chocolate and vanilla. It’s different flavors of how they go about it.” — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.
