I strongly believe that. After watching a lot of film this is how I think they can get it done.
1. Ian Book has to be better than Trevor Lawrence. Ian is a junior. Trevor is a true freshman. Ian has seen more game pressure, he's operated the offense through injury, he's come off the bench and beat a similar defense (LSU last year) and today that has to culminate in his outplaying Lawrence head-to-head. Despite both teams being built around their running games, I genuinely believe the quarterback that has the better day today will be the winner. For Ian that means being as efficient as he normally is on short and intermediate passes, while being mindful of the fact that Clemson will be sitting on many of those routes a lot like the Syracuse corners were early in the game. That's where the deep ball comes in. I've been critical of Ian's ability to consistently hit his landmarks downfield, as well as take advantage of a pair of 6'4, 230lb receivers, via the jump ball. I'd like to see him trust Boykin and Claypool on sideline routes in cover 1 situations. If they don't have a step, throw the jump ball and let them battle. At this time of year your guys have to make plays for you and you have to trust them to do it.
2. Notre Dame must attack the middle of the field with Chris Finke and their tight ends vs Clemson safeties, Tanner Muse in particular. #19 for Clemson is basically a clone of Drue Tranquill. He's 6'2, 225lbs, smart and physical. But much like Drue, he's a liability in coverage at safety. Whether it's with Finke via crossing routes and option routes in the seem, or with Mack / a healthy Cole Kmet via seam routes, and the corner route that Ian loves to throw. Notre Dame has to design routes to get their plus athletes matched up 1 on 1 with Muse. If they throw in that direction fewer than 5 times today, I'll be shocked, especially on third down, where Finke can be a security blanket.
3. The Irish also have an athletic mismatch advantage against 2 of the 3 Clemson linebackers with Dexter Williams and Jafar Armstrong (healthy). Whether it's in 1 back or 2 back sets, the ability to slip the RB out of the backfield when Venables is bringing pressure (which he will do often) is a huge weapon. It gives Ian a relatively easy touch pass and opportunity to get one of his playmakers into space against an average tackling Clemson secondary. Tre' Lamar (#57) is a thumper. He's a big kid and he plays much like Te'Von Coney in the box, but he's not great in coverage and he can't run with Jafar and Dexter. That's a matchup that Chip Long needs to find a way take advantage of early and often. If Notre Dame can get Lamar moving outside the hashmarks, they'll have a step on him all day.
4. ND has to make Albert Huggins (#67) and Christian Wilkins work. You have to pay extra attention to Wilkins (#42) because he's fabulous, but you have to be physical with them all day and not buy into the hype and pay too much respect. If you tire Wilkins and Huggins a little bit, you don't have Dexter Lawrence in their normal 3-man rotation, so that means that Nyles Pinckney (#44) will play a lot more minutes than he is usually forced to play. You have to take advantage of that. There are no two ways about it. Making the defensive line work is going to be a huge key today. That includes Ian Book in the read-option game. You have to play today like there is no next week. ND needs his legs and his ability to read the defense to keep the aggressive run blitzes and edge pressures honest. The more lateral movement he can get keeping plays alive, the more that defensive line, especially those big bodies, have to chase. In what I expect to be a 4 quarter battle, that can really add up.
5. ND needs a big play from an unsung source in the passing game. Whether it's Michael Young, Kevin Austin (off suspension), Lawrence Keys or Braden Lenzy contributing on a deep route, or a trick play on Avery Davis pass, Chip Long needs to find an extra option to make a play today. Not a series of plays, but one or two important plays that get some speed in space, downfield.
6. Defensively, slowing the opponent's running game down is always going to be a priority for Notre Dame. So let's get away from that obvious factor for a second and look at other things that the Irish must do. For me it starts with not allowing freshman Trevor Lawrence to pitch-and-catch with his primary read. For the majority of the year Clemson has run a really vanilla offense because their quarterback and all of their skilled positions contributors (except Renfrow) are freshmen and sophomores. Lawrence, Higgens, Ross, Rodgers and Etienne are going to form arguably the most dangerous offense in America a year from now, but as of this moment, they're still young and learning. ND has the experience and development advantage over those kids. They have to bait Lawrence, re-route receivers and disrupt them off the line of scrimmage and give their pass rush a couple seconds to make Lawrence uncomfortable and force him to change his launch point.
