Clemson @ Georgia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2013 ) Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 55

Clemson freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson returns at just the right time for the 17th-ranked Tigers, who travel to No. 23-ranked Georgia Tech on Saturday for a critical ACC matchup for both squads. Watson, who grabbed the starting job away from Cole Stoudt before breaking a bone in his right (throwing) hand Oct. 11 against Louisville, takes over an offense that scored just seven offensive touchdowns in the four games he missed. The Yellow Jackets have won three in a row and feature one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, ranking third in rushing yards (335.6 yards) while averaging 38.8 points.

Georgia Tech running back Synjyn Days has made the most of increased playing time due to Zach Laskey’s three-game absence with a shoulder injury, setting career highs in his each of his past three games in rushing for 414 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Laskey is set to rejoin a Yellow Jackets ground attack that has kicked into high gear during the winning streak, rushing for 479 yards in last week’s 56-23 victory over North Carolina State and totaling 465 yards in a 56-28 win against Pittsburgh. Georgia Tech faces a stiff test against the Tigers, who are second in the nation total defense (252 yards per game) and held Wake Forest to 119 yards in a 34-20 victory last week.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN. LINE: Clemson -3.

ABOUT CLEMSON (7-2, 6-1 ACC): Stoudt passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns against Wake Forest, after throwing for only two scores coming into the contest. Watson fired 12 touchdown passes while passing for 1,176 yards and completing 67 percent of his passes in six games before the injury, and his ability to scramble has been missed during his absence. Clemson will be without senior safety Robert Smith for the first half after he was ejected for targeting against Wake Forest, leading head coach Dabo Swinney to say, “If we are going to eliminate the play Robert Smith made, then we all just need to put flags on and take the pads off.”

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (8-2, 5-2 ACC): Quarterback Justin Thomas, who surpassed the 1,000 career rushing yard mark last week, averages 78.1 yards on the ground per contest while throwing for 14 touchdowns, and backup quarterback Tim Byerly leads the team with seven rushing TDs. Clemson’s rush defense, which allows only 90.9 yards per game, presents arguably the biggest challenge the Yellow Jackets have faced this season. “The key against them is to try and stay out of third-and-long,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation in third-down conversion rate (59.3 percent), while the Tigers have the best third-down defense in the nation (23.2 percent).

2. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 50-27-2, but the Tigers have won three of the past four meetings.

3. Clemson WR Mike Williams ranks third in the ACC in receiving yards per game (85.8); teammate Artavis Scott is fifth (69.3).

PREDICTION: Clemson 38, Georgia Tech 28