ATLANTA -- No. 5 Clemson hadn't beaten Georgia Tech in Atlanta since 2003, but the result of Thursday night's game at Bobby Dodd Stadium was never in doubt.
The score (26-7) doesn't indicate how dominant the Tigers were on Thursday night, holding Georgia Tech to 124 total yards and only two third-down conversions on 12 attempts. Despite being on a short week against a triple-option attack that can be difficult to prepare for, Clemson's defense did its job.
The Tigers' gap contain and run fits were excellent all night. Clemson's linebackers rarely left an assignment, forcing difficult reads for Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas orchestrating the option attack. The pass defense was equally disciplined, not allowing the Yellow Jackets to find any big plays off of play action.
While the defense dominated, Clemson's offense, led by Deshaun Watson, continues to look just a bit off. The raw numbers look pretty good for the Tigers with 442 total yards -- 304 through the air -- and a 56 percent conversion rate on third downs. But to only put up 26 points with those kinds of numbers continues to raise red flags about issues the Tigers' offensive efficiency.
Watson completed 32-of-48 passing attempts and had a pair of touchdown passes, but he also had a bad red zone interception on an apparent miscommunication that somehow still resulted in two points for Clemson, and didn't look sharp in the red zone outside of the first drive of the game. It was a solid performance from a player who we expect to see extraordinary performances from.
That was still enough to get a comfortable win over Georgia Tech, but with Louisville lurking on the schedule on Oct. 1, Clemson's offense is running out of time to find its form and fire on all cylinders.
The offensive line has yet to create gaps in the running game against an FBS opponent, and that group up front appears to be the biggest concern for the Tigers. Thursday night's 4.1 yards per carry was the best rushing performance of the season against an FBS opponent by Clemson, but that's nearly a yard lower than the Tigers' average for the season in 2015 (4.93 yards per carry). Without a balanced rushing attack, Watson is forced to throw the ball way more than he should -- 48 passing attempts against Georgia Tech is a bit ridiculous.
This was Clemson's last shot at live football before the Louisville game with 10 days to prepare, and while the defense showed that it's in excellent form, the offense was not able to prove the same.
Lamar Jackson and Louisville are going to score points on any defense, even if Clemson shows up with its A-game. The Tigers offense is going to have to be better than 21 points on six red zone attempts against the Cardinals if they're going to stake claim to the Atlantic division.
