TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — During his weekly call-in show this Monday, Dabo Swinney got a surprise message on the text line.
Swinney is attempting to beat Bobby Bowden’s ACC record for the most overall wins as an ACC coach. Swinney tied the mark with last week’s win over Stanford. Fittingly enough, Swinney has an opportunity to break Bowden’s record of 173 wins on Bobby Bowden Field in Tallahassee, Fla., when the 15 th -ranked Tigers take on Florida State.
“If someone is going to break one of my dad’s records, I am glad it is a man like you,” former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden relayed to Swinney.
Of course, Tommy Bowden brought Swinney to Clemson in 2003 to be his wide receivers coach, a role Swinney kept until he became the interim head coach following Bowden’s resignation halfway through the season.
“He was one of the first people to call me that night as an interim,” Swinney said about the late Bobby Bowden, who is now in the College Football Hall of Fame. “He became a mentor of mine, a friend of mine. He impacted me greatly both through Tommy and himself. I can’t express enough how much love I have for him and the entire Bowden family.”
No. 15 Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC) at Florida State (1-4, 1-3 ACC)
Kickoff: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee
TV: ESPN
Spread: Clemson -14.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Series: FSU leads series 21-15
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Clemson looks to go 3-0 in the ACC and gain momentum as it tries to maintain its grip on first place in the ACC Standings. The Seminoles are trying to avoid a second conference loss at home and a fourth overall. A loss moves FSU, the preseason favorite to win the ACC, within two games of being knocked out of bowl contention.
KEY MATCHUP
Brock Glenn has started just two games in his career—both in the postseason—and is playing in his sixth game overall after former Tiger DJ Uiagalelei was ruled out of Saturday’s game earlier this week. For his career, Glenn is 19-for-51 for 229 yards, throwing two interceptions, while adding a rushing touchdown. He didn’t complete a pass in four attempts vs. SMU last week. FSU has the worst offense in the ACC, and it is not even close, but can Glenn provide a spark, especially with his ability to move around in the pocket. It will be interesting to see how Wes Goodwin defends him. Does he go after the young quarterback and make him uncomfortable, or does he sit back and allow Glenn to gain confidence like he did for a true freshman quarterback at Miami last year?
PLAYERS TO WATCH
This could be a big night for Clemson running back Phil Mafah. Though the Seminoles have improved up front in recent weeks, they still are allowing 165.8 yards per game on the ground and are allowing opponents to average 4.0 yards per carry. Georgia Tech and Boston College averaged 5.28 and 5.06 yards per carry. Mafah leads the Tigers with 342 yards and is averaging 7.95 yards per carry, which ranks third in the ACC.
FSU’s Ja’Khi Douglas led the Seminoles with 86 yards on four catches against California, including the game-winning 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He leads FSU with 285 receiving yards and also led the Noles in yards against Georgia Tech (55, including a 20-yard catch on 4th-and-7) and at SMU (61, including a season-long 50-yard catch).
THIS AND THAT
Clemson is attempting to become only the fourth program ever to win four consecutive road games against Florida State in Tallahassee, joining Florida (six straight from 1966-76), Houston (four from 1966-78) and Miami (five from 1957-77 and four from 1981-87). The Seminoles have not lost four consecutive home games to the same opponent since the Hurricanes did it from 1981-’87.
FINAL ANALYSIS
The Seminoles have allowed 868 total yards the last two games, and now they face the biggest test they have had defensively this season. Clemson has scored 165 points combined in the last three games, as Cade Klubnik and the offense has been clicking. The Tigers rank ninth in the country in plays over 20 yards and are getting contributions from the running game, the tight ends and the wide receivers. FSU on the other hand as the worst offense in the ACC and is starting a new quarterback, while facing a Clemson defense that has started to find itself. With Peter Woods possibly back on the defensive line the Tigers could be about to find their stride.
PREDICTION
Clemson 38, Florida State 20
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