Getting to know Clemson with Rubbing the Rock

UNC takes on Clemson with a chance to pull the biggest upset this season.

The Tar Heels welcome the No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers to Kenan-Memorial Stadium on Saturday looking to turn around a two-game losing streak. To prepare for the big match-up, we caught up with Rubbing the Rock site expert Andrew Boardwine to get his thoughts on the upcoming game.

1. Trevor Lawrence has struggled with interceptions this season. Is there any concern about his level of play?

Trevor Lawrence has certainly not lived up to the expectations placed on him at the beginning of the season. Of course, expectations were that he was going to be the best College Football player of all-time and never make a single mistake on his way to two Heisman Trophies and two more National Championships.

I think Lawrence was pressing a bit early and tried to make things happen when they just weren’t there. Because of that, he made some mistakes and came away with some early turnovers.

As far as concerns, though, there are none. Lawrence has still proven that he’s the best passer in the game and he has learned from those mistakes. He’s only a sophomore and is still growing, but Lawrence is going to improve as the season progresses and there’s no real concern about his level of play or anything technical. He just needs to let the game come to him and not force things to happen and he’ll be fine.

2. With Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross all on this offense, who in your opinion is the biggest playmaker on the team?

Clemson’s offense has a nice balance of play-makers in the passing game and the running game. In my opinion, Travis Etienne is the biggest play-maker out of the entire group because of his explosiveness.

Etienne is a guy that only needs one tackler to miss and he’s off to the races. Though he hasn’t had gaudy numbers over the last couple of games, he’s still an intricate part of the offense. Teams have to prepare for him and account for him in the running and passing game.

3. With UNC dropping its last two, what is the feeling from Clemson fans heading into this game? Is there any concern?

The vast majority of Clemson fans probably feel the same way. The Tigers are heavy favorites for a reason and I think Clemson fans expect the Tigers to come away with a convincing victory.

Of course, there’s also respect for Mack Brown and what he’s done. North Carolina has some talent and they have the ability to keep this one close for a while if the Tigers don’t show up ready to play. The key for Clemson will be coming out focused, riding the emotional wave that the Tar Heels will likely have early and just letting the depth play out.

The Tigers have methodically put opponents away during this season and I expect that most Clemson fans think this will be a similar outcome.

4. Who is one Tigers player that Carolina fans probably don’t know but should?

The big name to know is Tyler Davis.

Davis, a freshman DT, won a starting spot along that defensive line and has been an absolute monster for the Tigers.

The true-freshman has anchored the interior of Clemson’s defensive line and he’s done an excellent job clogging the middle and creating pressure from up the middle on the passer. Look for him to be a force on the interior of that defensive line.

5. Prediction for the game?

I think North Carolina keeps it close for a while, but the Tigers are just more talented and more experienced. Clemson is going to get after Sam Howell and force him to throw the ball under pressure. The defense likely forces a turnover or two and Clemson improves to 5-0 on the season.

Clemson 42, North Carolina 10