Clemson Is Down, Can The Irish Put Them Out?
Due to the bizarre nature of Notre Dame’s schedule this year, the final 1/3 block of games set up for the Irish very well. After the bye the Irish hosted Pitt. They then travel to Death Valley to face Clemson before having another break before rounding out the year against Wake Forest at home and then a trip to Palo Alto. Notre Dame must have a clean sweep of four wins in this stretch to possibly reach an New Years Six bowl game, the biggest remaining attainable big-picture goal for the year.
Up next for the Irish is their trip to Death Valley. One that has been circled on the calendar forever. It’s the final of the “big 3” matchups this year and is a huge measuring stick game. But this Clemson team isn’t what we are used to seeing from Dabo Swinney. His Tigers are 4-4 and are truly struggling.
Let’s examine the opportunity that lies ahead for the Irish this week.
Dynamics Have Changed
When Notre Dame’s schedule came out, fans and media alike had Ohio State, USC, and Clemson circled. These were the litmus tests against upper-end talent that the Irish would be measuring up to. The Irish and 1-1 in these matchups so far with a chance to flip that record to 2-1 in Death Valley on Saturday.
What was previously looked at as a truly difficult test at Clemson’s place, has now turned into a dynamic where I feel the nation expects Notre Dame to win the game due to how awful Clemson is playing, collecting their 4th loss against an NC State team that is genuinely not good last Saturday. Can the Irish deliver a Halloween week final nail to Dabo’s 2023 Clemson coffin?
Battle Of Defenses
Clemson has four losses, ugly losses. In most if not all of them, the offense is much more to blame for their troubles than the defense. The Tigers have a major turnover problem and they have come in bunches and at all of the worst times.
But the Clemson defense plays hard and keeps them in games. As far as the Irish are concerned, their defense is on fire and is playing terrific game-ruining football right now. Irish fans hope to see this kind of performance again in Death Valley. Notre Dame has been causing lots of turnovers and Clemson has committed many already. If that trend continues it could be another long day for Dabo.
Notre Dame's Offense
Notre Dame was fortunate that Pitt is so awful at football the early game interceptions and turnover on downs didn’t prevent them from a win, but the Irish will certainly hope to clean up these mistakes entering this contest. Turnovers are never good, especially on the road in a hostile environment.
It’ll be interesting to see what approach the Irish staff takes to attacking Clemson. Irish fans should feel confident in their ability to defend Clemson’s shaky offense, but there isn’t as much trust built up offensively. They’ve just been too inconsistent. If Notre Dame can pair up their great defense with a balanced and efficient offensive plan, Irish eyes could be smiling in the Carolinas Saturday night.
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