Five burning questions for Clemson against Notre Dame ... and a prediction
No. 1 Clemson (7-0) will look to stay unbeaten Saturday when the Tigers travel to South Bend to face No. 4 Notre Dame (6-0).
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will travel with the Tigers after being isolated for 10 days following a positive COVID-19 test last week, but he won’t be able to play. Clemson will also have three defensive starters out for the game — linebacker James Skalski, linebacker Mike Jones Jr. and defensive tackle Tyler Davis.
Here are our top five questions heading into the game:
1. Is D.J. Uiagalelei ready for the national spotlight?
Clemson’s freshman quarterback was outstanding in his first start last week against Boston College, passing for more than 300 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns. Now we’ll see if he can keep up his strong play against a top 10 defense on the road in Notre Dame.
All eyes will be on NBC for this top 5 showdown, and there are plenty of people who will be tuning in to see just how good Uiagalelei is after he was the talk of college football all week. The California native has been compared to Deshaun Watson and Lawrence for his ability to thrive under pressure, and he shouldn’t be overwhelmed. If Clemson loses Saturday, don’t expect it to be because of Uiagalelei. By all accounts, he is ready for this opportunity.
2. How much will Clemson miss its banged-up defenders?
A ton of talk this week has been about Lawrence missing the game. Perhaps just as big, if not bigger, is the fact that Davis, Skalski and Jones Jr. will be out as well. Notre Dame’s offense is built around its running game, and Davis and Skalski are two of Clemson’s best run stoppers. Skalski is also in charge of getting Clemson’s defense lined up pre-snap.
Jake Venables is expected to start for Skalski. Nyles Pinckney or Jordan Williams are likely to start for Davis. And Trenton Simpson or Joseph Charleston should replace Jones Jr.
Charleston, a safety, started last week as Clemson opened the game in a 4-2-5. However, with Notre Dame being a more of a run oriented team, the Tigers could go with their traditional 4-3 look with Simpson starting. Simpson is a true freshman and former five-star recruit.
Whoever starts will have big shoes to fill against a Notre Dame offense averaging 231 rushing yards per game.
3. Will Clemson’s veterans on offense continue to step up around Uiagalelei?
Dabo Swinney challenged his senior playmakers on offense — Travis Etienne, Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell — to step up and help out their freshman QB making his first career start last week. Boy, did they respond. Etienne accounted for 226 total yards and three touchdowns against BC. Rodgers had seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. And Powell hauled in a career-high 11 passes for 105 yards. It’s imperative that these three in particular, who have played in countless big games and helped the Tigers to a national title, take their strong play on the road and help Uiagalelei out against what will be the best defense the Tigers have seen this season.
4. Notre Dame’s offense and Clemson’s defense are exceptional in short yardage situations. Who has the edge?
If you follow me on Twitter, I’ve pointed out almost weekly that teams should stop trying to run against Clemson’s defense in third-and-1 and fourth-and 1 situations. Brent Venables’ unit has been excellent in these situations for years, and that has continued in 2020.
With that said, Notre Dame has confidence it will be able to have success there. The Irish have one of the best offensive lines in the country, and running back Kyren Williams feels that Notre Dame will always convert in short-yardage situations.
“As an offense, I know as a running back, I have confidence that we will not be stopped on third-and-1,” Williams said this week. “With the offensive line we’ve got and the running backs and the quarterback we’ve got and the wide receivers that are doing a hell of a job blocking on the edge, there’s no way that I believe people can stop us on third-and-1.”
5. Is Notre Dame ready for the spotlight?
Irish players haven’t been shy about pointing to this game as one that they are looking forward, one that is huge for their program and one that they believe they are ready to win. Clemson, meanwhile, has continued to hold its “the next game is the biggest game” mindset.
The big-game experience factor definitely favors Clemson. Swinney seems to always have his teams ready for these games, as the Tigers have reached the College Football Playoff five consecutive years, reaching the national title game four times. Included in that stretch is a 30-3 victory over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Still, Kelly believes his team is ready for this moment.
“It’s a privilege to play in these games,” Kelly said. “There’s no pressure.”
Clemson-Notre Dame score prediction
Clemson’s offensive line will need to play its best game of the season so that the Tigers aren’t one-dimensional and relying mostly on a true freshman QB making his first career road start to move the ball. D.J. Uiagalelei will play well and Amari Rodgers, Cornell Powell and Travis Etienne will continue to make players around him. But I also believe that Notre Dame will find a way to win the game at home, with so many players out for Clemson. I think the Irish have success in the running game without Skalski and Davis, which will open things up for the passing game later on. I see Clemson having the ball late with a chance to win but coming up just short. With that said, I also expect a rematch in the ACC championship game and likely a different result.
Pick: Notre Dame 30, Clemson 24
Clemson football 2020 schedule, game scores
Sept. 12: Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
Sept. 19: Clemson 49, The Citadel 0
Oct. 3: Clemson 41, Virginia 23
Oct. 10: Clemson 42, Miami 17
Oct. 17: Clemson 73, Georgia Tech 6
Oct. 24: Clemson 47, Syracuse 21
Oct. 31: Clemson 34, Boston College 28
Nov. 7: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Nov. 14: Open
Nov. 21: at Florida State
Nov. 28: vs. Pitt
Dec. 5: at Virginia Tech
