Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 NOV. 7, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Led by junior Braden Galloway (16 grabs for 184 yards and two touchdowns) and sophomore Davis Allen (eight catches for 168 yards and three scores), the Tigers feature a deep and talented stable of tight ends in the same way Notre Dame does. For the Irish, their solid work against the run has been complemented by a notable improvement in pass defense. Limiting long-yardage downfield plays remains a strength for Notre Dame, which has hovered near or inside the top 10 nationally most this season in three major categories: rushing defense (No. 13, giving up 94.8 yards a game), total defense (No. 9, surrendering 273.0 yards a contest) and scoring defense (No. 6, allowing 9.8 points an outing). Advantage: Even NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. CLEMSON RUN DEFENSE Notre Dame's run-reliant identity so far best suits the 2020 personnel, and proof has been in the production. Through five games sophomore Kyren Williams led the Irish with 524 yards and 90 carries, which both rank near the top of the ACC — while junior tailback C'Bo Flemister, freshman tail- back Chris Tyree and fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book provide ground game reinforcements. The Irish slipped from No. 7 in the country in rush- ing offense to No. 15 after a 115-yard performance against Pittsburgh Oct. 24 — the first game this sea- son the Irish didn't feature a 100-yard rusher — but Notre Dame remains a top-25 unit nationally with its ground attack and one of only three ACC teams averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game. Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, arguably the best assistant coach in the business, again features an embarrassment of future NFL riches along his front four, only two years removed from putting three defensive linemen among the first 17 picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. Fifth-year senior linebacker Baylon Spector, who rarely leaves the field, has paced the Tigers in total tackles (35) and was second in tackles for loss (5.5) through six contests this season. To further illustrate Clemson's defensive depth and talent, the Tigers had 13 different players record multiple tackles for loss and ranked No. 4 nationally as a team in that category. Despite playing most of this season in a reserve roles, true freshman defensive end Myles Murphy entered play last weekend leading the team with 8.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while ranking third with 28 total tackles. Advantage: Even NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. CLEMSON PASS DEFENSE This remains a work in progress for Book and the Irish pass catchers. The upside is that Irish junior Tommy Tremble and freshman Michael Mayer have been valuable tight end targets for Book this season. And as the health of the Irish wide receivers improves — and Book's comfort level with that unit follows — Kelly believes his passing game will evolve into more than a dink-and-dunk outfit. That said, if Notre Dame wants to hang with Clemson this weekend, Notre Dame needs immediate impact from its passing game, not just another step to gradual improvement. No Irish wide receiver managed 10 total catches through the first five games, and the absence the rest of the year of Kevin Austin Jr. (foot surgery) and junior speedster Braden Lenzy (hamstring is- sues) further limits the arsenal. Pass defense continues to be a Clemson strength. In just six games, seven different Tiger defenders had already combined for nine interceptions — senior safety Nolan Turner had three — and the Tigers also average about four sacks a game. Advantage: Clemson SPECIAL TEAMS The highlight for Notre Dame through five games was recording two touchdowns off blocked punts. The Irish kicking, punting and kick-return games remain adequate, not spectacular. Because Clemson beat its first six opponents by an average of 35 points per game, any wor- ries about junior kicker B.T. Potter converting only about two thirds of his field goal attempts were pointless. Potter's pedestrian percentage could become a storyline if this game remains close. Clemson senior punter Will Spiers has averaged 47.7 yards per attempt this season, putting him among the ACC leaders. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Kelly enters this game riding a 22-game home- winning streak, but none of those previous op- ponents compare to Clemson in what will be a defining and challenging matchup. In 10 seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly is 3-8 versus top-10 teams and 0-5 against top-five teams, los- ing those five games by an average score of 31-15. GAME PREVIEW: CLEMSON Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 11 Ben Skowronek 6-3 220 5th-Sr. 18 Joe Wilkins Jr. 6-1½ 190 Jr. WR 3 Avery Davis 5-11 202 Sr. 13 Lawrence Keys III 5-10½ 173 Jr. LT 74 Liam Eichenberg 6-6 302 5th-Sr. 73 Andrew Kristofic 6-5 292 So. LG 69 Aaron Banks 6-6 330 Sr. 76 Dillan Gibbons 6-4 309 Sr. C 55 Jarrett Patterson 6-4½ 305 Jr. 52 Zeke Correll 6-3 295 So. RG 78 Tommy Kraemer 6-6 317 5th-Sr. 56 John Dirksen 6-5 306 Jr. RT 72 Robert Hainsey 6-5 290 Sr. 75 Josh Lugg 6-7 310 Sr. TE 89 Brock Wright 6-4½ 255 Sr. 24 Tommy Tremble 6-3 242 Jr. or 85 George Takacs 6-6 245 Jr. or 87 Michael Mayer 6-5 235 Fr. WR 88 Javon McKinley 6-2 215 5th-Sr. 18 Joe Wilkins Jr. 6-1½ 190 Jr. QB 12 Ian Book 6-0 206 5th-Sr. 7 Brendon Clark 6-2 212 So. RB 23 Kyren Williams 5-9 194 So. 25 Chris Tyree 5-9½ 188 Fr. or 20 C'Bo Flemister 5-11 195 Jr. or 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 220 Sr. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Vyper 9 Daelin Hayes 6-4 270 5th-Sr. 29 Ovie Oghoufo 6-3 240 Jr. or 7 Isaiah Foskey 6-5 257 So. DT 95 M. Tagovailoa-Amosa 6-2½ 282 Sr. 57 Jayson Ademilola 6-3 279 Jr. NT 41 Kurt Hinish 6-2 296 Sr. 54 Jacob Lacey 6-2 293 So. SDE 91 Ade Ogundeji 6-4 268 5th-Sr. 19 Justin Ademilola 6-2 248 Jr. or 7 Isaiah Foskey 6-5 257 So. Buck 33 Shayne Simon 6-3 228 Jr. or 35 Marist Liufau 6-2 226 So. or 24 Jack Kiser 6-1½ 227 So. Mike 40 Drew White 6-0 227 Sr. 52 Bo Bauer 6-3 230 Jr. Rover 6 J. Owusu-Koramoah 6-1½ 215 Sr. 10 Isaiah Pryor 6-1½ 204 Sr. CB 4 Nick McCloud 6-0½ 192 5th-Sr. 5 Cam Hart 6-2½ 207 So. CB 28 TaRiq Bracy 5-10 180 Jr. or 26 Clarence Lewis 5-11½ 192 Fr. SS 20 Shaun Crawford 5-9 180 6th-Sr. 3 Houston Griffith 6-0 204 Jr. FS 14 Kyle Hamilton 6-4 219 So. 12 DJ Brown 6-0 194 Jr. or 10 Isaiah Pryor 6-1½ 204 Sr. NOTRE DAME DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. KO 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 197 Sr. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. K 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 197 Sr. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. P 19 Jay Bramblett 6-1½ 193 So. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. LS 65 Michael Vinson 6-2 226 Jr. 44 Alex Peitsch 6-1 208 Fr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. H 19 Jay Bramblett 6-1½ 193 So. 14 J.D. Carney 5-10 180 Sr. PR 32 Matt Salerno 6-0½ 196 Jr. 13 Lawrence Keys III 5-10½ 173 Jr. KR 25 Chris Tyree 5-9½ 188 Fr. or 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 220 Sr. Special Teams