The Georgia Southern Eagles are off to a 2-0 start to their season, but they’re about to run into the No. 2 Clemson Tigers, and getting out of there with a win is going to be an incredibly tall order. Just about every metric, sportsbook, expert pick and prediction is going in Clemson’s favor. The game is currently set for 12 p.m. ET on Saturday (live streaming via WatchESPN).
Georgia Southern vs. Clemson 2018 live stream: Time, TV channel, pick/prediction, and how to watch online
Clemson barely held on for a Week 2 win, but they’re expected to steamroll Georgia Southern on Saturday.
John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Southern dominated South Carolina State in their opener, then comfortably beat UMass the last time out. Clemson hung 48 points on Furman in their opener, but played a very, very close game against Texas A&M in Week 2, winning 28-26 in a nail-biter. The Aggies managed 13 points in the fourth quarter, coming up just short in a comeback bid.
Time, TV, and streaming info
Georgia Southern vs. Clemson news
- Due to Hurricane Florence, the game between Clemson and Georgia Southern was moved up from 3:30 p.m. ET to noon ET.
- The folks at Shakin’ The Southland got together with an Eagles fan to discuss the game, and there’s a lot to take from the Q&A:
STS: Who is Georgia Southern’s most notable play maker than Clemson fans should be aware of entering this game? What makes him a special player?
Willis: QB Shai Werts. He’s just a sophomore but appears to be much more comfortable in the position after struggling as the starter last year. Werts is your typical Georgia Southern quarterback, standing just 5-11 and 200 pounds but extremely fast and difficult to tackle. Watch out for a fake option pitch to open up space if he’s able to turn the corner.
- And then over at Underdog Dynasty, they have a very similar post, with three more questions:
HW: How is Clemson approaching this game? Obviously the outcome shouldn’t be in much doubt, but opposing coaches over the years have expressed how much they hate facing the option. Will Dabo be glad to get this one over with?
RK: We face Georgia Tech every season so it’s not nothing new for us. In fact, we face three triple option teams this season: Furman, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech. Georgia Southern and Tech come in back-to-back weeks. This gives Clemson a nice advantage against the Yellow Jackets.
Unfortunately, the Tech defense looked horrid in their week two loss to South Florida, so that advantage may be somewhat irrelevant and unnecessary. It would likely be better to get experience against a different type of offense and avoid the injury risk you have with cut blocking — which is oftentimes more prevalent with option offenses.
On the flip side, this will be a good opportunity for Clemson’s offense to find its rhythm against a unit that is better than Furman, but not as daunting as Texas A&M. Our running game was slowed a lot by the Aggies so we’ll look to get that back on track this week.
- It’s only Week 3, but the race for the College Football Playoff is on!
- The Georgia Southern offense has a lot to offer when it comes to Saturday’s game, though Clemson should be able to hold them more often than naught.
Georgia Southern vs. Clemson prediction
According to the latest S&P+ rankings, Gerogia Southern has a ranking of 1.6, significantly higher than it was previously after starting the season 2-0. But ... Clemson boasts an S&P+ ranking of 24.1. That means, generally, that the Tigers would have a 22.5-point advantage on a neutral field. It’s not a neutral field. A Georgia Southern win would be a MASSIVE upset.
Subscribe to the Read Option
A daily-ish mini-column on the college football thing of the day, with some other stuff too.
See More:
