GAME NOTES: ACC foes clash under the lights this Thursday, as the 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets host the Clemson Tigers in the league opener for both teams at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The Tigers opened their 2009 campaign successfully this past weekend, scoring a 37-14 victory over Middle Tennessee. The win was by no means a surprise considering the talent this team possesses, but it was still a nice start for the program and Dabo Swinney, who is in his first full season as head coach of Clemson after serving on an interim level for part of last year.

"The goal was to win tonight, and we achieved this win," Swinney said after Saturday's game.

For Tech, it faced a much lesser opponent and took care of business with a 37-17 home triumph of Jacksonville State. It wasn't the most impressive victory considering Jacksonville State is a FCS program, and second-year head coach Paul Johnson knows this team will need to be sharper in the future.

"We have a little problem with killer instinct and our intensity levels and playing hard," Johnson said. "That is something we have to work on."

The Jackets and Tigers have a long history against one another, with Georgia Tech holding a 47-24-2 lead in a series that dates back to 1898. Last season, Tech marched into South Carolina and clipped Clemson by a 21-17 score.

The 2009 season couldn't have gotten off to a better starter for the Tigers, as All-American candidate C.J. Spiller returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a score and Clemson never looked back in its win over Middle Tennessee. Spiller finished with 170 all-purpose yards and only played one half after being slowed by a leg injury. The talented back only had four rushes for 12 yards, but he is expected to carry the load for the Tigers after averaging 5.4 yards per carry and scoring 11 total touchdowns in 2008. As a team, Clemson rolled up 202 yards on the ground versus Middle Tennessee, so giving Spiller a rest was no big deal.

The ground game will need to be good for the Tigers, as they have a freshman running the show under center in Kyle Parker. In his debut last weekend, Parker completed 9-of-20 pass attempts for 169 yards and two scores. More importantly, he didn't commit a turnover and that is usually a problem for first-year starters.

"He was outstanding today," said Swinney. "He missed one throw all night, and there were about four big drops from the receivers tonight. He was dead on all night."

Jacoby Ford led the wideouts with three receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown, and he also returned a punt 61 yards for a score. Ford is coming off a 55-catch season and showed he is ready to be the go-to-guy in 2009.

Clemson's defense did a terrific job last weekend, limiting Middle Tennessee to 299 yards of total offense. The Tigers surrendered only 92 yards on the ground, while creating three turnovers on interceptions.

"Overall, the defense played solid," said Swinney. "Brandon Maye and DeAndre McDaniel stepped up tonight. They are both passionate players. They show a sign of the season we are going to have."

Maye led the team with 13 tackles, to go with a forced fumble and interception, while McDaniel had 12 stops and a pick of his own.

The Tigers also racked up three sacks in the game, and that is an area they were looking to improve upon after finishing with only 14 in 2008.

The Yellow Jackets picked up right where they left off from a year ago, as their electric ground attack amassed 335 yards on a 6.7 yard per carry average in the season opening win over JSU. Last season, Tech averaged 273.2 ypg on the ground and went over 400 yards three times, so it to was no surprise to see the team run wild this past weekend. Tailback Jonathan Dwyer led the charge with 95 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries and that included a 74-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.

"That play is designed to get the ball to the edge, and they made good blocks, and (quarterback) Josh (Nesbitt) made a big read," Dwyer said. "Just give me the ball and let me make a play. That is what the offense is about, making the big plays."

The reigning ACC Player of the Year, Dwyer only played in one half, as he wasn't needed after the break.

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt added 93 rushing yards and a score on 14 totes, while completing 6-of-11 tosses for 141 yards and another touchdown in the opener. Nesbitt did a good job of handling the new option attack under coach Johnson last season, rushing for 693 yards and seven touchdowns, and figures to be even more productive in year two of this offense.

Four of Nesbitt's completions went to Demaryius Thomas, who finished with 101 yards on the day. Thomas led the team in receiving last year, with 39 catches, and he can make teams pay for overplaying the run.

Tech's defense did a sound job in the opener, although the unit did let up late in the game when coach Johnson was trying to get some playing time for the backups.

"I thought the first group was ok. It is very had to tell until you watch the tape. When the thing happens at the end like it happens when you are trying to play a lot of people, it kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I'd like for them to put up more of a fight."

The Jackets allowed only 291 total yards in the game, but a large part of those yards came in the fourth quarter, when JSU scored 10 of its 17 points. Still, Tech did limit JSU to only 98 rushing yards, while recording a pair of turnovers and three sacks.

Derrick Morgan, who had seven sacks as a sophomore last season, had two in the opener, while Julian Burnett paced the defense with nine stops. Morgan Burnett added five stops and the team's only interception, and he is one of the best defensive players around after posting 93 stops and seven picks a year ago.

The Yellow Jackets are a bit more experienced all-around and they should be able to control this game on the ground, while their defense will cause all sorts of problems for the Tigers' rookie quarterback. Expect Tech to come out on top in a physical ACC matchup in Atlanta.