Clemson @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2009 ) Virginia 21, Clemson 34

No. 8 Clemson will try to break out of its offensive funk when the Tigers travel to play ACC rival Virginia on Saturday. Clemson, also No. 8 in the latest BCS rankings, struggled to put away Maryland last week after falling flat in a 51-14 loss to No. 3 Florida State. The Tigers should have an easier time against the Cavaliers, who have lost five straight and are allowing nearly 30 points a game.

Red-zone efficiency is of particular focus for the Tigers, who led the Terrapins 19-13 in the third quarter before claiming a 40-27 victory. Clemson settled for four field goals after getting inside the 20, and offensive coordinator Chad Morris would like to see those opportunities turn into touchdowns against Virginia. "That's an area that we've got to continue to emphasize and we've got to get better at,” Morris told The Associated Press.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Clemson -16.5.

ABOUT CLEMSON (7-1, 5-1 ACC): Some of the Tigers’ offensive struggles can be attributed to quarterback Tajh Boyd, who got banged up against both the Seminoles and the Terrapins. When he is 100 percent, Boyd is one of the better all-around players in the country — as demonstrated by his 2,243 yards passing and 23 total touchdowns this season. He also has 219 yards rushing, but only 32 have come in the past two games — though Morris said “he’ll be running” Saturday.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (2-6, 0-4 ACC): The Cavaliers, who didn’t exceed 200 yards in the air in three of their first four games, appear to be becoming more of a passing team as the season progresses. Quarterback David Watford set the school record for attempts (61) and completions (43) while throwing for a career-high 376 yards last week in a 35-25 home loss to Georgia Tech. On defense, safety Anthony Harris is tied for the national lead with five interceptions.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Clemson won the first 29 games of the series but is 8-8-1 against the Cavaliers since 1990.

2. Boyd, who has 10,296 yards passing in his career, is 16 yards rushing away from becoming the first quarterback in ACC history to have at least 10,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing.

3. WRs Darius Jennings and Tim Smith became the first Virginia tandem to have 10 or more receptions apiece in the loss to Georgia Tech.

PREDICTION: Clemson 38, Virginia 21