Paw Predictions: No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame
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No. 1 Clemson hits the road this weekend without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for a second straight week. The Tigers enter South Bend as a 5.5 point favorite over No. 4 Notre Dame. Check out how the national media views tonight’s contest below!
Game Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUwIteMq_pk
247 Sports, 24-21 ND/31-24 Clemson
What they said:
Hummer: This game would be a little easier to pick if I knew the status of Mike Jones Jr. and Tyler Davis. Regardless, I’ve been leaning toward Notre Dame all week. The Irish have several things going for them: 1. Clemson is shorthanded and missing the sport’s best player. 2. Notre Dame is good enough up the middle defensively to expose Clemson’s lack of playmakers outside and a weaker interior of the o-line. 3. Notre Dame’s o-line is elite and will keep Ian Book clean. Is Clemson better at full strength? You bet. But that’s not the case this week, and I’m feeling an upset. … Notre Dame 24, Clemson 21.
Crawford: This one's dangerous for the Tigers and marks only the second time in the past two seasons I could see Clemson losing the game (other was LSU). With Trevor Lawrence out, Notre Dame's plan defensively will be an intriguing storyline to watch early. How will the Irish defend DJ Uiagalelei and will Notre Dame stack the box to eliminate Travis Etienne on the ground? In the end, I'll play the favorite here in a big spot. The Irish don't usually win these games against elite competition. ... Clemson 31, Notre Dame 24.
The Athletic, 34-31 Clemson/33-27 Clemson
What they said:
Bruce Feldman- The Tigers are pretty depleted, not only missing Trevor Lawrence but having a bunch of key defensive players hobbled coming into this one. The Irish have a way of rising up at home in these kinds of games, but D.J. Uiagalelei looked really good last week, and he has a great security blanket to rely on in Travis Etienne, who excels under the spotlight. Clemson 34, Notre Dame 31
Stewart Mandel- With Clemson down its star quarterback and several key defenders, this is an ideal a scenario for the Irish to finally win one of these marquee games. But I still don’t think they will, simply because their offense is too one-dimensional. Those Notre Dame running backs are great, but not likely to gash a Brent Venables D. Clemson 33, Notre Dame 27
What they said:
Notre Dame has a huge opportunity on Saturday night. Even though Clemson is the No. 1 team in the nation, the Tigers come to South Bend without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a shorthanded defense. The best path for a win by the Fighting Irish starts by winning the battle in the trenches on offense, allowing Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree to find running room behind a standout offensive line. Quarterback Ian Book doesn’t need huge numbers, but the senior needs to hit on a big play or two, consistently connect on the midrange passes and keep drives alive on third downs. Defensively, Notre Dame has to keep Travis Etienne in check and force a receiver outside of Amari Rodgers to win this game. The Fighting Irish and Tigers battle for four quarters, but D.J. Uiagalelei makes a couple of big plays in the second half, while Clemson’s defense steps up with the game on the line to pull out the victory in South Bend.
What they said:
With Trevor Lawrence out, there's no denying this game just feels different. It's very likely a preview of the ACC championship, but then again it isn't, because it gives us little indication of what the best player in the country will be able to do against the Notre Dame defense on Dec. 19.
D.J. Uiagalelei was quite impressive against Boston College in his first time on the field with anything on the line. And with the possible exception of Louisville's Malik Cunningham, there's no question Uiagalelei is more talented than any quarterback Notre Dame has faced this season.
Still, he's not Lawrence. Not yet, at least. And Travis Etienne is going to have a more-difficult-than-usual time finding daylight against a Fighting Irish defense allowing just 3.1 yards per carry.
Which Clemson defense shows up, though? The one that immediately put Miami's offense in a body bag and that completely shut down Boston College in the second half, or the one that allowed Virginia, Syracuse and Boston College to hang around well into the third quarter of those games? If it's the latter, Notre Dame has more than enough offensive prowess—particularly in the ground game—to put a serious dent in Clemson's CFP resume.
Keep an eye on the weather, too. This will be Clemson's first game of the season played north of Winston-Salem. The forecast in South Bend currently calls for no precipitation and a high of 70 on Saturday, which would be more than fine with the Tigers. If things change and they're playing in poor conditions—it was 36 degrees and snowing on Sunday—that could be a huge advantage for Notre Dame.
What they said:
Earlier this season, we talked about Big Game Dabo and Clemson's trends to the under in regular-season matchups against fellow ranked teams. Unfortunately, I think the total has already been impacted by the absence of Lawrence. The score I'm working with right now is 31-24 Tigers, which would clear the posted total by a field goal. Notre Dame is operating with a ton of confidence right now -- not just as a team but a program as a whole -- and I think this is going to be a classic of a game, but winning these games is what Clemson does best. I'd be on the home dog if this spread was more than a touchdown, but I really think the Tigers win, so I'll lay the handful of points.
College Football News, 30-24 Clemson
What they said:
Which side of history do you like?
Is this going to be one of those home statement moments for Notre Dame, like the classic 1988 “Catholics vs. Convicts” win over Miami, the 1993 epic over Florida State and Charlie Ward?
Or is this going to be about Clemson rising to the occasion once again? What did it do after it’s close-call win over North Carolina last year? It rim-rocked Florida State by 41.
What did the Tigers do after surviving a mega-scare from Syracuse in 2018? It beat Wake Forest by 60.
Notre Dame is very, very good, but it hasn’t been flashy.
It has the toughness on the lines, the run defense has been outstanding, and at some point, Ian Book will get credit for being a solid above-average quarterback.
But not it has to step up to the big-time against a Clemson team that might be banged up, but will rely on Etienne, a good-enough game from Uiagalelei, and a brilliant performance from a defense that’s going to be challenged by the coaching staff after a bad first half last week against BC.
Enjoy Round 1. The second time around will come in the ACC Championship with a College Football Playoff spot on the line.