Tag: Eric Mac Lain

Former Tiger on ‘a big reason’ why he thinks Clemson will go unbeaten in ’22

The Avengers have this former Clemson standout very excited for the Tigers’ 2022 football season. No, of course not the superheroes portrayed in Marvel’s film and comic book series, but rather the Clemson defensive linemen who have adopted those …

The Avengers have this former Clemson standout very excited for the Tigers’ 2022 football season.

No, of course not the superheroes portrayed in Marvel’s film and comic book series, but rather the Clemson defensive linemen who have adopted those superhero identities heading into next season – namely guys like 2021 All-ACC selections Xavier Thomas, Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, and fellow returning standout K.J. Henry, among others on the loaded defensive front.

On the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich this week, former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain discussed what he is most excited for as it pertains to the Tigers entering the 2022 campaign.

As you’d expect, Mac Lain mentioned Clemson’s quarterback competition between rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei and five-star freshman Cade Klubnik.

But the Tigers’ defensive line — which is calling itself The Avengers and has drawn comparisons to Clemson’s 2018 D-line that dubbed itself as the Power Rangers — has Mac Lain pumped about the potential of Dabo Swinney’s team in 2022, a team that Mac Lain believes can run the table in the ACC and get through the regular season without a loss.

“That quarterback position battle, for sure, and just seeing who can rise up from that. But then also this defensive line,” Mac Lain said of what excites him most about Clemson. “I spoke about it last year, shades of that 2018 team, and then some injuries kind of threw a curveball into that. If they can stay healthy, these guys will be the best defensive line in all of college football. And a lot of people, as myself, have compared them to that defensive line that were called the Power Rangers. They say no man, we have so much depth, we are The Avengers. And they all went out on Twitter and kind of named who they were, which I thought was super cool and just fun for fans and for people to be able to talk about. But those guys have proven it, and you have a couple of older guys in KJ Henry and Xavier Thomas that could’ve left but decided to come back – and Tyler Davis – for this final run, like a lot of those guys on that ’18 team did.

“So, I think something special is brewing there and a big reason why I believe Clemson is going to go undefeated in this regular season.”

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Former Clemson standout weighs in on Tigers’ 2022 schedule

A former Clemson standout weighed in on the Tigers’ 2022 schedule this week, breaking it down and highlighting what he sees as the biggest games on the slate. On the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich, former Clemson and All-ACC …

A former Clemson standout weighed in on the Tigers’ 2022 schedule this week, breaking it down and highlighting what he sees as the biggest games on the slate.

On the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich, former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain gave his thoughts on some of the Tigers’ matchups this coming season, starting with the opener on Labor Day evening — Monday, Sept. 5 — when the Tigers face Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta before returning to Death Valley for Clemson’s home opener against Furman on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The opener, which is classified as a Georgia Tech home game despite being moved off-campus, will represent Clemson’s second season opener against Georgia Tech in the Dabo Swinney era, joining a 52-14 home win against the Yellow Jackets to open the 2019 season.

“I think it’s super unique, that start, Clemson playing on a Monday night,” Mac Lain said. “I don’t know if that’s ever happened. So, something that is really cool — the standalone game, everybody in the country will be watching that game that cares about college football. And then the turnaround — there isn’t a buy in between that. You have four days basically to prepare for Furman… bodies are bodies, injuries are injuries and things can happen. But it’s going to be really interesting.”

Mac Lain believes the first game against Georgia Tech (as opposed to last season’s opener against eventual national champion Georgia) followed by this year’s games against Furman and Louisiana Tech will give the Tigers some time to sort out their quarterback situation going into a five-game stretch on the schedule that includes consecutive games at Wake Forest (Sept. 24), vs. NC State (Oct. 1), at Boston College (Oct. 8), at Florida State (Oct. 15) and vs. Syracuse (Oct. 22) prior to Clemson’s open date on Oct. 29.

“The fact that you get to really solidify this quarterback spot and find out, OK… Everything that we’ve been hearing right now sounds like DJ (Uiagalelei) is back on a track to be in a positive way. But games are different and you find out very quickly,” Mac Lain said. “So, you have a nice little cushion here, and then of course you play Wake Forest, who won the ACC, and right after that, NC State.”

Mac Lain views the game vs. the Wolfpack as one that could be decisive in the ACC Atlantic race and determine which team represents the division in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.

