Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DEC. 19, 2020 39 in the rushing totals in Notre Dame's 47-40 double-overtime victory, with the Fighting Irish holding a domi- nant 208-34 edge while limiting all- time ACC rushing leader Travis Eti- enne to 28 yards on 18 carries. This time Notre Dame will be mi- nus reliable center Jarrett Patterson, while Clemson returns 2019 sec- ond-team All-ACC pick Tyler Davis at tackle, plus is expected to have linebacker James Skalski and Mike Jones Jr. in the lineup. Especially interesting will be the threat both quarterbacks possess as runners. Notre Dame's Ian Book, with help from sophomore running back Kyren Williams' blitz pick-ups, consistently burned the Clemson defense with his elusiveness that resulted in him pick- ing up 67 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Clemson freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei finished with a net two yards on 13 carries. With Heisman candidate Trevor Lawrence back at quarterback in the Clemson lineup, the Tigers likely will make it a mandate to be far more effective with the run against Notre Dame. Lawrence's skills as a runner are underrated. Last year as a sophomore he rushed for 563 yards, 5.5 yards per carry and nine touchdowns, which were similar to Book's 546 yards, 4.9 yards per carry and four scores in one less game played in 2019. During the 45-10 victory at Virginia Tech Dec. 5, Clemson placed a pre- mium on running the football instead of Lawrence throwing it all over the yard. Lawrence was, by today's stan- dards, a modest 12 of 22 for 195 yards while the Tigers ran for 238, includ- ing 41 on seven carries by Lawrence. "There may be a little bit more ac- tivation of quarterback runs," Kelly said of facing Lawrence instead of Uiagalelei. "… We're well aware of what that scheme is in terms of the quarterback run scheme. Just being a little bit more locked into some quar- terback runs, perhaps, would be the only slight difference." Still, Kelly believes everything comes out even in the wash with regard to personnel after having played previously. "Maybe what you lose in terms of tendencies and breaking tendencies, you pick up in getting a better in- depth knowledge of where to attack and having complements off of that," he said. "More than anything else this becomes much more of a physi- cal presence and playmakers making plays, and then the fundamentals. "I don't think this game is about who out-schemes who … it comes down to those three elements that I just articulated." BEWARE OF NOTRE DAME'S HUNGER There will be at least two prime talking points in this rematch. One will center on Clemson having Trevor Lawrence back, in addition to three front-seven players on defense who were absent in the first game. Two is that Clemson's revenge mo- tive will give it the advantage. However, the roles now are com- pletely reversed from the first meet- ing on Nov. 7 when the Fighting Irish prevailed. In the first game, all the pressure was on Notre Dame, while Clem- son was playing with house money. The popular themes included "Notre Dame can't win the big ones" and "if you can't beat Clemson now, then when?" That kind of pressure is not easy to handle, but a lot of ghosts were erad- icated with that win, while Clemson had a built-in alibi prepared. This time, all the pressure is on the Tigers. If nothing else, Notre Dame should be much looser and confident. What we don't buy is Clemson will be the "hungrier" team. All the Irish have been hearing is how the Tigers weren't at full strength, etc. You bet- ter believe Notre Dame is quietly seething underneath, ready to dis- play its own mettle. The mental framework and pride of this highly veteran and mature team is as strong as you will find anywhere. ✦ GAME PREVIEW: ACC CHAMPIONSHIP Head coach Dabo Swinney, who has led the Tigers to five consecutive ACC titles en route to national championships in 2016 and 2018, and his team will be looking to avenge their loss to the Irish earlier this season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Predictions Todd Burlage: Notre Dame 28, Clemson 27 Brian Kelly broke an 0-for-5 streak against top-five teams in November with the 47-40 toppling of top-ranked Clemson, leaving the question as to whether the Irish coach can win two in a row against the elite. This Notre Dame team is wired differently than Kelly's previous ones; the Irish find a way. Patrick Engel: Clemson 28, Notre Dame 27 Notre Dame is good enough to beat Clem- son no matter who's at quarterback because it's more than capable of controlling both lines, as it did on Nov. 7. Even with a few Tigers defensive starters back for this second one, it's still true. I just have a hard time seeing anyone beating Clemson twice in six weeks. It also feels near-impossible to hold running back Travis Etienne to anything near 28 yards and 1.6 yards per rush again. Andrew Mentock: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 28 Once again, Notre Dame is up by double- digits in the first half. This time Tigers' quarter- back Trevor Lawrence catches fire in the third quarter and Clemson pulls ahead for good in the game's final five minutes. Mike Singer: Clemson 33, Notre Dame 27 It is so difficult to beat a great team twice in the same season, and I don't believe the Irish will be able to do so against Clemson. But it will be a close one, and the Irish will be very hard for the College Football Playoff commit- tee to turn away. Lou Somogyi: Clemson 31, Notre Dame 28 My preseason projection included the Irish and Tigers splitting their two meetings, and both would still be among the four teams in the College Football Playoff. We'll stay with that (for now) — before picking Notre Dame to do more in January.