College Football Preview: #3 Clemson vs. #2 Notre Dame
A rematch of one of the best games of the 2020 season with a conference title on the line.
It was easily one of the best games of the 2020 season. While it was without one marquee name, the pregame expectations still lived up to the hype and produced a three overtime dandy that ended in the #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0, 9-0 ACC) picking up a very important victory.
The 47-40 loss to the Irish knocked the #3 Clemson Tigers (9-1, 8-1 ACC) down the polls slightly although the overall perception of the team didn’t waver. The one missing name was their starting quarterback. One key component that can very well wind up as the Heisman winner this season. But first, Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers have this task standing tall in their path. This year’s ACC Championship Game will surely be a heavyweight fight.
Network: ABC
Time: Saturday, December 19th, 4:00 PM EST
Clemson Analysis
While it was a little unusual to play a regular season game of this magnitude without their leader in Lawrence, the offense was still able to make plays and give Notre Dame plenty to worry about in his absence. They were able to post 473 yards against the talented Irish defense. For the season, Clemson is fifth in the country in scoring offense at 45.7 points per game and seventh in total offense. Lawrence was his normal self with 2,431 yards and 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Running back Travis Etienne was the typical lightning bolt in the backfield with 1,270 total yards and 14 touchdowns. A pair of seniors in Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell combined for 102 receptions for 11 touchdowns. There is a legitimate stud on the offensive line in left tackle Jackson Carman, who will likely be a Day Two selection in next year’s NFL Draft if he decides to declare.
The Clemson defense faced plenty of questions coming into the season but as the season progressed, the defense made a name for themselves. The defense was second in the ACC in tackles for loss (93) and sacks (38). Stabilizing the middle of the defense is linebacker James Skalski. In front of the redshirt senior are a pair of freshmen in Myles Murphy and Brian Bresee that have established themselves on the defensive line as reliable pillars. In the secondary, safety Nolan Turner has a reputation of being in the right place at the right time as a playmaker.
Notre Dame Analysis
The impressive season by the Irish has been spearheaded by one of the more reliable quarterbacks in all of college football. Redshirt senior Ian Book is as cool as they come. On the season, Book has 15 touchdown passes with just two interceptions and another eight rushing touchdowns to boot. He also has a stable run game to complement him, which is driven by Kyren Williams and his 1,011 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg is the prototypical Notre Dame bodyguard on the offensive line. The redshirt senior is the leader of an offensive line that creates run lanes for the 11th ranked rushing offense in the country.
A convincing case could have been made for the Notre Dame defense being the catalyst of the team. A unit that is 12th overall and 12th in scoring. They also held six of their 10 opponents to 17 points or less. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leads the team in tackles, while safety Kyle Hamilton is the engine of the defense due to his physicality and versatility. When it comes to getting into the opponents backfield, the Irish defense is pretty good at it as they place eighth in the country in tackles for loss.
Prediction
Now that Lawrence is in the equation, the dynamic of the game changes considerably. Yes, the Clemson offense was still able to be productive but a key storyline within the game was the Notre Dame defense clamping up Etienne. For the game, Etienne was held to just 85 total yards and a touchdown. A far cry from his normal production.
But the field may open up a bit for Etienne with Lawrence in the huddle. Going back to their earlier season contest, both Powell and Rodgers posted 100-yard games and made big plays late. The Notre Dame defense will have to respect the balance that the Clemson offense will have.
One phase here to monitor very closely is third down play between the Clemson offense and the Notre Dame defense. The Irish is second in all of college football in third down defense, holding opponents to just 26%. The Irish were able to hold Clemson to 4-of-15 on third downs in their previous matchup.
Both teams are well stocked with talent. The story of the game usually comes down to which team makes the more critical mistakes at the most inopportune times. Lawrence in the fold will prove to be the ultimate difference as his presence opens up opportunities for Etienne. A Clemson defense that is seventh in the country in takeaways per game will make their impact late to preserve a tug-of-war between two elite teams.