Clemson Seeks Revenge Thursday Vs. Georgia Tech

Sports Betting News - September 9th, 2009 - Written by John

C.J. Spiller's flash, speed and utter elusiveness had NFL scouts calling after the 2008 season

Unfinished business had him hanging up. Despite being a projected first-rounder in last April's NFL Draft, Spiller ignored the prospects of being drafted and instead returned to campus for his senior season. Among the many reasons, the fact Clemson failed to win the ACC title everyone handed to them before the 2008 campaign probably weighed the most. Their revenge tour starts Thursday, when they kick off the ACC schedule on ESPN's spotlight game, traveling to no. 15-ranked Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets spoiled Clemson's hopes for the ACC crown last year with a 21-17 win, and have won four of the last five meetings against the Tigers. They are favored to keep the streak alive, according to BetUS. Georgia Tech is a 5 1/2-point favorite with a payout of -110. Vegas has posted a relatively high over/under for the game at 43 points, also paying out at -110.

Spiller didn't lose any of his luster in the first week of the season. He returned the opening kickoff against Middle Tennessee 96 yards to the house and had a 50-yard punt return in the second quarter. He was held out of the rest of the game, however, after he strained his hamstring on that long return. The speedster said he will certainly be back for the game against GT and that his exit from the opener was simply a precautionary move.

"I'm fine," Spiller told multiple media outlets. "We've got such a short turnaround, they'd rather have me fresh for next week."

The Yellow Jackets are still looking for answers on the defensive front line after losing All-ACC First Team member Michael Johnson to the NFL Draft, and Spiller, along with platoon-men Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington, will hope to exploit that weakness.

Georgia Tech has plenty of speed on the ground, as well. Head coach Paul Johnson is in his third year instituting his elusive option attack and his team hit the ground running last week against Jacksonville State. Junior Jonathan Dwyer, who ran for 109 yards in last year's win over Clemson, broke a 74-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game and led the Jackets to a combined 335 rushing yards on the night. He may be the impact player of the game. The Tigers were fifth in the ACC in rush defense last year, although they were a much-improved unit against Middle Tennessee, allowing only 92 yards rushing.

However, there were still problems to address for Johnson. Georgia Tech put the ball on the ground five times and had problems catching the ball against a far inferior team than the one they will see Thursday.

Clemson will certainly be relying on the passing attack more than their counterparts (Georgia Tech only threw the ball 12 times in the opener), which puts a lot of pressure on freshman Kyle Parker. He was the first freshman to start the season no. 1 on the depth chart for the Tigers since 1945, but made the transition smoothly, tossing for an efficient 159 yards and two touchdowns on only nine completions.

"He was outstanding," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said on ESPN. "He made big plays with his feet, showing a lot of poise. I was really proud of him. He has a good presence and great instincts in his ability to make big plays."

Both teams were the few highlights of the ACC's opening weekend after two teams lost to opponents from lower divisions and the winner will likely be the front-runner to win their conference division.

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