“When I’m looking at this schedule and I’m looking at kind of best games or games that I’m really excited about… certainly NC State – I think everybody is excited for that game,” Mac Lain said. “Date pretty important there, October 1st, and is that an ACC Championship bid? Is that going to be who plays in Charlotte? I know Wake Forest fans are going to be like, ‘Wait a minute, hold on here, don’t disrespect us.’ But, I think that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Following the open date, Clemson will travel to play Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Tigers are 4-2 all-time against the Fighting Irish, and the programs split two meetings in 2020 in Notre Dame’s lone season of ACC membership. Clemson won the teams’ most recent matchup, a 34-10 win in the 2020 ACC Championship Game, avenging a 47-40 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame earlier that season in which several key players, including Trevor Lawrence and James Skalski, were unavailable.

Uiagalelei threw for 439 yards in Clemson’s last trip to Notre Dame, the most all-time by any player against the Irish.

“The last time DJ Uiagalelei played there, he just blazed every record possible,” Mac Lain said. “So, he’s going to be excited about that.”

After the trip to South Bend, Clemson will round out its 2022 regular season schedule with a trio of home dates against Louisville (Nov. 12), Miami (Nov. 19) and rival South Carolina (Nov. 26).

Mac Lain wonders if the contest against the Hurricanes under first-year Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is potentially an ACC title game preview.

“Versus Miami, second-to-last game of the year. Is that a potential ACC Championship preview? Are we going to see that again in a couple of weeks?” he said. “So, I’m excited for those games. I think it’s going to be really impressive just to see Clemson on this stretch. You go at Notre Dame, and then Louisville at home, Miami at home, South Carolina at home. That’s a rough November that is certainly going to have them well ready and tested for a championship and then a potential CFP run.”

–Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story

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Analysts discuss Clemson’s QB situation, one says he’s ‘still a believer’ in Uiagalelei

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network this week, when talking about Clemson, ACCN analysts Eric Mac Lain, E.J. Manuel and Mark Richt discussed the Tigers’ quarterback situation and the looming competition between rising …

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network this week, when talking about Clemson, ACCN analysts Eric Mac Lain, E.J. Manuel and Mark Richt discussed the Tigers’ quarterback situation and the looming competition between rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei and five-star freshman Cade Klubnik that all eyes will be on this spring.

Manuel voiced confidence in Uiagalelei, despite the former five-star prospect’s struggles as Clemson’s starting signal-caller last season.

After throwing for a total of 781 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 69.4 percent of his passes across two starts against Boston College and Notre Dame as a true freshman in 2020, Uiagalelei had a 55.6 completion percentage, 2,246 passing yards and nine touchdown passes with 10 interceptions in 13 starts last season.

“I’m still a believer that D.J. can get himself out of that whole,” Manuel said. “He has all the tools. You can’t play that well, going back to the 2020 season against Notre Dame, against BC, and then not get back to that. So, I still believe that he can do it.”

Uiagalelei will be pushed this spring by Klubnik, a five-star prospect from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, who enrolled at Clemson in January ranked as the top quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class by Sports Illustrated, PrepStar, Rivals and the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Klubnik, who earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Texas for 2021 and was named the All-American Bowl’s National High School Player of the Year, comes to Clemson with no shortage of accolades and hype.

But Richt expressed caution about Klubnik going into his freshman season, considering the struggles he witnessed from Matthew Stafford as a freshman at Georgia in 2006 when Richt was the head coach there.

That season, Stafford — who went on to be drafted 1st overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft — completed 52.7 percent of his passes for 1,749 yards and seven touchdowns with 13 picks.

“The thing about Cade – true freshman, right – it’s hard to be great as a true freshman,” Richt said. “I mean, Matthew Stafford, first pick of the draft, he struggled his freshman year. He did some great things, he did some not-so-great things. So, it’s hard to be a consistent winner when your quarterback is not consistent.”

Regardless of who takes the field as Clemson’s starting quarterback next season, Mac Lain acknowledged that the Tigers (10-3, 6-2 ACC in 2021) need more production at the position in order for Dabo Swinney’s program to return to the standard it is accustomed to after seeing its streak of six straight ACC titles and six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances come to an end last season.

“I think everyone can sit here and say that the quarterback position is going to have to be better. That’s not a knock, it’s not being rude, it just is what it is,” Mac Lain said. “And when you have the most important position on the field not meeting the level of expectation that has been set by others, you see a ‘down’ year. 10 wins, 11 straight seasons there.

“So, for Clemson to be able to get back to where they expect to be, where they want to be, where the fans want to be, something is going to have to happen at the quarterback position – whether it’s D.J. Uiagalalei increasing his play to the flashes that we saw in 2020, or is it a change? Is someone else going to make the most of their opportunity and be able to get Clemson back to where they need to be?”

