Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 7, 2020 49 streak in the month of November ac- tually is the longest since the nine in a row from 1972-74 (again excluding the December game at USC in 1972). The school record is 16 from 1946-50, which began after the scoreless tie with No. 1 Army in 1946 and ended with a tie versus Iowa in 1950. Notre Dame has not had three straight unbeaten Novembers since 1947-49. (The 1948 tie at USC was in December.) The longest November/December regular-season winning streak since the current one was 10 consecutive from 1953-55. Entering the Oct. 31 contest ver- sus a reeling 2-4 Georgia Tech team, Notre Dame's previous five oppo- nents had combined for a 9-22 record. This November presents far greater challenges with No. 1 Clemson fol- lowed by a trip to Boston College — known to catch the Fighting Irish in letdowns in the past, especially after playing No. 1 — and then a Nov. 27 encounter at North Carolina, which is vying for top-10 status. Get through that unscathed and it will indeed be a November to re- member. WEATHER … OR NOT Southern football teams are not known for venturing to the north with much frequency, especially in November. One of those rare occurrences came two years ago when ACC foe Florida State visited South Bend on Nov. 10, 2018. The temperature at kickoff for that night's game was 27 degrees — the third coldest for a Fighting Irish home game since 1980. Notre Dame easily dispatched of the Seminoles, 42-13. On that same day, No. 2-ranked Clemson played at No. 17 Boston College, and the kickoff temperature there was 34 degrees, the coldest in Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney's era, which began in 2008. At that postgame conference, Swinney had tongue firmly planted in his cheek. "I was nervous about the weather," he said with a smile. "I thought it was gonna snow or sleet. I was a little disappointed it was a balmy 38 [sic] out there. I didn't know what was gonna happen listening to all the reports and all this stuff — that we were gonna forget how to play football or something because of the weather. Trevor [Lawrence] had never been north to play football and all this stuff. Lord have mercy. "The only thing I was worried about is that we were gonna freeze up and forget how to run and tackle and all that stuff. But somehow, some way, we were able to push through it." Sometimes it can be overrated how cold the weather gets in northern In- diana in November. The No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown versus Florida State on Nov. 13, 1993 was in the upper 50s. The long-range forecast for the Nov. 7 clash with Clemson is 60 de- grees in the day that will cool down to a still-tolerable 47 degrees for the evening kickoff. The Clemson football media guide defines a "cold-weather game" as 45 degrees or less, and revealed the Tigers are 8-0 in such contests under Swinney, with the most recent a 55- 10 rout of North Carolina State on a 45-degree night on Nov. 9, 2019 in Raleigh, N.C. The 2018 Boston College game re- mains the coldest on record in the Swinney era. The only other games with him that were under 40 degrees were in his first two seasons: On Nov. 22, 2008 the Tigers won at Virginia 13-3 when it was 35 degrees, and the next year on Dec. 27 they defeated Kentucky 21-13 in 39-degree weather at the Music City Bowl held in Nash- ville, Tenn. ✦ GAME PREVIEW: CLEMSON Under head coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers are 8-0 in "cold-weather games" (defined as 45 degrees or less). The early forecast for the game on Nov. 7 is around 47 degrees for the evening kickoff in South Bend. PHOTO BY DANNIE WALLS, ICON SPORTSWIRE Predictions Todd Burlage: Clemson 27, Notre Dame 21 Brian Kelly rides a 22-game home winning streak while Clemson head coach Dabo Swin- ney has won 39 consecutive regular-season contests (including three ACC title games). "Been There, Done That" becomes the advan- tage for the most successful college program during the last four seasons. Patrick Engel: Clemson 22, Notre Dame 19 I'm making this pick under the assumption that Trevor Lawrence will not play. The Tigers still have arguably the country's top running back and another top-tier defense. And they can shift from one five-star quarterback to another. Notre Dame's defense is capable, but I'm still siding with the more talented team in a close one. Andrew Mentock: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 24 The Notre Dame defense is capable of keep- ing Clemson at bay, and I look for it to be a tie at halftime. But the floodgates open in the third quarter, similar to the second quarter in the 2018 College Football Playoff matchup, and the Tigers emerge with the victory once again. Mike Singer: Clemson 27, Notre Dame 20 Notre Dame has a very good football team this season, but Clemson is just on a different level. Trevor Lawrence is as good of a college quarterback as I've seen in a decade. If he is able to play — even without much time to prepare, if any — then the Irish will have a tough game on their hands. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 24, Clemson 20 I have a code: All five of us can't pick against the Irish — so I will go ahead and endure the mocking that is bound to come my way. My preseason prediction was the Tigers and Fight- ing Irish would split their meetings on Nov. 7 and Dec. 19 (ACC title game), and both could still be in the College Football Playoff. I'll stand by it for this game.