7. Julian Love has to win. There is no two ways about it. Clemson loves throwing to Higgens in the boundary and Love needs the kind of blanketing performance he had last year against DJ Chark against LSU. If he can win the heads up battle against Higgens, Jalen Elliott will be free to help over top to the field in order to keep Rodgers, Renfrow and Ross in check. if Love needs help today, there are going to be a lot of open Clemson receivers to the field and Lawrence is very precise downfield. ND hasn't been beat by big plays all year. Today is going to be the toughest test of that. Keeping them in check and forcing Lawrence to drive the field starts with ND's Consensus 1st team All American cornerback and his ability to handle Clemson's former 5 star, sophomore wide receiver.
On a side note, it appears Love was given a 2nd round NFL Draft grade, and it appears that there is a realistic chance that they'll return to South Bend for his senior year to captain the Irish defense. That's not something I thought would happen mid season, but it appears to be a greater possibility than ever. That would be a huge get for Notre Dame, as the entire secondary would be comprised of senior starters heading into 2019, and Love would head into the season as a 1st team All American and the consensus favourite to be named the top defensive back in college football.
8. Te'Von Coney needs to repeat last year's performance against Darius Guice. Coney played possessed against the strong LSU ground game last year in the bowl game and he acted as the enforcer for the unit. He not only met Guice in the hole every time he touched the ball, but he hit him hard in the process, then got right in his ear as he got up. He got in Guice's head over the course of the game and really pounded him. In the process he gave confidence to the rest of the ND defense who really rallied to the ball. Different year, similar situation. Travis Etienne is a wonderful running back, but I think Coney has the chance to really intimidate him early by sticking him a couple times. Tillery, Bonner and company can't let the Clemson center and guards up field on Coney. He needs to be able to roam free to make tackles and change the line of scrimmage when he and Tranquill run blitz.
9. Health needs to show up. Unless there are injuries that ND isn't disclosing, they're finally healthy. Drue Tranquill's hand and ankle are finally game ready. Daelin Hayes' shoulder should finally have calmed down. The nagging ankle injury that kept Khalid Kareem's pass rush ability in check has had a month to heal. MTA appears as if he's healthy enough to give ND some quality snaps today. How many is yet to be seen, but he's a much needed addition to the ND rotation at NG, even if it's just 10-15 snaps to give Tillery a blow throughout the game. We're finally going to see this front 7 with all of its pieces intact, they need to play hungry, get after Clemson's vulnerable offensive line and stop the critics from drooling all over Clemson's front and prove that the Irish group can hang.
10. Three players have a huge chance to prove themselves today. Two of them can serve notice to the NFL draft evaluators, with everyone watching, and the third has a chance to vindicate himself and finish his career at Notre Dame on a high note over the next two games. It starts with Jerry Tillery. It's obvious that he needs to be a game wrecker for ND to win today, but I'd challenge him to take it step further and outplay Christian Wilkins. All year people have been talking about Wilkins as the best DT in college football, for good reason. Tillery has a chance to outshine him today, serve notice to the NFL and cement his place in the first round of the draft, as one of the elite DT's in the nation. Jerry has the ability, let's see if he brings the relentless attitude he needs today. The second player is Julian Okwara. Somehow, he's still an unknown on the national scene, despite leading the nation in quarterback hurries. The Clemson ends (Ferrell, Bryant and Thomas) get all the love and hype, but it's Okwara that has the chance to burst onto the national scene today. He's a damn deer and he has a plus matchup when he's coming off the edge against Clemson's right tackle Anchrum (#73). I think he can beat that kid clean and he's going to have to. He's also going to need to be prepared to track Lawrence down when he flees the pocket. Finally, Nick Coleman has a chance to leave Notre Dame on a high note, after losing his job this season. He'll be the nickel today and man does he have a tough matchup with Renfrow and Rodgers in the slot. He needs to be confident, physical and if he has a chance to blitz off the edge today, he's gotta make a play. I'll be cheering my ass off for all three of those guys today, but Nick especially, in what could be his final game for Notre Dame.
