For the second week in a row, Clemson will be down four key starters on offense. Earlier in the week, center Harris Sewell and left guard Elyjah Thurmon were listed as out for the Georgia Tech game. While it did look like running back Gideon Davidson and wide receiver Tyler Brown could return in time for the Week 11 home game, they have both been listed as out with ankle injuries as of Friday night.
Davidson was never going to play in last week's game at Syracuse, while Brown was a late scratch shortly before kickoff. Clemson still won anyway, but another low-scoring affair is not what Dabo Swinney will want out of his offense this week. Georgia Tech is the worst team in the ACC. At 2-7, the Yellow Jackets were the only ACC team to be eliminated from bowl eligibility heading into this week.
Even though they were questionable coming into Saturday, Clemson should be able to survive not having Brown or Davidson available for one more weekend. This is because Georgia Tech will be the worst Power Four team Clemson will face all season. However, the Tigers' final two games of the year, at Duke and at home against South Carolina, will be a big step up in competition. They will need them.
News: Clemson starting RB Gideon Davidson and starting slot WR Tyler Brown have both been ruled OUT for the Georgia Tech game on tonight’s updated ACC availability report. Both players have ankle injuries and will miss a second straight game
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 14, 2026
Jarvis Green and Juju Preston have to step up in this Clemson offense
With Brown and Davidson not able to suit up against Georgia Tech, look for Juju Preston and Jarvis Green to fill in for them, respectively. Preston has 12 touches for 85 yards on the season, including four for 25 yards last week at Syracuse. Green has 42 touches on the year for 216 yards. He easily had his best game of the season with 10 total touches for 91 yards out of the Clemson backfield.
For Clemson to get this win to improve to 7-3 on the season, it is imperative that Green and Preston hold their own offensively. Davidson had been the workhorse for the meager Clemson offense out of the backfield through the Florida State game. However, Green did show some explosiveness last week against Syracuse. Clemson is not winning this game if the Tigers cannot run the football.
As far as what Preston needs to do, he just needs to get open to provide Tait Reynolds another option to throw the ball to. Reynolds may have thrown for two touchdowns at Florida State, but the Clemson offense did not hit pay dirt last week at Syracuse. Clemson can only win one way, and that is through ball control and time of possession. Preston will be called upon to move the sticks on a few key plays.
Even if Clemson is incredibly banged up heading into Saturday's home game with Georgia Tech, it could always be worse. This game is at home against an inferior opponent. While Georgia Tech did not have to deal with any airport nonsense on Friday, many other college football programs sure did. Regardless, Clemson needs to hold steady, get past Georgia Tech, and be healthy enough for Duke.
If Brown and Davidson are unable to play at Duke, then Clemson could be in some serious trouble.
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