This weekend, the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers will dance in the College Football Playoff. In the YouTube video above, our Devon Messinger and Dylan DeRaud name their X-factors to watch on Saturday.
Messinger’s X-Factors:
In Saturday’s game, the battle of Austin’s-finest will be my X-factor. On one sideline, Cade Klubnik, a Westlake graduate, will look to tear apart Texas’ secondary led by Andrew Mukuba (Austin LBJ), Jahdae Barron (Pflugerville Connally), and Michael Taaffe (Westlake). However, the listed trio has been tremendous for the Longhorns, leading the nation’s top passing defense.
Having relied on their passing game all season, if Texas can shut down Klubnik, Dabo Swinney‘s squad will be put in a tough situation.
DeRaud’s X-Factors:
My X-factor in this matchup is linebacker Sammy Brown and the rest of the Clemson linebacking corps. Brown ranks third on the team with 69 tackles, 5 sacks, and 11 tackles for loss. However, he will need to elevate his play in this game to help stop the Texas rushing attack. The Longhorns already have a wealth of weapons in their receiving corps for defenses to account for, and if the Tigers can’t contain the run, the damage will only worsen.
Georgia found success against Texas by making them one-dimensional in the passing game and neutralizing Quinn Ewers‘ play-action ability. If Clemson can replicate that strategy and shut down Quintrevion Wisner, they have a chance to pull off a major playoff upset.
