Written by Ernie Casanova
ARLINGTON, TX— Right after Clemson defeated Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship game, you would get the idea that a standoff between the Tigers and the Fighting Irish would be on the way, considering Notre Dame was locked into the number #3 ranking and Clemson at #2. When the CFP announced the semifinals for this year, it was obvious that what had come into fruition would be one of the most anticipated playoffs to date.
Clemson was immediately considered the favorite against the Fighting Irish, having the second-ranked defense in terms of sacks and total defense overall. Oh yeah, and they had a true freshman at quarterback throw 24 touchdowns with their running back only 36 yards away from eclipsing the 1500 mark. Clemson has Dexter Lawrence inactive for the semifinal, but a big-bodied Albert Huggins is up for the challenge and that allows fans to feel better about the absence of their powerful defensive tackle.
Not so fast.
That same Clemson team that the Fighting Irish will play this Saturday is the same team that faced four of the opponents Notre Dame had to. Both teams finished undefeated, which means that each team fared well against those common opponents. But let’s take a look at just what happened in those matchups.
Against Florida State, Clemson won convincingly by 49 points and played on the Seminoles’ home turf. Notre Dame played against them at home in South Bend and defeated them by 29 points. Wake Forest was a cakewalk for the Tigers, as they demolished the Demon Deacons 63-3 while the Fighting Irish fared well against them too, although the defeat was 29 points. Wake put up 27 points against the Irish defense along with 398 total yards, with 259 coming from the rushing attack. They only had 249 total offensive yards against the Tigers.
Clemson’s defeat of Pittsburgh is incomparable to that of the Irish’s because the Tigers’ victory was by 32 points on a neutral site, while Notre Dame had the advantage of a raucous home crowd but only won by five points. The last matchup to measure lies in favor of the Fighting Irish. Both teams played against a very talented Syracuse Orange squad. What allows for there to be a twist is that Clemson defeated the Orange by only four points at home, while Notre Dame overpowered them on a neutral site in Yankee Stadium by 33 points.
The argument Clemson can make for that game is that it was during the wake of incumbent QB Kelly Bryant deciding to transfer, and new starting QB Trevor Lawrence going out with an injury in the middle of the game. Backup redshirt freshman Chase Brice stepped in a led the team to a victory and as talented as he is, you can’t take away from the fact that he still scored the victory.
Both teams fare well on defense and are heavily talented on offense. No matter what the score was in those comparable games, it was a different week than the previous and they each still scored the victory. This might just end up being Clemson’s toughest test to date, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Clemson’s defense plays lights out, while the Fighting Irish’s do the exact same to stay afloat. Notre Dame and Clemson both have legit defenses, and this is the kind of caliber matchup that each team will use to prove their legitimacy in moving forward to Santa Clara for the championship.
