What to Watch for: ND vs. Clemson

Finally, we have reached one of the most exciting weekends of football not only for college but NFL. Tomorrow the four best teams take the field in the CFP for a shot at the national title game. Through this I will break down what each team will have to do in order to win the game, starting with Clemson and Notre Dame.

WHAT ND HAS TO DO TO WIN ON OFFENSE: First of all, if the prior meeting between these two is what we have to look forward to, then get your popcorn ready. Last time these teams played Clemson won by a score of 24-22 in the pouring rain. However, one area ND will hope to exploit in the tiger defense is the secondary. Now, with Clemson losing star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to suspension it will be a bit easier. ND led by star receiver, Miles Boykin who stands at 6'4'' will look to win on the outside against Clemson's smaller secondary. The secondary is led by Trayvon Mullen and A.J. Terrell who stand at 6'1'' and 6'2'' respectively. If Boykin can't win one on one matchups on the outside against a smaller secondary, it could be a long day for the Irish. One reason I expect a lot of one on one coverage from the Tigers is because they MUST stop the Irish rushing attack and Dexter Williams. In three of ND closest games: Pitt, Northwestern and USC each team has forced ND and Dexter Williams to pass the ball. In all three of those games, each team held Williams under 100 yards rushing (31, 56, 97). Thus, forcing Book to pass the ball. If ND can't rush the ball and Boykin doesn't win one on ones with 8 in the box, expect ND to get steam rolled on offense.

WHAT ND HAS TO DO TO WIN ON DEFENSE: Go ahead and try to name a weakness on ND defense. Go ahead and try because you can't. The front seven is terrific and leading the pack is Te’von Coney who has reached 100 tackles for the second year. Trevor Lawerence has yet to see a defense this talented all around. Jerry Tillery, Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem are studs that have combined for 19.5 sacks and control the line of scrimmage for the Irish. In the secondary, ND is led by All-American Julian Love who broke ND all-time record for pass break ups. However, this still is obvious concern if your a ND fan. The one area I think Clemson can exploit is tempo and the lack of depth in the Irish front 7. While the front 7 is amazing for the Irish, if Clemson continues to punch ND in the mouth with fast tempo and physical runs look for the front line to wear down in the second half. If ND hopes to win this game, they have to control the ball on offense and make the freshman QB Trevor Lawrence uncomfortable in the pocket. The Irish look to build on their amazing takeaway rates in which they have an INT in all but three games this season.

WHAT CLEMSON HAS TO DO TO WIN ON OFFENSE: What is the number one key for the tigers on offense? It's quite simple, balance. The Tiger's offense is averaging 269 yards per game in the air and 261 yards rushing per game making it nearly impossible to know what is about to come. Clark Lea, the Irish's DC, runs a very conservative 4-3 scheme defense. Lea rarely blitzes largely due to how talented his front 7 is. He doesn't need to send pressure because their pass rushers are so talented. However, I feel that this conservative 4-3 will come back to hurt the Irish. On running downs ND will often bring a safety down and play a lot of cover 3 and cover 1. With Clemson's balance I'm not sure if this will hold but if it does look for play action and big passing plays early in the chains. On passing down with their talented secondary, be ready for 2 man under (man underneath with safeties over the top) and cover 4. ND doesn't disguise either, while watching film I was shocked to see how easy it was to tell what coverage they are in at the snap. Another area Clemson can exploit especially on pass downs versus 2 man under is attacking the nickel corner for ND whoever they decide to throw out their whether it be Coleman or Bracy. Both have struggled this year and Bracy was destroyed at USC. I expect ND to load up the box in this game and force Freshman Trevor Lawrence to beat them. Luckily for the tigers they are throwing to numerous potential NFL receivers in Rodgers and Higgins. Much like ND if Clemson wideouts can win on the outside it will be a long day for the Irish.

WHAT CLEMSON HAS TO DO TO WIN ON DEFENSE: Welcome to the NFL 1st round draft Clemson Defense. The tigers defense is stacked with dudes who are and will be first round talents in the NFL spear headed by: Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins on the D-Line. The stats jump off the page for Clemson's defense: 2.4 yards per rush and 4 yards per play both near the top of the nation for defenses. I expect Clemson to dominate the the line of scrimmage and force Book to beat them with his arm. This is largely what Virginia Tech did to the Irish that gave them fits. The Hokies gave the Irish 8 and 9 man boxes and jumped the underneath throws to forced Book to throw the ball down field and make ND receivers win one on ones which they didn't do in the first half but later did in the second half. The one area that can raise the blood pressure of tigers fans could be the young secondary. Clemson surrendered 430 yards passing to Texas A&M and 300 yards passing to South Carolina. Most likely coping the game plan from VT, this secondary will get its money's worth in this game. If they hold up, Clemson will roll.

My Prediction: ND can't run the ball against an NFL front and struggles to pass the ball but defends well enough to keep it close till the second half. 35-14 Clemson.