Clemson Tigers defensive lineman Xavier Thomas (3) on the bench with the Tigers defense during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on October 6, 2018 at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, NC

Ferocious Clemson Defense Just Doesn’t Allow Points

How do you beat a team that doesn’t allow you to score? No, it’s not a riddle to get past the Sphynx, it’s a legitimate question that the No. 2 Clemson Tigers have opponents asking themselves week after week.

Clemson is tied with Alabama for tops in the FBS at 12.7 points per game against and has allowed an outstanding 8.6 points per game over its last five outings – including only a punt return touchdown in Week 11 vs the then 17th-ranked Boston College Eagles. The Tigers opened as a 27.5-point home favorite in Week 12 vs Duke.

SHARK BITES
  • Clemson is 10-0 SU in its last 10 games (avg. winning margin: 33.0).
  • The total has gone UNDER in eight of Duke’s last 10 games on the road (avg. combined score: 47.9).
  • Clemson is 5-0 ATS in its last five games vs its conference.

Duke vs Clemson Game Center

Clemson is Keeping Pace With Alabama

No. 1 Alabama is scoring 48.6 points per game as the Crimson Tide roll over the competition but they aren’t the only team dominating during this college football season. Clemson has put up a comparable 45.7 points per game and is on equal footing with its potential playoff opponent with an average of 12.7 points against through 10 games played.

When you look further into the statistics, maybe Alabama isn’t as big a favorite as it appears to be. Nick Saban’s defending college football champions are averaging 540 yards per game and Dabo Swinney’s crew is averaging just 13 yards less per game at 527.

Tua Tagovailoa has a 67.9 completion percentage, Trevor Lawrence 66.7. Clemson’s Travis Etienne is one of the top rushers in the country with 8.5 yards per attempt and 15 rushing TDs. Alabama has used a varied rushing attack, but nine players have combined for 5.2 yards per attempt and 25 total rushing TDs. 

The bottom line is, while the Tigers aren’t getting the same universal praise as the Tide, they deserve it.

Blue Devils Will be in Tough

Duke is 3-3 in conference play with losses to Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech in the last six weeks. Something that’s important to note is that the Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS on the road this season and all four ATS wins came from the underdog position in games they also won straight up vs Northwestern, Baylor, Georgia Tech and Miami.

Duke has shown an ability to score as the team is above the FBS average with 23.5 points per game. The issue this week, though, is that Clemson boasts the No. 8 pass defense and No. 3 rush defense and we’ve already examined the fact that the Tigers don’t allow their opponents to score.

Boston College was averaging over 35 points per game heading into its game vs Clemson and the Eagles’ only score came on a punt return touchdown.

My Pick for This Game

No matter who the two teams are, 27.5 is a big spread. I feel like this number will encourage some bettors to take Duke’s side and potentially bring this number down. I’m going to wait to see if there’s any movement before locking in my bet.

I will be taking Clemson in this game, as the team seems to get better and better every week and I don’t see Duke scoring many points.

Since Trevor Lawrence has taken over at QB, the Tigers have been larger than a 20-point favorite on two occasions – October 6 vs Wake Forest (63-3) and November 3 vs Louisville (77-16). Those are their two biggest wins of the season and I think we are in for a similar result in Clemson on Saturday.

Clemson is 10-0 SU in its last 10 games (avg. winning margin: 33.0).home The total has gone UNDER in eight of Duke’s last 10 games on the road (avg. combined score: 47.9).away Clemson is 5-0 ATS in its last five games vs its conference.home
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