No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Notre Dame Inside the Numbers ACC Championship Preview
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
The championship game with a College Football Playoff feel this weekend will be the ACC showdown between No. 3 Clemson Tigers (9-1, 8-1) and No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0, 9-0). The two squads met in an epic battle on Nov. 7 pitting then-No. 1 Clemson against No. 4 ranked Notre Dame. In a back-and-forth affair that took two overtimes to complete, the Fight Irish won 47-40 after consecutive 3-yard Kyren Williams touchdown runs.
In the six weeks that have past since Clemson last faced Notre Dame, the Tigers have had two separate two-week byes with wins against Pittsburgh (52-17) and Virginia Tech (45-10) in between. During that intermission, Clemson also got starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back. Lawrence played in the first six games of the season missing a month’s worth of time, two actual games (Boston College and Notre Dame). The Tigers have had two weeks to prepare for this revenge game.
The Fighting Irish have flown through their 2020 ACC schedule with only two close games, Louisville (12-7) and Clemson. The leader on offense for Notre Dame is senior dual-threat Ian Book. Book has been consistent in the pocket much of the season, but not prolific. Completing passes at a 63.3 percent rate, he has become a game manager taking what the defense is giving him.
Game 1 Recap
Statistically speaking, Notre Dame took the first meeting compiling 518 yards of total offense to Clemson’s 473. Much was made of Trevor Lawrence’s absence, but that had no bearing on the outcome. True freshman DJ Uiagalelei played beyond expectations passing for 439 yards with two touchdowns and ran for a score.
What was missing was the Tigers’ rushing attack stymied to 34 yards off 33 carries. Travis Etienne was a nonfactor bottled up for 28 yards and a score off 18 carries. The Tigers fumbled the ball three times, two recovered by Nick McCloud with one of them by Etienne leading to a 23-yard Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoa scoop-and-score.
The field goal kickers were both busy in November with Notre Dame’s B.T. Potter hitting four with a long of 46 yards and Jonathan Doerer hit 4-of-5 missing on a 57-yard attempt while hitting a long of 45 yards.
In November, it was a night game in South Bend. This time around, the Top 5 squads meet in Charlotte. Las Vegas likes a healthy Tigers squad on a neutral site leading to a 10.5 point spread.
No. 3 Clemson (9-1, 8-1) vs. No. 2 Notre Dame (10-0, 9-0)
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Spread: Clemson -10.5
Location: Bank of American Stadium – Charlotte, North Carolina
Statistical Team Comparisons
Clemson Strength of Schedule: 67th
Notre Dame Strength of Schedule: 65th
Offensive Breakdown
CU Points Per Game: 46.0
ND Points Per Game: 37.7
CU Rushing Yards Per Game: 158.3
ND Rushing Yards Per Game: 235.0
CU Passing Yards Per Game: 346.0
ND Passing Yards Per Game: 239.4
CU Total Offense: 504.3
ND Total Offense: 474.4
CU Third Down Conversion Percentage: 46 percent – 70-153
ND Third Down Conversion Percentage: 52 percent – 71-137
CU Red Zone Offense: 87 percent – 47-54 – 39 touchdowns
ND Red Zone Offense: 80 percent – 44-55 – 33 touchdowns
Clemson Key Offensive Players
RB Travis Etienne: 148 carries for 758 yards, 12 TDs; 41 rec. for 512 yards, 2 TDs
QB Trevor Lawrence: 173 of 250 for 2,431 yards, 20 TDs, and 3 INTs
WR Amari Rodgers: 61 rec. for 845 yards, 6 TDs
WR Cornell Powell: 41 rec. for 684 yards, 5 TDs
Notre Dame Key Offensive Players
RB Kyren Williams: 180 carries for 1,011 yards, 12 TDs; 24 rec. 268 yards, 1 TD
QB Ian Book: 181 of 286 for 2,382 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs; 465 rushing, 8 TDs
WR Javon McKinley: 37 rec. for 660 yards, 3 TDs
TE Michael Mayer: 30 rec. for 337 yards, 2 TDs
Defensive Breakdown
CU Total Defense: 302.0
ND Total Defense: 314.5
CU Points Allowed Per Game: 18.3
ND Points Allowed Per Game: 17.1
CU Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 196.6
ND Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 214.8
CU Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 105.4
ND Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 99.7
CU Defensive Third Down Conversion: 31 percent – 46-149
ND Defensive Third Down Conversion: 26 percent – 34-129
CU Red Zone Defense: 80 percent – 20-25 – 14 touchdowns
ND Red Zone Defense: 85 percent – 22-26 – 14 touchdowns
Clemson Key Defensive Players
LB Baylon Spector: 62 tackles, 9.5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks
DB Nolan Turner: 52 tackles, 3 INTs, and 3 PBU
LB Jake Venables: 44 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
Notre Dame Key Defensive Players
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoa: 49 tackles, 9 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 3 FF
DB Kyle Hamilton: 46 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 4 PBU, and 2 QB hurries
DL Adetokumbo Ogundeji: 20 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 6 QB hurries, 1 FF, and 1 FR
Photo credit: SI.com; Clemson vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 7, 2020)