Are you paying close attention? While Clemson is seen as only a slight favorite over Virginia Tech coming in, something has to give in this battle of two-loss ACC contenders. FanDuel Sportsbook has Clemson laying just 2.5 points at home to the Hokies under the bright lights of Death Valley. However, Dabo Swinney's team should have an even bigger advantage over Virginia Tech than the home crowd.
As it turns out, James Franklin's Hokies struggle to maintain the leads they have built through the second half. In the Hokies' last three games, they have outscored opponents 62-34 in the first half, but have been outscored 50-25 after halftime. Those games include a two-point home loss to Pitt, a five-point road loss at Cal, and a 10-point home win over Georgia Tech. No, it does not stop there...
In three of Virginia Tech's four other wins on the season, they have also let their opponents back into games in the second half. Old Dominion outscored the Hokies 15-10 in the second half of their Week 2 game. Maryland outplayed Virginia Tech out of halftime 12-8 in their game. While Virginia Tech did beat Boston College throughout, the Eagles only trailed 3-0 after two frames before falling, 21-14.
Given that Clemson plays better under Swinney in the second half, and Franklin has a huge problem.
Virginia Tech's second-half struggles give Clemson a clear opportunity
In Clemson's four wins this year, the Tigers have held their opponents to just six points in the second half. North Carolina got a field goal on them in Week 3. Cal did the same in Week 4. Clemson shut out Georgia Southern in the second half of Week 2, and held Charleston Southern scoreless in Week 7. While the LSU and Miami beatdowns are different stories, Clemson hones in during the second half.
This would be quite problematic for a team like Virginia Tech that loves to relinquish leads. Simply put, Virginia Tech may need to come out and beat Clemson like a drum in the same manner as LSU and Miami did to win this game on the road. It will be Franklin's first trip to Clemson as a head coach, as Virginia Tech has not played at Clemson since 2012. There is also this at play for Clemson to win this.
For better or worse, Clemson is far more comfortable at being uncomfortable than Virginia Tech is coming in. This will be Clemson's fifth night kick in seven games. Their first three games all had two-hour lightning delays. They also had to play on the road at Cal under the bright lights of Berkeley, meaning it was a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff for the folks watching back home. The Tigers are ready for it!
Overall, Clemson has the defense and special teams unit to eat away at any deficit Virginia Tech could conceivably create during the first half. As long as the Tigers can run the ball effectively to win the time of possession battle, only massive first-half leads will be safe for the Hokies. With Clemson still playing hard defensively, no matter the score, these second-half struggles may upend Virginia Tech.
Clemson's offense leaves so much to be desired, but so does Virginia Tech coming out of halftime.
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