Clemson at Texas A&M – Tigers Favored by a Dozen Over Aggies

Alabama provided more definitive proof of their superiority than Clemson in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers aren’t a solid wager.

Clemson cruised to victory in its first contest. The Furman Paladins of the FCS competed hard in a commendable 48-7 defeat at the hands of the Tigers last weekend. However, the reigning ACC champs were in no danger of an upset.

A visit to Kyle Field this Saturday will be a different story. Texas A&M throttled the Northwestern State Demons 59-7 in Jimbo Fisher’s debut as the Aggies’ head coach last weekend.

A streak of .500-or-worse conference finishes dating back to 2013 is a monkey on the back of Fisher’s new squad. Can the former Florida State head coach help turn A&M around?

The Tigers are expected to stomp the Aggies. Clemson is a (-440) favorite at BetOnline.

An Over/Under line of (54) provides a further clue as to what Vegas handicappers are thinking. Bookies may be doubtful that Clemson can average 35+ points per game in the school’s 2nd season without Deshaun Watson under center. But Dabo Swinney’s defense will give quarterback Kelly Bryant plenty of chances in good field position.

An NFL-caliber defensive line highlighted by potential draft picks like Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant, and Clelin Ferrell is the foundation of Swinney’s 2018 team. Linebacker Kendall Joseph is a skilled veteran who decided to return to Clemson as opposed to entering the NFL draft in the offseason.

Texas A&M can play some defense too. Landis Durham was a sack machine for the Aggies last season. Durham recorded a tackle-for-loss while playing limited minutes against Northwestern State.

Aggie quarterbacks will be center stage at Kyle Field. Underclassmen Kellen Mond and Nick Starkel split reps in 2017, with Starkel fronting the offense down the stretch of the season.

Starkel played well. The 6’3” gunslinger had an impressive 2-touchdown and 0-interception stat line against Auburn, knocked off New Mexico and Ole Miss to ensure the Aggies a winning season and a bowl game, struggled against LSU (it happens) and then ignited for almost 500 yards on 63 attempts in an insane Belk Bowl contest with Wake Forest.

However, a 5-1 stretch earlier in the year was orchestrated by Mond. The dual-threat erupted for 109 yards on 10 rushes as Texas A&M squeaked by conference foe Arkansas in overtime. He followed that up with a 70% completion percentage and another big rushing night in a 24-17 victory over South Carolina. Fisher is going with Mond as his starter for now.

Clemson’s defense is a force to be reckoned with – that’s a sure thing. The mystery is how the Clemson offense will perform against a formidable SEC opponent.

The output of the running backs will impact Bryant’s performance. The QB’s talents in the ground game are pedestrian compared to his predecessor, but the bright side is the 6’4” quarterback is not as likely to get banged-up in a more compact offense. Bryant will get his chances at home-run balls if defenses are forced to put 8 or 9 defenders in the box as was the case against Furman last Saturday.

Tiger fans have high hopes for sophomore running back Travis Etienne in 2018, but another RB to watch is freshman Lyn-J Dixon. The Georgia product rushed for an outstanding 5,000+ yards as a multiple-sport standout at Taylor County High School, and raced for a 61-yard run against Furman last Saturday.

Texas A&M struggled against the pass last year. The Aggie defense faced problems against quality opponents even with Durham’s sacks. Patient teams will look to run until the pass rush is neutralized, then throw over the top against a still-developing secondary. That is Clemson’s bread and butter on offense, so good luck to the Aggies in stopping them.

Fisher has not yet recruited enough talent to transform his defense. A&M should be able to improve as the season progresses and may pull off a few upsets in 2018, but it will not happen against the Clemson Tigers. The favorites have incredible depth, discipline, and focus headed into another potentially monumental season.

I’m liking Clemson ATS (-12) or as a safe moneyline pick at (-440).