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Two analysts don’t pick Clemson to win Atlantic

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network on Monday, show host Jordan Cornette and analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt made their picks for which teams they think will represent the Atlantic and Coastal divisions …

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network on Monday, show host Jordan Cornette and analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt made their picks for which teams they think will represent the Atlantic and Coastal divisions in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, which will be played on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Richt, Mac Lain and Cornette all picked Miami to win the Coastal, while Manuel went with Pittsburgh.

As for the Atlantic, while Manuel and Mac Lain picked Clemson to win the division, both Richt and Cornette predicted NC State to represent the Atlantic in the conference title game.

Here’s what they had to say when making their predictions:

Mark Richt: “NC State. NC State I think is the most balanced team in the league. I think they’re going to win their side of the division, without any doubt. And then I’m taking the boys at The U. Again, usually it’s year two when a coach gets his act together. But I think Coach (Manny Diaz) left a lot of really good players, and Coach (Mario) Cristobal really understands the culture of that place. I mean, let’s face it – home run hire at the AD position (Dan Radakovich), home run hire at the head coaching position. A lot of momentum just going into the season. So, I think it’s going to be Miami.”

E.J. Manuel: “Coach, I gotta disagree on the Coastal side. I’m going to say the Pitt Panthers get another chance to get back there. Kedon Slovis, he’s going to make that move to help himself, move on to the draft. It’s a good team. If they had a quarterback versus Michigan State, they win that game. And I’m going to say on the Atlantic side, I think Clemson gets back. I think Clemson picks it back up, they’re going to be back dominant.”

Eric Mac Lain: “I agree with both of y’all. I think we could see easily, all those situations. I think it’s going to be Clemson and Miami. At the end of the day, I think both those teams are going to have unbelievable years, but would not be shocked by NC State or Pitt playing in that game.”

Jordan Cornette: “TVD (Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke) I think is the best quarterback in the conference next year. Of all the great quarterbacks, I think he’s going to be the best quarterback, so I agree with you guys there. I do think Miami gets there. As for the other side … I think NC State.”

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Analysts discuss Clemson’s looming QB competition

Following the Cheez-It Bowl last Wednesday, a few ACC analysts gave their takeaways from No. 19 Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State. On The Huddle on ACC Network, former Clemson All-ACC offensive lineman and current ACCN analyst Eric Mac Lain said …

Following the Cheez-It Bowl last Wednesday, a few ACC analysts gave their takeaways from No. 19 Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State.

On The Huddle on ACC Network, former Clemson All-ACC offensive lineman and current ACCN analyst Eric Mac Lain said one thing that stood out to him was the “lack of offensive explosion from the quarterback position.”

Following a month of bowl prep, Mac Lain expected to see more from D.J. Uiagalelei and his receivers against the Cyclones. The sophomore quarterback went 21-of-32 passing for 187 yards with an interception, while freshman Dacari Collins was Clemson’s leading receiver in the Cheez-It Bowl with 56 yards on six catches.

“I thought that this month of practice would do Clemson really well, and especially D.J. Uiagalelei, just to get back with those receivers,” Mac Lain said. “You had a couple of young guys that really hadn’t been there all year long. So, to have a full month in the bowl season where you have the Collins guys, with Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins, thought that we would see more chemistry, thought that we would see more things down the field, and he didn’t show it.”

Mac Lain also talked about the quarterback competition the Tigers will have this spring, with five-star signee Cade Klubnik set to enroll at Clemson this month and take part in spring practice.

“It might just be to the point of where you have a young freshman coming in this spring that wants to play, and it’s going to be a quarterback competition from day one,” Mac Lain said.

Former Georgia and Miami head coach and current ACCN analyst Mark Richt, also a former quarterbacks coach at Florida State, agreed with Mac Lain about Clemson’s looming quarterback battle.

“There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “And really, for me, as a quarterbacks coach my whole career, it was a painful game to watch, and it was on both sides. Three points, three points, missing field goals. Just guys couldn’t make enough plays and couldn’t finish drives. But as the game went on, quarterback play got a little bit better. But it’s absolutely going to be a competition at Clemson.”

ACCN analyst E.J. Manuel, FSU’s starting quarterback from 2009-12 and a former first-round NFL Draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, believes this will be a big offseason for not only Uiagalelei — but also for head coach Dabo Swinney.

“Like, what decision do you make now because DJ, based off how he played in that freshman year, it’s still the biggest question mark for me is how do you go from playing that well your freshman year to now your sophomore year, you’re just not the same guy,” Manuel said. “I just feel like that’s going to be the toughest thing to try to figure out for Coach Swinney. I’m sure he’s scratching his head, too.”

