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**Clemson Week Thread**

IrishBlooded

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Oct 2, 2009
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Biggest game of the season up to this point, and at their house to top it off.

Should hear from Kelly later on today on the issues with
Stanley
Tyler Luatua
Corey Robinson
None are expected to be game threatening.

Good spreads sheet talking about where ND and Clemson square up against the country through 4 games:
ND
Clemson
 
Biggest game of the season up to this point, and at their house to top it off.

Should hear from Kelly later on today on the issues with
Stanley
Tyler Luatua
Corey Robinson
None are expected to be game threatening.

Good spreads sheet talking about where ND and Clemson square up against the country through 4 games:
ND
Clemson

The biggest test of the season to date. I went to a Gamecock game in Death Valley. It's loud.
 
I think ND has the edge up front on both sides of the ball. Take care of the football and win ............please.
 
Obviously the biggest challenge ND has had to date. Clemson can run and throw the ball with equal efficiency and their QB is very mobile.

Jaylon and Co. will have to contain Watson, because that's where it all starts. BVG has to devise a way to get pressure on him. Force them to be one-dimensional, because we match up well with them physically at the point of attack.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to keeping Clemson under 24 points. Then we have a decent shot.
 
Here is a repost I put up the other week. If you would like. This is the Clemson at Louisville game from the other week. Will give you a chance to see them and learn who is whom.

The game is condensed to just over 1 hour.

 
The louder the crowd the better for the Irish. It will keep the Irish D awake.

*** I am not that worried about Clemson----I think the Irish win by two scores. Coach Kelly is a better Coach than Dabo. Dabo and Clemson disappoint in big games.

*** The Irish have way too much talent on their roster for Clemson to handle.

*** I think the Irish win 28 to 16.

Though I walk through the valley of death I fear no evil for ND has Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller and Cj Prosise and the biggest badest Oline in all of college football.
 
I'm excited to have Clemson up next. ND hasn't played them since '79 I believe. Good program too.
 
The louder the crowd the better for the Irish. It will keep the Irish D awake.

*** I am not that worried about Clemson----I think the Irish win by two scores. Coach Kelly is a better Coach than Dabo. Dabo and Clemson disappoint in big games.

*** The Irish have way too much talent on their roster for Clemson to handle.

*** I think the Irish win 28 to 16.

Though I walk through the valley of death I fear no evil for ND has Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller and Cj Prosise and the biggest badest Oline in all of college football.

Not sure I agree on the Dabo and Clemson disappoint in big games. We have lost one or two in recent years but we have also beat Auburn twice, LSU, tOSU, UGA, and OU. We have won our fair share of big games. The kids on our current roster have never lost to a team that finished outside the top 10.

As far as the talent gap. Just going by the rivals rankings(I know they can be flawed) Clemson has finished with a higher ranked class 3 time our of 6 years and the average ranking over the last 6 years for ND is 11.5 and for Clemson its 12. I would say thats about as even as you can get if you go by recruiting rankings.
 
Proud to be playing you all as well. Should be a good one. I want to watch the brawls at the los. Gonna be nasty.
 
When you go on the road you better pack your defense and kicking game. That's what Lou Holtz said when he coached the Irish. It is still true today. The Irish "D" and special teams will need an A+ effort to win Saturday. I believe they will find a way to win. Go Irish!!
 
Here is a repost I put up the other week. If you would like. This is the Clemson at Louisville game from the other week. Will give you a chance to see them and learn who is whom.

The game is condensed to just over 1 hour.


I watched a replay of this game. Clemson's defense looked good, but Louisville was playing a bunch of true freshmen at receiver. It allowed Clemson to play man to man coverage and blitz. They will have a tougher time covering our veteran receivers. Louisville is not a very good football team this year.
 
When you go on the road you better pack your defense and kicking game. That's what Lou Holtz said when he coached the Irish. It is still true today. The Irish "D" and special teams will need an A+ effort to win Saturday. I believe they will find a way to win. Go Irish!!

Lou's best quote

You don't have to be the best team in the country on Saturday. You do have to be the best team in the stadium though.

As long as ND (and her fans) can keep that idea in their minds. ND should win. This will be a good game though
 
Lou's best quote

You don't have to be the best team in the country on Saturday. You do have to be the best team in the stadium though.

As long as ND (and her fans) can keep that idea in their minds. ND should win. This will be a good game though

Clemson fans love Lou!
 
Actually had someone on the national board trying to talk up the fact that Clemson has the '9th ranked defense' nationally right now. Their resume includes:
Wofford
Appy St.
Louisville
 
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More worried about our defensive backs . We aren't as good as I thought even with the return of Russell. Do you think we will go with 5 defensive backs most of the game ? Clemson lost their top 3 running backs from last year and weren't great running the ball
 
More worried about our defensive backs . We aren't as good as I thought even with the return of Russell. Do you think we will go with 5 defensive backs most of the game ? Clemson lost their top 3 running backs from last year and weren't great running the ball


We didn't lose a single RB.
 
