Duke at Clemson

The Sports Xchange

November 14, 2018 at 6:27 pm.

GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
SITE: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.
TV: ESPN
SERIES: Clemson leads 36-16-1. Clemson won the last meeting 56-20 in 2012.
RANKINGS: Clemson No. 2

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Blue Devils

–QB Daniel Jones is coming off a game against North Carolina when he compiled a single-game school record of 547 yards of total offense. He did that with 361 passing yards and 186 rushing yards. It’s the fifth-highest total offensive output in ACC history by one player.

–RB Deon Jackson has 646 all-purpose yards on 47 touches across the past three games. That’s an average of 13.8 yards every time he touches the ball. He has rushed for 765 yards for the season with seven touchdowns rushing and one receiving.

–WR T.J Rahming has three or more receptions in 17 consecutive games. He has 11 career touchdowns, but is without a touchdown the past two games. He has 53 receptions for the season for 518 yards and also serves as Duke’s primary punt returner (5.6 average on 18 returns).

–LB Ben Humphreys, a senior, is the most experienced defender on the team. With LB Joe Giles-Harris potentially missing a second game in a row, Humphreys’ leadership becomes more valuable. Humphreys has 66 tackles in nine games for the season (6.5 for losses).

Tigers

–QB Trevor Lawrence continues to play better on the road than at home and is coming off a game at Boston College that saw him complete 29-of-40 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown. He also scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a six-yard run. Lawrence leads the ACC with 19 touchdown passes. “His demeanor is the same every single day, and I think that makes him special,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.

–WR/PR Amari Rodgers not only is rounding into the Tigers’ top option as a receiver, he is also making waves as a punt return specialist. His 58-yard punt return for a touchdown against Boston College in the fourth quarter was his first of the season and couldn’t have been more timely. “The punt return was awesome,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “That was kind of the dagger.” Rodgers also is the team’s second-leading receiver with 38 receptions this season.

–WR Hunter Renfrow will be seeking a reception in his 39th consecutive game. A catch will break the school record of 38 set by Artavis Scott from 2014 to 2016. Renfrow is coming off his best game of the season — an eight-catch, 80-yard night at Boston College. He ranks third on the team with 35 receptions this season.

KEYS
TO THE GAME

It seems to have become a tradition at Clemson’s for its most recent senior crop to go one better than the preceding class, and the 33 seniors who will be recognized on Senior Day will look to carry that on Saturday when the Tigers host Duke.

Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson is 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“They’ve got an opportunity to make some history,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

A victory will make this senior class the first in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win 51 games in a four-year span.

“This is the fifth senior class in a row that has one-upped the previous senior class,” Swinney said. “They take a lot of pride in that. They have really taken ownership of what they’re leaving behind, more so than probably any group I’ve had. And it’s important to them how they’re impacting the young players on this team.”

The No. 2-ranked Tigers (9-0, 7-0 ACC) already have clinched the Atlantic Division and another berth in the ACC Championship Game, and they are on the cusp of a fourth consecutive spot in the College Football Playoff.

Led by a stingy defense that ranks among the Top 10 nationally in nine statistical categories and a youthful offense still discovering its capabilities, Clemson appears to be peaking at the right time, having dispatched its last five opponents by a cumulative 267-43 margin.

This will be their first meeting in six years with the Blue Devils (7-3, 3-3 ACC) of the Coastal Division.

“We haven’t played them in years, but I’ve kept up with them,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “When you look at this team on tape, whether it be offense or defense or kicking — this may be the most complete team that I’ve seen in years, maybe ever.

“I’ve prepared for a lot of great football teams over 30-plus years, but this team is complete.”

Both Clemson and Duke feature standout quarterbacks in freshman Trevor Lawrence and junior Daniel Jones, respectively.

Lawrence leads the ACC in touchdown passes with 19. Over the past four games, he has completed 65 percent of his passes for 976 yards and eight touchdowns.

“You’re not going to stop him,” Cutcliffe said. “You just have to try to minimize the amount of damage a player like him can cause.”

Jones, who also has eight touchdown passes in his last four games, is coming off a career-best game in the Blue Devils’ 42-35 victory against North Carolina. Jones completed 31 of 54 passes for 361 yards and rushed for 186 yards — a single-game record for a Duke quarterback.

“I’m incredibly impressed with their quarterback,” Swinney said. “This guy is as good as there is out there. He has tons of arm strength, he’s big and accurate and can fly. We watch the tape and he’s just pulling away from people. No doubt we’re going to have our hands full with him.”

Clemson is far from a one-man show offensively. Each of the Tigers’ top four running backs has had at least one 100-yard game this season, and the team has had three backs rush for 100 yards or more in the same game twice this season.

Sophomore Travis Etienne, who has scored 15 rushing touchdowns and averaged 8.5 yards per carry, leads the assault.

Clemson has four wide receivers with more than 25 receptions each and 14 different receivers have caught at least one pass. Sophomore Tee Higgins has seven touchdowns.

“Weapons everywhere,” Cutcliffe said. “An outstanding football team. It’ll be challenging playing down there on a Saturday night, but I hope everybody on our team is looking forward to the challenge. What an exciting atmosphere, what an exciting opportunity.”

The Blue Devils own four road victories this season, including a 21-7 win at Big Ten West Division champion Northwestern.

“Duke has had a heck of a year, for sure,” Swinney said. “David Cutcliffe is as good of a coach as there is in the country. I have so much respect for who he is. He’s definitely one of the good guys in this profession. And what he’s done at Duke is unbelievable — the consistency he’s established there.”