Auburn and Clemson will meet for the 3rd straight year when they kickoff the season in the Georgia Dome Saturday night. Two years ago, Auburn used the momentum of a comeback win to propel them to a National Title and Clemson rode the high of beating the
defending champs to a conference title last season. This game should once again be close and the winner likely will be in its way to a 9 or 10 win season.
Clemson's offense vs. Auburn's defense
Auburns defense will be led by star defensive end Corey Lemonier. Lemonier is coming off a 3rd team All-American season and is poised for a big game. He will be all over the field and in Boyd's face if Clemson's protection is average. Clemson will likely have to double team Lemonier using a tight end or back to prevent him from making plays. If Clemson manages to keep Lemonier from making an impact, Boyd should have a field day passing. Seven of Auburns top 8 DBs are back from last season but Clemson has too much talent at receiver for Auburn to stop.
Clemson's defense vs. Auburns offense
Auburn will be breaking in a new offense with new starting QB Kiehl Frazier. Frazier played sparingly last year and has yet to show ability to be affective in the passing game. Expect him to be eager to run as Clemson had struggled against running QBs. He should get help in the run game from Onterio McCalebb. McCalebb was a backup last year but with Michael Dyer's dismissal he will be expected to be the main back. He has a knack for big plays. For Clemson's D to be successful they'll need contributions from an inexperienced line. Malliciah Goodman started every game last year but wasn't much of a factor. He and the rest of the Dline will be expected to contain Frazier and keep him from making big plays with his legs. Stephone Anthony will have to be a ball hawk and a spy on Frazier. Clemson needs contributions from Quandon Christian and Travis Blanks at their hybrid linebacker safety position as well.
Special teams
Both teams have solid special teams. Auburn's punter, Steven Clark, is one of the top punters in the country and kicker, Cody Parkey, has a high touchback percentage. They will be key for field position with Clemson's talented skill players in the return game. Clemson kicker, Chandler Catanzaro, is dependable and reliable if a game comes down to a field goal at the end. Spencer Benton is a very good directional punter and kicker and likely will kick it away from McCalebb.
X-factor
How will Clemson offensive line perform against Auburn's experienced defensive linemen? If they can manage to keep Lemonier and the rest of the Auburn Dline from being very effective, Clemson should have a big game offensively. If Lemonier gets pressure often it will force Tajh Boyd into quick decisions and likely mistakes.
Prediction
The rubber match of the three game series between the two should be a close one. I wouldn't expect any big comebacks like the previous two matchups. The impact of a win will be huge as both teams want to build momentum for a big season and both are vying for top DT recruit, Mantravius Adams. The winner will likely have the upper hand to land the 5 star recruit. Clemson wins 34-24.
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