Oct 1, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman (9) carries the ball during the second quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Photo Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson upended No. 3 Louisville 42-36 in a dramatic back-and-forth game on Saturday, but the Tigers will be afforded precious little time to enjoy the victory. Coach Dabo Swinney’s team will fly to Boston on Thursday for a rare Friday night game at Boston College.
Instead of enjoying Sunday off, the Tigers met and practiced on Sunday. It marks the second time in three weeks that Clemson has had less than a full week to prepare for a road game; the Tigers won at Georgia Tech on Sept. 22 on five day’s rest.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Swinney said. “But we have good momentum. We have that windshield mentality and will continue to have that daily focus and trying to play to a standard that we talk about.
“This is the biggest game of the year for us and we know we’re going to have to play well. We were very lucky to win up there two years ago.”
Clemson outlasted the Eagles 17-13 in 2014, continuing a trend of close games against Boston College. Clemson is a modest 3-2 at Boston College since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, and the five games at Boston College have been decided by an average margin of 6.2 points, so Swinney — who earned the first victory of his head coaching career on the road against Boston College in 2008 — takes nothing for granted when facing the Eagles.
“They are 3-2 and they’re coming off a big win,” Swinney said. “And they’ll be excited to play on national TV up there Friday night.”
Clemson, meanwhile, finds itself squarely in the driver’s seat in the ACC. The Tigers, who moved up to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll, are 5-0 overall, 2-0 in league play, and should be favored in their seven remaining games.
The primary hurdle at this point is likely an Oct. 29 trip to Florida State, but the Tigers could lose that game and still claim the Atlantic Division crown by virtue of their victory over Louisville.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Deshaun Watson came up big against Louisville with five touchdown passes in the Tigers’ come-from-behind victory. He’ll try to keep that momentum going at Boston College on Friday night. “Every win is a confidence builder,” Watson said. “You find a way to get the ‘W’ and move on. Each game, no matter who we’re playing, we celebrate and move on. We understand that we have to put the work in during the week because anybody can be beaten.”
–LB Ben Boulware is Clemson’s tackling machine, and proved that once again against Louisville by posting a career-high 18 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Boulware had 13 tackles last season in a win against Boston College, so another big game could be in the offing, particularly against the Eagles’ run-heavy offense.
–WR Artavis Scott has been problematic for the Boston College defense the past two years and could be poised for yet another big game. In the first start of his career two years ago, Scott had 10 catches for 72 yards against the Eagles, then followed that up last season with 10 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. With the plethora of wide receivers at his disposal, quarterback Deshaun Watson has the luxury of eyeing different targets on every play, but expect his roommate to get plenty of looks once again.
–DE Clelin Ferrell is just a freshman, but he appears to be coming into his own. He had six tackles, including two sacks, in the Tigers’ win against Louisville on Saturday and was nominate for ACC Rookie of the Week. He’s still young and growing into his 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame every day, but seems more comfortable with defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ schemes.
