Clemson Football: UVA’s Upset Checklist in the ACC Championship 2019

As we prepare for the ACC Championship game slated to kick off tonight, we’re going to take a look at the Clemson football opponent perspective.

The Clemson football team will take on the Virginia Cavaliers 7:30 p.m. tonight in Bank of America Stadium for the ACC Championship.

The Tigers are looking to win their fifth-straight conference title and potentially lock up a berth in the CFB Playoff. Clemson football has won competed in the last four CFB Playoffs and has won two of the last three National Championships.

For just a minute, though, we’re going to look at this game from the perspective of the opponent. How would Virginia reel off an unthinkable upset in front of the eyes of the nation? After all, the Cavaliers are listed as 29-point underdogs, according to the Action Network.

Here’s a look at Virginia’s ‘Upset Checklist’ for the ACC Championship.

UVA’s Upset Checklist:

• Clemson comes out flat
• UVA forces multiple turnovers and doesn’t commit any
• Bryce Perkins goes off for a career night
• The Virginia WRs out-physical the Clemson secondary
• Virginia’s defense sells out to bringing pressure- and has success
• You can’t have dropped passes, missed opportunities, etc.

When looking at this matchup, this is what would likely have to unfold for Virginia to knock off Clemson football Saturday night.

The Cavaliers will first need Bryce Perkins to have a career day and absolutely be unstoppable. He needs to be precise in his passing and a force in the running game. Virginia doesn’t have a running back it can rely on for consistent yardage, so Perkins has to be that force. He needs to have something like 300 yards passing and more than 150 yards rushing and account for five, maybe six or seven, touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Virginia needs to force turnovers and get off the field. Look for the Cavaliers to show different looks, mask their coverage and bring exotic blitzers to get to Trevor Lawrence and stop Travis Etienne before he gets going. UVA is a little banged up in the secondary, so the only way to slow down this Tiger offense is to keep Lawrence guessing and dial-up creating blitzes to set Clemson back.

Virginia can’t miss out on its opportunities and the Cavaliers need their wide receivers to be physical and fight for 50/50 passes from Perkins.

Probably more than anything else, Virginia needs help from Clemson. If the Tigers come out flat, the Cavaliers need to take advantage. It will be interesting to see how the game unfolds tonight, but this is the Upset Checklist that Virginia must follow to have a chance in this one.