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Clemson Tigers Focused on Avoiding The Trap Game

Clemson | Phil Mafah — © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The No. 17 Clemson Tigers (8-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) welcome The Citadel Bulldogs (5-6, 3-5 Southern) on Nov. 23 at 3:30 PM EST at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The Tigers are done with conference play after an exciting end to their game against Pitt. Clemson must rely on help from Miami or SMU to secure its spot in the ACC title game. Also on the line is the Tigers’ perfect 38-0 record against FCS opponents.

Tigers in Limbo

At one point this season, Clemson was on track to the ACC conference championship and poised to break into the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, a late-season loss to Louisville now has both those opportunities held hostage. According to ESPN, the Tigers are on the outside looking in for the playoffs and only have a 25 percent chance of making it to the ACC championship. With a big matchup coming on Nov. 30 against South Carolina, Clemson, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, is trying to avoid looking ahead. They want to take care of business against a middling Citadel program to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Clemson’s Keys

T.J. Parker, Defensive End

Parker was a man possessed on Nov. 16 at Pitt. His efforts not only helped the Tigers in victory, but he also earned Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors. Parker needs another big game to make things tough for The Citadel's elusive senior quarterback Johnathan Bennett.

Phil Mafah, Running Back

Mafah has been reliable for Clemson all year. He averages 5.6 yards per carry and is only 2 yards short of his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Controlling the ground game will be essential against the Tigers' lesser opponent on Nov. 23 and break the will of a team looking to play spoiler.

Bennett-led Bulldogs

While this season has not been the most promising one for the Bulldogs, it is a vast improvement over last year’s 0-11 campaign. Much of that success can be attributed to Bennett's play. In his first year with The Citadel, Bennett has been a welcome addition. He leads the team in rushing and passing yards and has been a fearless leader. The Tigers are the only FBS team that the Bulldogs play this year, and they are hoping for the same outcome as the other Bulldogs, the Georgia Bulldogs, which beat Clemson in Week 1.

The Citadel's Keys

Johnathan Bennett, Quarterback

Bennett is The Citadel’s offense. He has passed for 1,636 yards, rushed for 503 yards and accounted for 12 touchdowns this season. Any chance that the Bulldogs have to pull off an upset is centered around his play. He has not thrown for over 300 yards since a loss against Mercer. On Nov. 23, ot would be a good time to do it again.

Defense

Clemson will be the best offense that the Bulldogs' defense will face this season. The Citadel needs to put its best game together to keep a fiery offense from completely running away with this game.

Tigers vs. Bulldogs

In any scenario where a tiger fights a bulldog, it is unlikely the bulldog has any chance. That includes this scenario as well. Clemson enters this game as a heavy favorite and rightfully so. The Tigers are 14-0 against the Bulldogs and there is no reason to believe they will not improve upon that record on Nov. 23. The prediction here is to expect Clemson to win a rout, 44-13.