After ripping defeat away from the jaws of victory last week versus Virginia Tech, the Clemson Tigers need to pick up the pieces fast if they want to beat the Florida State Seminoles on the road. Although they are former ACC Atlantic Division rivals, neither team is firing on all cylinders as they once were. That being said, Florida State has technically earned the right to be the favored team in this game.
According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Florida State will be laying 5.5 points to visiting Clemson. The associated moneylines for this game are Florida State -215 and Clemson +180. That means you would need to place a $215 bet on Florida State to win $100, while a $100 bet on Clemson would earn you $180. The projected point total for this game comes in at a combined 49.5 points as well.
For Clemson to pull off the upset of the Seminoles on Saturday night, these players will have to shine.
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Jeremiah Alexander will have to be there when Sammy Brown is not
On defense this week, it is not as much about guys like Sammy Brown, Ashton Hampton, and Will Heldt doing their jobs. They are all going to do so anyway. In order for Clemson to put its best foot forward to knock off Florida State at Doak Campbell, high-end role players like Jeremiah Alexander need to play up. This has been a breakout season for him, but could he do a little more versus FSU?
On the season, Alexander already has a career high in tackles at 44 in only seven games. With seven against Miami and six last week versus Virginia Tech, Alexander may need to approach the 10 he had in the North Carolina game way back in Week 3 to make a huge world of difference defensively. The more tackles Alexander has, the less likely Florida State is to get the ground game going on offense.
Simply put, Alexander has to be part of a two-headed monster with Brown in the linebacking corps.
Gideon Davidson must put last week's frustrating second half behind him
Last week was one to forget for Gideon Davidson; while he did have 14 carries for 62 yards, only five of his carries came after halftime. Of those five, four of them came on the first offensive series out of halftime before being benched. Dabo Swinney chose to play with one hand tied behind his back. The worst part is, prior to this game, every time Davidson had 13 or more carries, Clemson went on to win.
Rather than wallow in his sorrows, Davidson needs to re-emerge as the lead back this Clemson team desperately needs. For lack of a better word, he has been Clemson's offense this year. With the aerial attack being so unreliable, Davidson cannot be as "feast or famine" as Swinney described him to the media as being. While he could leave in the transfer portal, Davidson has some yards to go pick up.
To be quite frank, it may take a 100-yard rushing performance on the ground from Davidson to win.
Nolan Hauser has to remain money in the kicking game for Clemson
No, it would not be hyperbolic to say the team's MVP this season is placekicker extraordinaire Nolan Hauser. He has made 18 of his 19 field goals, as well as put each of Clemson's 10 PATs through the uprights. Hauser leads this team in scoring, mostly because he is Clemson's most reliable offensive weapon. He can really make kicks from anywhere on the field. This game may require that from him.
Simply, Clemson needs to get points on as many of its possessions as possible in order to knock off Florida State in Tallahassee. While touchdowns are better than field goals, field goals are still far better than punts or turnovers. If Clemson has to approach 30 points of offense to hang with Florida State in a low-key shootout, then Hauser may have to account for roughly 16 or more Tigers points.
If Hauser can make three-to-four field goals and all his PATs, Clemson could have a shot at the upset.
Tait Reynolds has to find ways to allow this offense to score quickly
Enough is enough! If Tait Reynolds wants to remain the Clemson starting quarterback, he has to show us that he can lead the Tigers to pay dirt on three-, four-, or five-play drives. While he has done a much better job of taking care of the football, his lengthy dozen-plus-play drives often fall short of the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown. Clemson is eating up too much clock for its own good.
This starts with him spreading the ball around the field more effectively and not getting in his own head when it comes to making zone reads. We all know he is trying his best, but Reynolds' stagnation at quarterback is a problem we can no longer ignore. Ignoring problems is the greatest strength that Swinney has going for him. Reynolds may be a team player, but he has to take ownership on offense.
Clemson is not going to beat Florida State if Reynolds is not responsible for any real explosive plays.
Elliot Washington II cannot let last week's mental meltdowns ruin him
While Elliot Washington II has been a huge boost to the Clemson secondary, last week's home loss to Virginia Tech was certainly eye-opening for him, especially in the final minutes. During Virginia Tech's game-winning drive, Washington had two boneheaded penalties that played a part in Clemson losing the game. Although the pass interference call in the end zone was okay, the late hit was certainly not.
This does not mean Washington needs to do everything that his running mate Hampton does in the back end of the defense. He does not need to match him like Alexander needs to attempt to do with Brown at linebacker. It is all about staying mentally locked into the game at all times. If Washington makes a mistake, he cannot let it compound by making another critical one during the same series.
Ashton Daniels will turn the ball over, so Washington can take advantage with his ball-hawking ways.
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