Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 Clemson headlines Thursday night college football

Joey Weaver at From the Rumble Seat said the game showed how far Georgia Tech has to go to meet their goals as a program and match the top tier of the ACC.

Shakin the Southland said that once the Tigers took an early lead, Georgia Tech’s gameplan was simply unable to recover.

There was a scary moment in the third quarter when Tajh Boyd went down with what seemed like a serious injury, but he later returned to the sidelines and was seen throwing the ball around and looking like he wanted to get back in the game. There was no need, though, as the game was already well enough in-hand to give Boyd a rest.

Florida State clinched the ACC Atlantic division by beating Wake Forest last Saturday, but Clemson still has aspirations for an at-large bid in a BCS bowl. The Tigers helped their chances by looking dominant on national television. With the loss, the Yellow Jackets pick up their third conference loss are eliminated from contention in the ACC Coastal.

There was a scary moment on the last play of the third quarter when Boyd went down at the end of a 7-yard run with an apparent injury to his upper body. Boyd needed some assistance getting up from the ground but was able to walk off the field under his own power before heading to the locker room. He has since returned to the sidelines and was last seen warming up.

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Update: Clemson announced it’s a collarbone injury and that Boyd is done for the night. Boyd did return to the sideline shortly afterward.

A look at his landing, via ESPN:

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• Week 12 schedule full of big conference games

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Clemson backup tight end Jordan Leggett will miss Thursday’s game against Georgia Tech due to an unspecified team rules violation, according to head coach Dabo Swinney.

Leggett, a true freshman from Navarre, Fla., has 10 receptions for 89 yards on the year, two of which have gone for touchdowns. Before this suspension, Leggett appeared to be earning a larger role in the Tiger offense, having set a career high for catches and yards last week against Virginia, marking his third consecutive game with a reception.

Georgia Tech versus Clemson is a matchup of contrasting styles: Chad Morris’ frenetic, up-tempo spread against Paul Johnson’s old school triple-option rushing attack. This tension has a lot to do with why Georgia Tech has been such a tough out for Clemson in recent years. Clemson runs its offense at a torrid pace, while Georgia Tech takes the air out of the ball to limit the total number of possessions to increase the odds that a lucky break here or there will help overcome the talent disparity.

This history includes the Yellow Jackets’ stunning 31-17 upset of the Tigers in 2011, when the Tigers were undefeated and ranked in the top 10.