Go Irish!
1. Ian Book has to be better than Trevor Lawrence. Ian is a junior. Trevor is a true freshman. Ian has seen more game pressure, he's operated the offense through injury, he's come off the bench and beat a similar defense (LSU last year) and today that has to culminate in his outplaying Lawrence head-to-head. Despite both teams being built around their running games, I genuinely believe the quarterback that has the better day today will be the winner. For Ian that means being as efficient as he normally is on short and intermediate passes, while being mindful of the fact that Clemson will be sitting on many of those routes a lot like the Syracuse corners were early in the game. That's where the deep ball comes in. I've been critical of Ian's ability to consistently hit his landmarks downfield, as well as take advantage of a pair of 6'4, 230lb receivers, via the jump ball. I'd like to see him trust Boykin and Claypool on sideline routes in cover 1 situations. If they don't have a step, throw the jump ball and let them battle. At this time of year your guys have to make plays for you and you have to trust them to do it.
2. Notre Dame must attack the middle of the field with Chris Finke and their tight ends vs Clemson safeties, Tanner Muse in particular. #19 for Clemson is basically a clone of Drue Tranquill. He's 6'2, 225lbs, smart and physical. But much like Drue, he's a liability in coverage at safety. Whether it's with Finke via crossing routes and option routes in the seem, or with Mack / a healthy Cole Kmet via seam routes, and the corner route that Ian loves to throw. Notre Dame has to design routes to get their plus athletes matched up 1 on 1 with Muse. If they throw in that direction fewer than 5 times today, I'll be shocked, especially on third down, where Finke can be a security blanket.
3. The Irish also have an athletic mismatch advantage against 2 of the 3 Clemson linebackers with Dexter Williams and Jafar Armstrong (healthy). Whether it's in 1 back or 2 back sets, the ability to slip the RB out of the backfield when Venables is bringing pressure (which he will do often) is a huge weapon. It gives Ian a relatively easy touch pass and opportunity to get one of his playmakers into space against an average tackling Clemson secondary. Tre' Lamar (#57) is a thumper. He's a big kid and he plays much like Te'Von Coney in the box, but he's not great in coverage and he can't run with Jafar and Dexter. That's a matchup that Chip Long needs to find a way take advantage of early and often. If Notre Dame can get Lamar moving outside the hashmarks, they'll have a step on him all day.
4. ND has to make Albert Huggins (#67) and Christian Wilkins work. You have to pay extra attention to Wilkins (#42) because he's fabulous, but you have to be physical with them all day and not buy into the hype and pay too much respect. If you tire Wilkins and Huggins a little bit, you don't have Dexter Lawrence in their normal 3-man rotation, so that means that Nyles Pinckney (#44) will play a lot more minutes than he is usually forced to play. You have to take advantage of that. There are no two ways about it. Making the defensive line work is going to be a huge key today. That includes Ian Book in the read-option game. You have to play today like there is no next week. ND needs his legs and his ability to read the defense to keep the aggressive run blitzes and edge pressures honest. The more lateral movement he can get keeping plays alive, the more that defensive line, especially those big bodies, have to chase. In what I expect to be a 4 quarter battle, that can really add up.
5. ND needs a big play from an unsung source in the passing game. Whether it's Michael Young, Kevin Austin (off suspension), Lawrence Keys or Braden Lenzy contributing on a deep route, or a trick play on Avery Davis pass, Chip Long needs to find an extra option to make a play today. Not a series of plays, but one or two important plays that get some speed in space, downfield.
6. Defensively, slowing the opponent's running game down is always going to be a priority for Notre Dame. So let's get away from that obvious factor for a second and look at other things that the Irish must do. For me it starts with not allowing freshman Trevor Lawrence to pitch-and-catch with his primary read. For the majority of the year Clemson has run a really vanilla offense because their quarterback and all of their skilled positions contributors (except Renfrow) are freshmen and sophomores. Lawrence, Higgens, Ross, Rodgers and Etienne are going to form arguably the most dangerous offense in America a year from now, but as of this moment, they're still young and learning. ND has the experience and development advantage over those kids. They have to bait Lawrence, re-route receivers and disrupt them off the line of scrimmage and give their pass rush a couple seconds to make Lawrence uncomfortable and force him to change his launch point.
