Notre Dame knows it will be noisy in Death Valley on Saturday night. The #6 ranked Fighting Irish take on #12 Clemson in a primetime ABC/ESPN game of the week. All the lights will be on both teams and a sellout crowd of more than 80,000 are sure to be raucous. Supposedly, tickets are so hot, Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney claimed he “couldn’t get one for Jesus.”
While it’s customary for coaches to note every week, every game of equal importance, it’s clear ND Head Coach Brian Kelly has been thinking about this one for a little while. Last week against UMass, Notre Dame utilized some silent counts to simulate environments where players couldn’t hear each other. That wasn’t for UMass; that was practice for the Clemson faithful.
When asked this week, Kelly was willing to admit the game is special. “Everybody wants to get that opportunity to compete at the highest level, and this will be one of those opportunities.”
The Best OL in the Country?
When you think of great offensive lines, historically, you might think of Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and a few other big schools in the midwest where young men are beef fed and grown big. South Bend is probably not the place you’d expect to find the nation’s best OL.
But the numbers don’t lie.
Notre Dame’s line is anchored by senior LT Ronnie Stanley. According to CFB Film Room, through 4 games and 120 snaps, Stanley has yet to allow a sack. Wait … it gets better. He also has not allowed a hit on his QB or even a “hurry”. Nobody is getting by Stanley so far this season. And he’s not the only one on that line have a great year.
According to Football Outsiders (who are known for innovative statistics), Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country getting at least five yards on the ground. In a category they call “opportunity” which measures how successful a team is at getting at least five yards on a run, ND is 2nd best in the nation at just over 50%. As FO point out, this is a great measurement of the OL “doing its job.” Bottom line here — Irish ball carriers are not getting hit near the line of scrimmage which is a testament to a line that is moving defenders off the ball.
Making the Most of His Opportunity
C.J. Prosise isn’t supposed to be here. He’s not supposed to be the starting RB for Notre Dame. He’s isn’t supposed to be among the nation’s leading rushers after four games. He isn’t supposed to be stirring some Heisman whispers. And yet, here he is.
His 600 yards on the season puts him slightly ahead of Georgia sensation Nick Chubb. His 8.1 yards per carry put just behind Chubb (8.4) and Leonard Fournette (8.6). He’s even turning some heads of some NFL scouts.
Prosise was recruited as a defensive back out of Virginia. He was transitioned later to wide receiver as Kelly and his staff noted his versatility. During spring ball this year, he was listed as third on the ND depth chart at RB. Then Greg Bryant got suspended and Tarean Foster injured his knee in week one versus Texas.
He put in a workman’s effort against Texas with 20 carries and 98 yards. At nearly five yards a carry, that’s more than Brian Kelly could have expected from his third string runner. But since then, Prosise has really hit a stride. He average over nine yards a carry in the last three games and has punched in six touchdowns as well.
Clemson’s defense should be the biggest test so far for Prosise and the ND OL. If he’s able to slash and dash his way through the Tigers on Saturday, those Heisman whispers will turn to shouts.
This Defense Likes to Score
Clemson once again has themselves a ball hawking, end zone finding defense. This year’s unit is trying to live up to the accomplishment of a season ago when the Tigers ranked #3 in the country in scoring defense. And despite losing eight players to graduation and the NFL, the boys in orange and white are only allowing 13.5 points per game. So far, so good.
The Best QB You’ve Yet to Watch
A lot has been made about the QB challenges in South Bend. First, the departure of Everett Golson to Florida State. Then the injury to Malik Zaire. Now, Notre Dame’s offense is led by redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer.
But with all due respect to the underdog story that is Kizer, Clemson is quietly starting one of the nation’s best QBs. DeShaun Watson is a fantastic athlete and a gifted passer. When healthy, and his health has always been the biggest question, Watson can produce as last year’s numbers show (14 TDs 2 INTs, 67.9% completion).
While the sophomore has yet to play a full season, he has already shown that he can handle the big lights. Remember his performance last season against Florida State? (The freshman threw for 286 yards as the Tigers nearly beat FSU). ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit considers Watson one of the best QBs in the nation … and he’s right. Unfortunately, Clemson doesn’t have a lot of offensive weapons to help him out. Nonetheless, look for Watson to earn some new admirers as he performs in primetime
Why Notre Dame Will Win
This game could come down to five guys. If ND’s offensive line executes as they have so far on the season, that Death Valley crowd will get real quiet, real quick. Blowing up gaping holes for C.J. Prosise to run through will negate Clemson’s strong secondary. Reduce those guys to tacklers instead of ball hawks and you’ve won.
ND’s defense needs to apply pressure DeShaun Watson. He’s shown poise in the past, but that doesn’t mean he won’t rattle if he gets knocked down a few times. The Irish can be bullies on defense (as they showed against Texas and Georgia Tech) and if they’re allowed to run free on Clemson’s skill position players, it’ll be a long night.
Why Clemson Will Win
This might just be DeShaun Watson’s introduction party. He’s got a national stage to show why he was such a hyped recruit out of high school. He’s also got a chance to show he can put up big numbers against the biggest opponents. If he can feed off the home crowd, he just might be electric on Saturday night.
The best way to beat Notre Dame’s offense is to get them off the field. Don’t let them lure you into a grind and pound game. That means the Tigers need to create turnovers. They’ve got the talent to do so and Irish QB Kizer is inexperienced in this kind of environment. That combination might just lead to a few turnovers from the ND offense.
Conclusion
Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly might be doing his best coaching job this year. His team is not only competitive, but some would argue that if the season ended after four weeks the committee would have to put ND in the college playoff. All that being said, ND is facing its toughest opponent in one of the toughest places to play in college football. It may take more than just the Luck O’ the Irish for them to win.
Vegas has this game as a toss up and I expect it will be close throughout.
The BOLD Prediction
Death Valley proves to be too hostile for ND — Clemson 21, Notre Dame 20