Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: 5 Things We Learned from Tigers' Loss to GT

Clemson suffered a derailing loss for the Tigers' hopes at a BCS national championship on Saturday night against Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson's offense wreaked havoc on the Clemson defense, leading the Yellow Jackets to a decisive 31-17 victory. The score was 31-10 after three quarters.

The 2011 BCS rankings are sure to be shaken up after another team falls from the ranks from the unbeaten.

Often more things are learned from losses than in wins.

That was the case for Clemson—read on as we reveal five things learned from the game. 

The ACC Will Go Another Season Without a National Championship Contender

Clemson was the only hope for the ACC. With the loss to the Yellow Jackets, the ACC will have to wait another season before getting national respect.

The Tigers, a longshot to begin with, will have to regroup in hopes of heading to Charlotte for the ACC championship game.

Clemson will likely play the winner of the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech matchup on Nov. 10. Either way, it’s a rematch for the Tigers.

By winning the ACC, Clemson will receive an automatic bid to the Discover Orange Bowl.

Clemson’s Reputation Will Unfairly Be Brought Up by the Media.

Yes, a favored Clemson team lost to an unranked team on the road.

However, Georgia Tech’s unorthodox offense presents a plethora of challenges that no normal team would present. The margin for error is simply so thin against Georgia Tech, and Clemson simply could not overcome a few mistakes.

The fact is, Clemson does not match up well against the Yellow Jackets. The Tiger defense was simply unable to get off the field, leading to long drives and an ultimate loss.

However, this was not a choke by Clemson.

Paul Johnson’s Triple Option Is Unstoppable

If executed well, that is.

As an ACC fan, I have watched in terror as the Yellow Jackets seemingly move the ball at will against defenses with the wishbone offense.

I have also watched in envy as teams like Virginia and Miami have managed to contain it.

However, when it is on, it seemingly is impossible to stop. If Georgia Tech has a lead in the second half, like it did versus Clemson, the task becomes infinitely harder for the opposing team.

Georgia Tech ran for over 380 yards in an incredible display of running prowess.

The Yellow Jackets are experts at moving the chains and eating up clock. That strategy turned out to be the kryptonite for Clemson on Saturday night. 

The Clemson Offense Is Human

The frustrating part for Tiger fans is that the problems were mostly self-inflicted.

The Yellow Jackets did a good job of blitzing the corners and pressuring Tajh Boyd into mistakes. However, the Tigers committed costly turnovers at key moments in the game that helped secure the loss.

The Tigers desperately needed to control time of possession to rest the defense. Tonight, they could not and the defense wore down in the second half.

Clemson’s Season Is Not over

As I previously mentioned, the Tigers still have control of the ACC. The Tigers will likely make an appearance in Charlotte for the ACC Championship against the winner of the Tech battle in Atlanta.

If the Tigers win out, and win the ACC, they will earn a trip to Miami for the Orange Bowl and will have a great chance to finish out the season as a Top 10 team.

If you had asked Clemson fans if they would accept that at the beginning of the year, chances are they would take that.

There's a lot of football left, Tigers fans.