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More worried about our defensive backs . We aren't as good as I thought even with the return of Russell. Do you think we will go with 5 defensive backs most of the game ? Clemson lost their top 3 running backs from last year and weren't great running the ball

Actually all three were injured last season but are back now. The freshman that took over at the end of the season kept the starting job going into this season. Even with some new OL starters he has ran really well this season and rarely goes down on first contact. I think I heard ESPN say that of his 139 yard rushing last week 91 came after contact.
 
*** I am not that worried about Clemson----I think the Irish win by two scores. Coach Kelly is a better Coach than Dabo. Dabo and Clemson disappoint in big games.

*** The Irish have way too much talent on their roster for Clemson to handle.

*** I think the Irish win 28 to 16.

Though I walk through the valley of death I fear no evil for ND has Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller and Cj Prosise and the biggest badest Oline in all of college football.

Respectfully disagree. As @SHillTIger said, Dabo and Co have risen to the occassion and beaten the likes of LSU, Auburn, Georgia, tOSU, Oklahoma, etc, all in very big games.

Also, if you go by recruiting services, the talent on the field is very even between both teams. I would say ND has the edge in experience and consistency on the OLine though.
 
Respectfully disagree. As @SHillTIger said, Dabo and Co have risen to the occassion and beaten the likes of LSU, Auburn, Georgia, tOSU, Oklahoma, etc, all in very big games.

Also, if you go by recruiting services, the talent on the field is very even between both teams. I would say ND has the edge in experience and consistency on the OLine though.

With all due respect--- I am basing my observations on the way the Irish are currently. And due to those observations I believe that the Clemson Tigers are in for a "World of Hurt" this Saturday night.
 
With all due respect--- I am basing my observations on the way the Irish are currently. And due to those observations I believe that the Clemson Tigers are in for a "World of Hurt" this Saturday night.

QB - Clemson - Watson.
RB- ND - Gallman is good, but no dependable number 2 has emerged and Procise looks really solid.
WR - Clemson - Deeper. Better athletes.
OL - ND - pretty clear cut. Clemson is young. ND is not. And they are good.
TE - Push - pretty unproven for both teams with some solid pieces on each side.

DL- Clemson - Shaq Lawson will be the best DL on the field. The interior is deep and athletic.
LB - ND - Clemson is solid but lacks a big time playmaker like they had in Anthony. Jaylon Smith is that guy.
DB - Clemson - Alexander, Kearse, Green.

Special Teams - I have no idea, but I would say ND by default.

Just my $.02. The talent looks pretty even to me heading into this week. I expect a dogfight.
 
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QB - Clemson - Watson.
RB- ND - Gallman is good, but no dependable number 2 has emerged and Procise looks really solid.
WR - Clemson - Deeper. Better athletes.
OL - ND - pretty clear cut. Clemson is young. ND is not. And they are good.
TE - Push - pretty unproven for both teams with some solid pieces on each side.

DL- Clemson - Shaq Lawson will be the best DL on the field. The interior is deep and athletic.
LB - ND - Clemson is solid but lacks a big time playmaker like they had in Anthony. Jaylon Smith is that guy.
DB - Clemson - Alexander, Kearse, Green.

Special Teams - I have no idea, but I would say ND by default.

Just my $.02. The talent looks pretty even to me heading into this week. I expect a dogfight.
QB - Clemson - Watson.
RB- ND - Gallman is good, but no dependable number 2 has emerged and Procise looks really solid.
WR - Clemson - Deeper. Better athletes.
OL - ND - pretty clear cut. Clemson is young. ND is not. And they are good.
TE - Push - pretty unproven for both teams with some solid pieces on each side.

DL- Clemson - Shaq Lawson will be the best DL on the field. The interior is deep and athletic.
LB - ND - Clemson is solid but lacks a big time playmaker like they had in Anthony. Jaylon Smith is that guy.
DB - Clemson - Alexander, Kearse, Green.

Special Teams - I have no idea, but I would say ND by default.

Just my $.02. The talent looks pretty even to me heading into this week. I expect a dogfight.

I expect a tough game too. But we're pretty deep and athletic at WR. When we beat Oklahoma in 2012, Chris Brown burned them deep as a true freshman. It was a big point in the game. We thought he was fast, but then came Fuller and we kinda stopped talking about how fast Brown is. The advantage for you guys is that you'll be running against our secondary. WR may be a push.

I'm not sure Lawson will be the best DL on the field. Sheldon Day is very good, and Lawson will be facing what is probably the best offensive tackle in college football this year. Overall though, I'd definitely give the DL advantage to Clemson.

