Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 NOV. 7, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI MAKING A 'RUN' On page 8, a Point-Counterpoint can be found on whether it's the Notre Dame offense or defense that needs to prosper more in order to defeat No. 1 Clemson. The real answer is "all of the above" — with special teams thrown in as well. However, when it comes to fac- ing marquee opponents where Notre Dame is the underdog, the most com- mon thread is the Fighting Irish of- fense, especially the ground attack, has had a propensity to be a non- factor. This was especially evident in the two meetings against Georgia in 2017 and 2019. • Versus the 2017 Bulldogs, who lost in overtime to Alabama in the national title game that season, Notre Dame managed just 55 rush- ing yards, with running back Josh Adams averaging just 2.8 yards on his 19 carries. Quarterback Bran- don Wimbush, a dangerous running threat, had one yard on 16 attempts. This from an attack that featured four future NFL offensive linemen, notably top-10 picks Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, and finished seventh nationally in rushing yard- age at 269.5 yards per game. • Last year at Georgia, the Irish basically waved the white flag with the run, finishing with 46 yards, with Tony Jones Jr. carrying nine times for 21 yards. • The last time Notre Dame faced Clemson, in the 2018 College Foot- ball Playoff, the Irish managed 88 rushing yards in the 30-3 semifinal defeat. Standout running back Dex- ter Williams managed a hard-earned 54 yards on 16 attempts against what amounted to a Clemson NFL fran- chise up front. • Although Michigan was not a top-10 finisher last year, it was fa- vored at home versus the Irish, and the wet, rainy conditions lent itself to being effective with the ground game. In the Wolverines' 45-14 romp, they out-rushed Notre Dame 303-47, with Notre Dame's four running backs picking up only 35 yards on 18 carries. • In Notre Dame's two other de- feats (other than Georgia) in 2017, it finished with 109 yards on the ground in the 41-8 debacle at Miami, and in the 38-20 setback at Stanford the Adams/Wimbush tandem man- aged 111 yards on 36 attempts (3.1 yards per carry). Much like in 2017, the Notre Dame identity on offense this year is cen- tered on the run. Meanwhile, top Clemson linebacker James Skalski will likely miss the Notre Dame game because of a groin injury. We're not saying the Irish have to be near their 200-plus average on the ground against Clemson. But to truly "make a run," it can't afford the dou- ble-digit figures that have occurred in these type of big-game settings. NOVEMBER SUCCESS The Notre Dame showdown brings a hosts of positive streaks from both teams. Clemson has won a school-record 39 straight regular-season games, while Notre Dame last week achieved a program-record 30 straight victo- ries against unranked foes (second- longest currently to Alabama). The Fighting Irish also enter the contest with the second-longest cur- rent winning streak at home at 22, behind only Clemson's 27. Somewhat under the radar for Notre Dame is it also has also a nine- game winning streak in the month of November after finishing 5-0 last season and 4-0 in 2018. This is particularly significant be- cause in the previous five years from 2013-17, head coach Brian Kelly's Irish faltered badly while producing a 9-12 output in November. Last year marked the first 5-0 No- vember for Notre Dame since 1930, which resulted in a national title for Knute Rockne's final team. Recently, Kelly's squads have been built to thrive in November. The back-to-back unbeaten No- vembers were the first by the pro- gram since 1972 (3-0) and 1973 (3-0) — although the 1972 team did lose the regular-season finale at No. 1 USC (45-23) on Dec. 2. The current nine-game winning GAME PREVIEW: CLEMSON Top STorylineS Clemson's top linebacker James Skalski will likely miss the Notre Dame game because of an injury. PHOTO BY KEN RUINARD, USA TODAY SPORTS/COURTESY ACC