College Football
Clemson vs Texas A&M: Gameday Showdown
It’s Week 2 in College Football and we have a good ole showdown going on at Kyle Field in College Station Saturday night with Clemson vs Texas A&M. College Gameday will be on hand and you know the 12th Man (aka Aggie Fans) will be fired up. Both teams come in with opening day victories over FCS opponents, but there are no cupcakes this week!
Tale of the Tape
Clemson faces the fierce 12th man at Kyle Field. The last time Clemson faced Texas A&M at Kyle Field the Aggies took the victory 27-6 in 2004. Fourteen years later, Clemson is on top of the college football world and Texas A&M is trying to regain national relevancy. Head Coaches Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Swinney are familiar foes from Fisher’s days in the ACC and both teams look to make a statement on Saturday night.
Clemson
Times are good to be a Clemson fan. The Tigers are #2 in the land and looking to add an SEC victory feather to their cap. Last weekend, Clemson fans finally got to see the QB competition on the field. Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence both had good and less than stellar moments in Clemson’s win over Furman, but neither truly separated themselves as THE guy. Clemson showed some explosiveness with their offense last week with over 500 yards combined through the air and ground. If the Tigers can get some rhythm, watch out Aggie fans!
On defense, Clemson is going to be tough for the Aggies. Clemson is easily one of the top defenses in football. One could say Texas A&M is in for their first “SEC” style game with Clemson. I look for the defensive line to control the line of scrimmage and make it hard for Texas A&M to move the ball.
Texas A&M
The good news for Aggie Fans: Jimbo is familiar with Clemson. The possible bad news: they may not have the horses for this race. Texas A&M looked good last week against Northwestern State in their 59-7 win. Trayveon Williams had a HUGE game rushing for over 240 yards and three touchdowns. I can see the Aggies scoring on Clemson’s defense…I just cannot tell you how much. Still, Texas A&M could cause some fits if they catch the Tigers drinking their own Kool-Aid.
On defense, Texas A&M is going to be challenged. Clemson has two talented QBs that are expected to play, a deep wide receiving core, and a super solid running back stable. Texas A&M is going to want to keep their crowd in it as long as they can. The Aggies need to play ball control to have a chance because if Clemson keeps their defense fresh, it will be a long night for Texas A&M.
Conclusion
The bright lights on Kyle Field are going to reveal a lot about each team. I look for the fans to set the tone early with a close first quarter. I see Clemson getting into a groove in the second quarter and neutralizing the Aggie fan base. Don’t get me wrong, if Clemson lets Texas A&M hang around, I could see the Aggies pulling out a hard-fought victory. However, I don’t see Texas A&M having the horses to run with the Tigers right now. Clemson’s depth takes over in the second half and Texas A&M plays mostly respectable to feel like they are on the right path moving forward.
Clemson 38 Texas A&M 21
What do you think? Will Clemson be on Upset Alert?
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Photo credit to joshuak8 via Flickr
