Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2019 33 BY BRYAN DRISKELL CLEMSON RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Clemson has featured an outstanding rushing offense this season, leading the nation in yards per attempt (6.8) and rushing touchdowns (46) while also ranking 10th in yards per game (259.8). Leading the charge is sophomore Travis Etienne, an explosive runner that finished the season ranked fifth in the country in rushing yards (1,463) and second in rushing touchdowns (21). He is far from a one-man show. Clemson's next three backs combined for 1,451 yards and 18 touchdowns. Digging into the numbers presents a unique story. While Clemson has clearly been dominant on the ground, it has had trouble getting its attack going against the better defensive lines on the schedule. A strong case could be made that Texas A&M, Florida State, North Carolina State and Boston College have the top defensive lines on the Tiger schedule. In those four contests Clemson averaged just 113.8 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry. Notre Dame has been a solid run defense for much of the season, ranking 33rd in the land in both yards allowed per game (133.5) and yards per attempt (3.7). If the triple-option offense of Navy is removed from the equation, the Fighting Irish gave up just 119.1 yards per outing and 3.38 yards per rush against traditional offenses, num- bers that would rank 21st and 19th in the country, respectively. The Irish run defense has been fueled by an outstanding defensive line and a strong group of linebackers. Senior Te'von Coney is ranked by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the second-best run- stopping linebacker in the country. Advantage: Clemson CLEMSON PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Senior Kelly Bryant posted a 16-2 record as Clem- son's starting quarterback, but after leading the Tigers to a 4-0 start to this season he was replaced by true freshman Trevor Lawrence. Bryant left the team that week and announced in early December that he would be transferring to Missouri for his final year of eligibility. Over the next nine games, the former five-star recruit Lawrence showed why that difficult deci- sion was made. He completed 65.0 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards with 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He threw for at least 295 yards in four of the final seven games of the season, and Clemson averaged 47.4 points in his nine starts. Lawrence is supplemented by a gifted but young group of receivers. Sophomore Tee Higgins leads the Tigers with 52 receptions, 802 receiving yards and 10 touchdown grabs. True freshman Justyn Ross is second on the squad with 699 receiving yards and six scores, and leads the team with an average of 20.6 yards per catch. Notre Dame brings one of the nation's stingiest pass defenses into the game. The Fighting Irish are ranked second nationally in yards allowed per completion (9.5), second in touchdown passes al- lowed (seven), third in yards allowed per attempt (5.4) and fourth in pass efficiency defense (100.83 rating). On PaPer Sophomore running back Travis Etienne (1,463 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns) leads the way for a potent Clemson rushing attack that paces the nation in both in yards per attempt (6.8) and rushing touchdowns (46). PHOTO BY CARL ACKERMAN/COURTESY CLEMSON GAME PREVIEW: CLEMSON