The difference in this game will be execution, not talent. Which I think was your point anyway.
 
This game is already giving me a weird gut feeling and I cant shake it! If the ND secondary shows up and plays to their potential I think ND wins.......BUT based on their scattered level of performance against UVA and their woes in the first half against a good QB for UMASS that had time to throw it even when he blitzed.......I'm gonna throw out the same gut number that's stuck in head that I threw out on the main rivals board. Prove me wrong Irish.....I'll gladly eat a good serving of crow for breakfast Sunday morning:

Klempshun (Lou's voice/lisp) - 38
Notre Dame - 31

****** if ND secondary shows up:

ND has 6 point lead and Clemson has the ball last with the chance to win by 1 point and ND comes up with a big INT to win it 34-28
 
The louder the crowd the better for the Irish. It will keep the Irish D awake.

*** I am not that worried about Clemson----I think the Irish win by two scores. Coach Kelly is a better Coach than Dabo. Dabo and Clemson disappoint in big games.

*** The Irish have way too much talent on their roster for Clemson to handle.

*** I think the Irish win 28 to 16.

Though I walk through the valley of death I fear no evil for ND has Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller and Cj Prosise and the biggest badest Oline in all of college football.
dissapoint in big games???no one down here in clemson is scared of notre dame! i dont get where you think you have more talent if you did how long has it been sense you won a national title! your no different then the lsu's the oklahomas,and ohio states that we have played and beaten! and we arent virginia, texas, u mass, and i would have givin gt credit until they lost to duke! and it dosnt help that your players are talking trash! lmao! i have respect and nothing but respect for your program but to sit on here and compare us to the level of competition youve faced so far is non sense! put on your big boy pants because we will be bringing it! those schools dont have deshaun watson ! those schools dont have our defense! and those schools dont have the playmakers we got! so lets get it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
dissapoint in big games???no one down here in clemson is scared of notre dame! i dont get where you think you have more talent if you did how long has it been sense you won a national title! your no different then the lsu's the oklahomas,and ohio states that we have played and beaten! and we arent virginia, texas, u mass, and i would have givin gt credit until they lost to duke! and it dosnt help that your players are talking trash! lmao! i have respect and nothing but respect for your program but to sit on here and compare us to the level of competition youve faced so far is non sense! put on your big boy pants because we will be bringing it! those schools dont have deshaun watson ! those schools dont have our defense! and those schools dont have the playmakers we got! so lets get it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clemson is over rated. Get ready for a crushing defeat!
 
To the Clemson group on this post. Do you guys think playing Wofford and APP State are going to hurt you Saturday night? I think it killed GTECH . Also you have not played for quite some time now. That is another factor. I like ND going on the road . I think there are a lot less distractions . The Clemson players might be too jacked up . This comes down to ND's Oline and ND's secondary . If both play well . ND wins. Clemson is a quality team . One team will rise to the occasion.
 
To the Clemson group on this post. Do you guys think playing Wofford and APP State are going to hurt you Saturday night? I think it killed GTECH . Also you have not played for quite some time now. That is another factor. I like ND going on the road . I think there are a lot less distractions . The Clemson players might be too jacked up . This comes down to ND's Oline and ND's secondary . If both play well . ND wins. Clemson is a quality team . One team will rise to the occasion.


Being young at a lot of the back up positions I think the two easy games helped a lot getting game experience for the young guys. Both games the opposing teams didn't have a first down until a few minutes left in the first half and the defense was substituting a good bit by then.

It might have hurt the starting Offense just because they were only in for 4 or 5 series together and when the Louisville game came we looked a little rusty.
 
More worried about our defensive backs . We aren't as good as I thought even with the return of Russell. Do you think we will go with 5 defensive backs most of the game ? Clemson lost their top 3 running backs from last year and weren't great running the ball
where you getting your info
 
QB - Clemson - Watson.
RB- ND - Gallman is good, but no dependable number 2 has emerged and Procise looks really solid.
WR - Clemson - Deeper. Better athletes.
OL - ND - pretty clear cut. Clemson is young. ND is not. And they are good.
TE - Push - pretty unproven for both teams with some solid pieces on each side.

DL- Clemson - Shaq Lawson will be the best DL on the field. The interior is deep and athletic.
LB - ND - Clemson is solid but lacks a big time playmaker like they had in Anthony. Jaylon Smith is that guy.
DB - Clemson - Alexander, Kearse, Green.

Special Teams - I have no idea, but I would say ND by default.

Just my $.02. The talent looks pretty even to me heading into this week. I expect a dogfight.
Nice breakdown. I am not familiar with CU's receiver corps but I cannot imagine them being deeper and better than ND's...I would have to give it a push.
 
