The Clemson Tigers have coasted through their first two games, but will the Virginia Cavaliers give them a test in a rematch of last year’s ACC title game.
The Clemson Tigers have had as good as a start as they could have hoped for to the 2020 college football season. After opening up the season with a 37-13 win over Wake Forest, the Tigers steamrolled The Citadel by a score of 49-0. In his limited playtime, Trevor Lawrence has completed 30 of his 37 passes, throwing for over 500 yards, and four touchdowns, while adding three more scores on the ground. And the rest of the run game has been performing exceptionally as well.
Led by Travis Etienne who has 170 yards and one touchdown, the Tigers rushing attack is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has scored six times in their first set of games. And on defense, the Tigers have already recorded 10 sacks and is allowing just 246 yards per game. The scary thing is their defense is being led by true-freshman Myles Murphy. At the defensive end position, Murphy leads the team in sacks, tackles, and forced fumbles.
The Virginia Cavaliers have only played one game this season which ended in an 18-point victory over Duke last Saturday. Virginia’s offense had a balanced attack against the Blue Devils, passing for 262 yards and rushing for 188 yards, with both attacks scoring at least two scores. And while their defense only allowed 56 yards on the ground, the Cavaliers gave up nearly 300 yards through the air but made up for those yards given up by intercepting Duke five times.
Virginia lost to Clemson 62-17 in the 2019 ACC Championship Game, and while a blowout of that proportion seems unlikely, the Cavaliers are going to have to play perfectly to pull off the upset in this one. Can Virginia pull out all the stops? Or are the Tigers too much for the Cavaliers to take down?
Here’s how to watch and bet on the Virginia vs. Clemson game
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Clemson, South Carolina
- Stadium: Memorial Stadium
- TV Info: ACCN
- Odds: Clemson -28, O/U 55
- Live Stream: WatchESPN, SportSurge
Prediction: Virginia had one of it’s best seasons a year ago and is hoping to continue that success over into 2020, but this is a Clemson team that is pissed off after their performance in last year’s National Championship Game. Regardless if Virginia can slow down Etienne, they will have no chance in stopping Lawrence as it is highly unlikely that he will throw one or even two interceptions, let alone five. Virginia will hang around but will have too much of a gap to overcome and upset the Tigers. Clemson goes to 3-0 on the season, handing Virginia their first loss.
Score: Clemson 48, Virginia 20
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