After completing 78-of-117 passes (66.7 percent) for 914 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions as a freshman in 2020, Uiagalelei went 208-of-374 passing (55.6 percent) for 2,246 yards and nine touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 13 games this season.

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Packer shares ‘crazy story’ about Clemson DC Wes Goodwin

Wes Goodwin has garnered the nickname “Wes-lichick” – likening Goodwin’s football acumen to that of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. During his recent media availability, Clemson’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach was asked if …

Wes Goodwin has garnered the nickname “Wes-lichick” — likening Goodwin’s football acumen to that of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

During his recent media availability, Clemson’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach was asked if he likes the “Wes-lichick” moniker.

“Hey, that started way back in the day at Mississippi State,” said Goodwin, who graduated from Mississippi State, earning his undergraduate degree in 2007 and Master’s degree in 2009 while working as a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Bulldogs.

“Hopefully one day, maybe, I can be mentioned in the same sentence as Bill Belichick. He’s the best of all time. I have so much respect for what he’s done over the years. Eight Super Bowls, countless other opportunities and accomplishments. So, it’s a fun name to be thrown around. Hopefully one day I live up to that.”

Goodwin was also asked if he in fact has a photographic memory, as some believe he does.

“That’s what they say,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve been clinically diagnosed with that.”

On the Packer and Durham show on the ACC Network, Mark Packer and Kelly Gramlich, who co-hosted the show Wednesday, discussed Goodwin, his football genius and the Belichick comparisons.

Former Clemson All-ACC offensive lineman and current ACCN analyst Eric Mac Lain recently had high praise for Goodwin, and Packer recalled a story he was told by Mac Lain about Goodwin and his insane football memory:

Gramlich: “I have not met him. I know Mac knows him, so I’ve heard from Mac, and Mac calls him a genius.”

Packer: “Yeah, Eric was telling me stories the other night when he was here at the house. Because I asked him the same question. I said, give me the lowdown on Goodwin. So, he gave me this crazy story about when he was in school, and they’d say, ‘What was the 34th play today at practice?’ And he just went [snapping fingers].”

Gramlich: “You need to go get him clinically diagnosed because he does have a photographic memory it seems.”

Packer: “Some guys just remember that kind of stuff. All I know is when I played golf, if you said, ‘Hey Pack, what did you do on the 15th hole?’ Man, I couldn’t tell you. ‘I hit a driver to the left side, 85 yards, I hit a 5-iron, tried to cut it, terrible shot, it was in the woods, made a 9.’ I could give you all that. But when guys started asking, ‘What was the 34th play at practice and what did you see?’ And he said he just rattled it off like he had a baloney sandwich at lunch. So, I don’t know the guy. But everybody says he’s got one of those special gifts with all that. So, we’ll see.”

Gramlich: “He reminds me a little bit of Belichick, I can see it. Cut from the same cloth. He just needs the cutoff sweatshirt now.”

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Radakovich: Clemson is in good hands with Neff

Former Clemson Athletic Director Dan Radakovich took time on his appearance on the ACC Network’s Packer and Durham show Tuesday morning to let Tiger fans know they will be in good hands with Graham Neff. “I also need to let you know that back here …

Former Clemson Athletic Director Dan Radakovich took time on his appearance on the ACC Network’s Packer and Durham show Tuesday morning to let Tiger fans know they will be in good hands with Graham Neff.

“I also need to let you know that back here at Clemson, both of your alma maters, you are going to be in great hands.  Graham Neff who has been the deputy there for the last eight years is really ready and is really excited about the opportunity to lead the Tigers and he is going to do an awesome job,” said Radakovich.

Former Tiger Eric Mac Lain joined Packer as the host for Tuesday’s edition of the Packer and Durham show.

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Packer takes a shot at South Carolina

Mark Packer has some fun with the Gamecocks during his show on the ACC Network Tuesday morning. Packer was discussing how the PA announcer at the Myrtle Beach Bowl kept saying “It’s third down” during the game Monday with very few fans in the stand. …

Mark Packer has some fun with the Gamecocks during his show on the ACC Network Tuesday morning.

Packer was discussing how the PA announcer at the Myrtle Beach Bowl kept saying “It’s third down” during the game Monday with very few fans in the stand.  Then he gave a comparison to Williams-Brice Stadium.

“You know how you go and play South Carolina and you hear the chicken and they are getting beat by 100 like they normally are against Clemson.  They crank up the cock-a-doodle-do.  And you are thinking who are you firing up.  Everybody left in the third quarter.  They are gone,” said Packer.

