The Citadel Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers will square off in an NCAAF Week 12 mismatch that is so lopsided, that there are no College Football betting odds on the home finale for the playoff-hopeful Tigers. Still, let’s take a look at this contest to see how many points the streaking Tigers will win by.
“They’ve got their linebackers keyed into the right spots. They recover as well as anybody that you’ll see, so you’re not going to get them out of position too often.”
Despite being clearly overmatched, Thompson said he wants his team to enjoy the experience of playing an elite program like Clemson.
“I love it,” he said. “I love it for our players, I love it for our fans, I love it for the experience of it. It’ll be an awesome game for our younger players to witness and see and be a part of.”
Citadel Bulldogs (5-5) vs. Clemson Tigers (9-1) NCAAF Week 12 Preview & Expert Pick
Senior Day is Saturday.
There’s no doubt that this group of seniors has set the standard high for this program going forward.#ALLIN #ClemsonFamily pic.twitter.com/xzafSExsOV — Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) 13 de noviembre de 2017
- When: Saturday, November 18, 2017, 12:20 PM ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium-Clemson
- Radio: 92.9 FM (The Citadel) / 105.5 FM (Clemson)
- NCAAF Week 12 Odds: TBA
Betting Analysis for Mercer vs. Alabama in College Football Week 12
Coaches Perspective
The Citadel, a tiny military school in Charleston, S.C., is 5-5 on the season and has lost five of their last seven games to Samford, Mercer, Wolford, West Carolina and Furman. Citadel quarterback Jordan Black passed 223 yards and two touchdowns in The Citadel’s 56-20 blowout loss. Now they’re just hoping to not get routed in this affair. “I don’t need to tell anyone that they’re very, very good,” Citadel head coach Brent Thompson said. “For us, a lot of it will come back to offense and try to get first downs and move the ball and do what we can to keep our defense off the field.” This season, Black has thrown for 523 yards and six touchdowns while running back Dominique Allen has put up a team-high 621 yards and eight scores. Wide receiver Josh LeBlanc leads the Bulldogs receivers with 297 yards and two scores on a modest 16 catches. Clemson still has a lot to play for as they seek their third straight College Football Playoff appearance despite this year’s team is a lot different without superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson. “I knew coming in that it was going to be a different year and different type of team, with a lot of new faces,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “There have been a lot of challenges, but this team has been a lot of fun and whatever situation they’ve been in, they’ve somehow found a way to respond. “And I love to see people respond in this world where there’s so much criticism and analyzing of everything.”Game Analysis
The Tigers have won three straight since suffering their only loss of the season against Syracuse and smacked Florida State around 31-14 last weekend to cash in as a 16.5-point home favorite. Quarterback Kelly Bryant passed for 151 yards and ran for one score in the win while running back Travis Etienne rushed for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “They’ve got a great defensive line,” Thompson said. “And they’ve played Georgia Tech, so they have a great understanding of what it takes to defend the option.
“They’ve got their linebackers keyed into the right spots. They recover as well as anybody that you’ll see, so you’re not going to get them out of position too often.”
Despite being clearly overmatched, Thompson said he wants his team to enjoy the experience of playing an elite program like Clemson.
“I love it,” he said. “I love it for our players, I love it for our fans, I love it for the experience of it. It’ll be an awesome game for our younger players to witness and see and be a part of.”
Team Statistics
- First Downs: The Citadel Bulldogs 13.3 / Clemson Tigers 27.6
- Passing Yards: The Citadel Bulldogs 143.8 / Clemson Tigers 273.9
- Passing Attempts: The Citadel Bulldogs 34.8 / Clemson Tigers 30.0
- Completions: The Citadel Bulldogs 15.1 / Clemson Tigers 20.6
- Rushing Yards: The Citadel Bulldogs 119.4 / Clemson Tigers 191.4
- Rushing Attempts: The Citadel Bulldogs 24.0 / Clemson Tigers 36.6
- Average Yards per Rush: The Citadel Bulldogs 5.0 / Clemson Tigers 5.2
- Turnovers: The Citadel Bulldogs 1.7 / Clemson Tigers 0.9
Latest Betting Trends for NCAAF Week 12
- Clemson is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Clemson is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Clemson’s last 6 games
- Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Clemson’s last 6 games at home