Bodizephax, are you a handicapper, if so, let me know the name of your service so I won't use it.
 
As DW goes, our offense goes obviously. We lost our top receiver the first game of the season, but we are deep with Peake, Scott, Hopper, Cain, McCloud, and Renfrow. Leggett is a good pass catching TE. I like the 34-28 score but with Clemson on top.

Playing those first two games gave our young guys a chance to get on the field and get some reps, plain and simple. We have 43 freshmen and redshirt freshman on this team. Im not so sure that App State wouldnt probably beat UMASS. Normally, we open with a tough opening game but for some odd reason, it seemed the whole ACC opened up with two cupcakes except UVA and VT. I think it helped more than it hurt.

Dont be fooled by the Louisville game. You might just see those guys win out and go to a good bowl game. They lost to Auburn, crapped the bed against Houston and lost to us. Playing on a Thursday night at their place is tough, I dont care who you are.

ND is strong, no question. Execution will be the key, so for any of yall coming down, be safe in your travels and hope both teams come out of it with no serious injuries. Neither team can afford any more.
 
Dude, Auburn is awful. UL hasn't proven they are a .500 team yet, but we'll see. I'm sure their schedule lessens up now.

Perusing Clemson's boards, they definitely seem to have "short man's syndrome". They are astonished that people are picking ND, angry that our players aren't giving them enough respect, and amazed that our players and coaches aren't trembling in fear about playing under the rock at night. They keep harping on how bad Texas, UVA, and UMass are (which by no means are any of them great this year), but Texas and UVA are still miles ahead of App St and Wofford. Texas has played Cal (ranked now) & OK St to an even heat and lost due to stupid special teams errors.

If we go into Death Valley and win with a 3rd string qb and a 3rd string rb, we're really going to ruffle up their feathers! :D
 
I expect a tough game too. But we're pretty deep and athletic at WR. When we beat Oklahoma in 2012, Chris Brown burned them deep as a true freshman. It was a big point in the game. We thought he was fast, but then came Fuller and we kinda stopped talking about how fast Brown is. The advantage for you guys is that you'll be running against our secondary. WR may be a push.
Did you bother going to see what Clemson just last did with the same WR's and the same DB's (and not having Watson) against Oklahoma? 40-6....Artavis Scott was a true freshman. Alexander, shut down Shepard (also pretty much shut down Fl State's Rashard Green last year too, minus one play where he slipped, so don't be shocked when Fuller doesn't quite get what you are imagining)...and Clemson's D-Line, which had this years first string in and out of the game, shut down Samaje Perine. Just a note.

Dude, Auburn is awful. UL hasn't proven they are a .500 team yet, but we'll see. I'm sure their schedule lessens up now.
:D

I'm quite sure the same can almost be said about GT now, which just lost to non-ranked Duke by 14.
 
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To the Clemson group on this post. Do you guys think playing Wofford and APP State are going to hurt you Saturday night? I think it killed GTECH . Also you have not played for quite some time now. That is another factor. I like ND going on the road . I think there are a lot less distractions . The Clemson players might be too jacked up . This comes down to ND's Oline and ND's secondary . If both play well . ND wins. Clemson is a quality team . One team will rise to the occasion.

IMO, Wofford and App St games allowed us to work out some kinks and try different things...especially with the young players. Both are pesky and should both compete for their respective conference championships. I don't know about UL...Their record says they suck, but I just believe they are better than it looks, then again Clemson doesn't typically play well on Thursday nights. Then the extra time allows for more preparation. Either way, we haven't really been tested.

ND hasn't been tested either. UVA, Tex, and Umass are not that good. UVA typically plays their heart out vs big opponents. GT...you either match up with them pretty well or you don't.

All in all, I look for it to be a close game. It is going to be extremely, extremely loud. ND keeping the crowd quiet will be critical.

If you are going and this is your first trip, it is an enjoyable experience and Clemson fans pride ourselves in making the opposing fans feel welcome (as long as you are not wearing University of South Carolina attire, LOL).
 
Oz, I disagree that ND has not been tested. UVA was the classic sandwich game on the road and ND's worst fear almost became a reality. ND lacked focus, didn't complete a single 3rd down conversion, and lost their starting QB - that's a test of resolve to win a game. We can argue the talent of UT and GT all we want but it's too early in the season to know for sure. Texas has been in all of their games save ND and, GT lost to Duke last year and still finished the season just fine.
 
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If Clemson can overcome their injuries as well as ND has done, the Tigers will win. But few teams can lose key starters and not take a step back.

I have been wrong in almost all my point spread selections wrt ND this year (thought Texas would keep it close, thought Virginia would get romped, thought GTech would win outright). So I will go with ND to beat the spread and win.
 
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