Former Tiger Eric Mac Lain was the co-host with Packer today on the Packer and Durham show.

This former Tiger is a big fan of Clemson’s new DC

A former Clemson standout is a big fan of the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach. Former Tiger All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain spoke about Wes Goodwin this week and had high praise for the man who has earned the nickname …

A former Clemson standout is a big fan of the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach.

Former Tiger All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain spoke about Wes Goodwin this week and had high praise for the man who has earned the nickname “Wes-lichick.”

“At the end of the day, Wes is the guy and he is a genius,” Mac Lain said on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich. “And I know people want to see results first before we start throwing out all these nicknames and accolades and deeming him one of the smartest people in the room. But in all of my experiences, this guy is gonna be ready.”

Goodwin is in his 10th overall season at Clemson spanning two tenures with the Tigers. Earlier this week, he was officially promoted from senior defensive assistant to defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and added the role of co-defensive coordinator for safeties coach Mickey Conn.

As a defensive analyst from 2012-14 and as senior defensive assistant from 2018-21, Goodwin served in a critical off-field role for former defensive coordinator Brent Venables, overseeing defensive breakdowns and opponent scouting, assisting with on-campus recruiting and also serving as one of the program’s primary liaisons to NFL scouting personnel and coaches.

Goodwin first arrived at Clemson in 2009, serving as a graduate assistant from 2009-11. He joined the staff on a full-time basis in 2012 in Venables’ first season at the helm of the defense and oversaw the team’s secondary for its 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl win against LSU. In the final season of his first stint at Clemson in 2014, Clemson finished as the nation’s top-ranked unit in total defense, third down percentage, first downs allowed and tackles for loss, all while ranking in the top five in many other statistical categories.

Between his stints at Clemson, Goodwin spent three years with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, serving as an assistant to head coach Bruce Arians. Cardinals squads for which Goodwin worked compiled a 28-19-1 record, including a 13-3 NFC West championship season in 2015 in which Arizona reached the NFC Championship Game.

“He just lives it, breathes it. He is football, and he is going to be so methodical,” Mac Lain said. “I think what’s going to be really fun to see the difference is, I want to see him animated. If something goes wrong, I cannot imagine Wes Goodwin jumping up and down, screaming… I think he’s just this calm, silent killer at the end of the day. So, I am fascinated to see what it’s gonna look like.”

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Former Tiger, current analyst: This is Clemson Football’s ‘baseball year’

After winning the last six ACC Championships, Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC) saw its hopes of a seventh straight conference title come to an end last Friday night when NC State defeated North Carolina in Raleigh, officially eliminating the Tigers from ACC …

After winning the last six ACC Championships, Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC) saw its hopes of a seventh straight conference title come to an end last Friday night when NC State defeated North Carolina in Raleigh, officially eliminating the Tigers from ACC Championship Game contention.

Former Clemson All-ACC offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain, who was a guest on College Sports Today on ESPNU Radio on Monday, compared the Tigers’ relatively down year to when Michael Jordan retired from basketball in 1993 after winning three straight NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls and then decided to try a career in baseball before returning to the NBA in 1995 and leading the Bulls to another three-peat (1996-1998).

“It’s been very impressive to see both of these teams (Pittsburgh and Wake Forest) really just take advantage of kind of the Clemson off year, if you will,” Mac Lain said. “Our host on The Huddle (on ACCN), Jordan Cornette, kind of summed it up as when Michael Jordan went and played baseball. Well, this is Clemson’s ‘baseball year,’ in who was able to take over the ACC.”

Considering Clemson’s strong finish to the regular season, which saw the Tigers win their last five games – most recently a 30-0 rout of rival South Carolina – and the way Clemson’s suffocating defense has performed all year long, Mac Lain believes Dabo Swinney’s team would be favored over both Pittsburgh (10-2, 7-1 ACC) and Wake Forest (10-2, 7-1) if the Tigers had made the ACC Championship Game.

“Well, we just saw Clemson dismantle Wake Forest (48-27 on Nov. 20),” Mac Lain said. “I think that would be kind of similar again just because the style of Wake Forest with that offense that they run. Clemson being able to get pressure really affects them. And then with Pitt, it’s hard to beat anybody twice. And with the way that Clemson is playing right now, I would think they would be favored. Maybe it would be by three, maybe by five. But just going into that game, I think there would be a lot of respect with the Tigers and how they’ve finished this year. Not that it would be a dud, because I think (Pitt quarterback) Kenny Pickett is that good and he clearly showed the Tigers how good he is. But certainly, I think they’d be favored in another close game.”

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