Blue and Gold Illustrated

GAME PREVIEW: CLEMSON On PaPer BY BRYAN DRISKELL CLEMSON RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE The injury to fifth‑year senior center Ryan Norton means Clemson will head into its game against Notre Dame without returning starters from last season along the offensive line. The lack of experience and early‑season inconsistency up front makes this a dif‑ ficult matchup for Clemson, despite the presence of redshirt sophomore running back Wayne Gallman, who is coming off a 139‑yard performance against Louisville Sept. 17. During the Tigers' 3‑0 start, he carried the ball 53 times for 310 yards (5.8 yards per rush) and three touchdowns. The struggle Notre Dame's defense has had against up‑tempo offenses in recent seasons does work in Clemson's favor. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder 's unit has been strong against the run in the early going, holding Texas and Virginia to an average of just 93.5 yards and 3.8 yards per rush. The Irish also limited Georgia Tech's triple‑option offense to 216 yards, 241 below its season average heading into the game. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame CLEMSON PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson is a talented young passer and enters the contest against the Irish with a 165.3 passer efficiency rating, which ranks seventh nationally. Watson is also fifth in the land with a 74.4‑percent comple‑ tion rate, while his seven passing touchdowns ranks 18th. Of concern are the six sacks the Tiger offensive line has allowed in only three games. Despite the loss of leading receiver Mike Williams to a neck injury, Clemson features a deep and tal‑ ented group of pass catchers. The Tigers are led by sophomore Artavis Scott, who has 20 receptions for 188 yards and two scores through three games after a 2014 campaign in which he hauled in 76 passes for 955 yards. Not having Williams and his speed has limited Clemson's ability to stretch the field, and the Tigers ranked just 106th nationally in yards per completion three weeks into the season. Notre Dame's secondary has had some early season issues, but the Irish remain a talented bunch. Twice Notre Dame has held an opponent to a completion rate of less than 40 percent, but Virginia quarterback Matt Johns shredded the Redshirt sophomore running back Wayne Gallman carried the ball 53 times for 310 yards (5.8 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns during Clemson's 3-0 start. PHOTO COURTESY CLEMSON

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