7. Julian Love has to win. There is no two ways about it. Clemson loves throwing to Higgens in the boundary and Love needs the kind of blanketing performance he had last year against DJ Chark against LSU. If he can win the heads up battle against Higgens, Jalen Elliott will be free to help over top to the field in order to keep Rodgers, Renfrow and Ross in check. if Love needs help today, there are going to be a lot of open Clemson receivers to the field and Lawrence is very precise downfield. ND hasn't been beat by big plays all year. Today is going to be the toughest test of that. Keeping them in check and forcing Lawrence to drive the field starts with ND's Consensus 1st team All American cornerback and his ability to handle Clemson's former 5 star, sophomore wide receiver.
On a side note, it appears Love was given a 2nd round NFL Draft grade, and it appears that there is a realistic chance that they'll return to South Bend for his senior year to captain the Irish defense. That's not something I thought would happen mid season, but it appears to be a greater possibility than ever. That would be a huge get for Notre Dame, as the entire secondary would be comprised of senior starters heading into 2019, and Love would head into the season as a 1st team All American and the consensus favourite to be named the top defensive back in college football.
8. Te'Von Coney needs to repeat last year's performance against Darius Guice. Coney played possessed against the strong LSU ground game last year in the bowl game and he acted as the enforcer for the unit. He not only met Guice in the hole every time he touched the ball, but he hit him hard in the process, then got right in his ear as he got up. He got in Guice's head over the course of the game and really pounded him. In the process he gave confidence to the rest of the ND defense who really rallied to the ball. Different year, similar situation. Travis Etienne is a wonderful running back, but I think Coney has the chance to really intimidate him early by sticking him a couple times. Tillery, Bonner and company can't let the Clemson center and guards up field on Coney. He needs to be able to roam free to make tackles and change the line of scrimmage when he and Tranquill run blitz.
9. Health needs to show up. Unless there are injuries that ND isn't disclosing, they're finally healthy. Drue Tranquill's hand and ankle are finally game ready. Daelin Hayes' shoulder should finally have calmed down. The nagging ankle injury that kept Khalid Kareem's pass rush ability in check has had a month to heal. MTA appears as if he's healthy enough to give ND some quality snaps today. How many is yet to be seen, but he's a much needed addition to the ND rotation at NG, even if it's just 10-15 snaps to give Tillery a blow throughout the game. We're finally going to see this front 7 with all of its pieces intact, they need to play hungry, get after Clemson's vulnerable offensive line and stop the critics from drooling all over Clemson's front and prove that the Irish group can hang.
10. Three players have a huge chance to prove themselves today. Two of them can serve notice to the NFL draft evaluators, with everyone watching, and the third has a chance to vindicate himself and finish his career at Notre Dame on a high note over the next two games. It starts with Jerry Tillery. It's obvious that he needs to be a game wrecker for ND to win today, but I'd challenge him to take it step further and outplay Christian Wilkins. All year people have been talking about Wilkins as the best DT in college football, for good reason. Tillery has a chance to outshine him today, serve notice to the NFL and cement his place in the first round of the draft, as one of the elite DT's in the nation. Jerry has the ability, let's see if he brings the relentless attitude he needs today. The second player is Julian Okwara. Somehow, he's still an unknown on the national scene, despite leading the nation in quarterback hurries. The Clemson ends (Ferrell, Bryant and Thomas) get all the love and hype, but it's Okwara that has the chance to burst onto the national scene today. He's a damn deer and he has a plus matchup when he's coming off the edge against Clemson's right tackle Anchrum (#73). I think he can beat that kid clean and he's going to have to. He's also going to need to be prepared to track Lawrence down when he flees the pocket. Finally, Nick Coleman has a chance to leave Notre Dame on a high note, after losing his job this season. He'll be the nickel today and man does he have a tough matchup with Renfrow and Rodgers in the slot. He needs to be confident, physical and if he has a chance to blitz off the edge today, he's gotta make a play. I'll be cheering my ass off for all three of those guys today, but Nick especially, in what could be his final game for Notre Dame.
Go Irish!
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