Game Thread | No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Clemson

No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Clemson | ACC Championship Game

Bank of America Stadium | 4:00 p.m. ET | ABC

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Part II

Most folks had Notre Dame-Clemson meeting on November 7th circled on their calendar for a year (if not more) and it delivered with a double-overtime thriller. It’d be hard to top part two, but it’s clear both teams have chips on their shoulders entering Saturday’s ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. 

Clemson is out for revenge as they would love nothing more than to make up for the loss in South Bend as they’ll have several key pieces back this time around. Notre Dame enters the game as a double-digit underdog and has yet to get the national respect despite winning the game in November. 

Folks can talk about Trevor Lawrence all they want and while his presence can’t be understated, the return of Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis is much more significant. Davis is a special talent and he’ll be facing the weakest link on the Notre Dame offense as the Irish are missing starting center Jarrett Patterson. Josh Lugg looks to get the nod and while experienced, he lacks experience at center. If Davis can cause havoc up the middle, Notre Dame’s offense could struggle as those running lanes Ian Book loves to take will be less frequent and the run game will also be challenged. 

Notre Dame can play physical and if they bring it as they did the first time around, the Irish will compete. Clemson’s offensive line can be taken advantage of and Notre Dame knows it. 

It’s also worth noting, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea has accepted the Vanderbilt head coaching job, while Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott will interview for the Auburn head coaching gig on Sunday. 

Players To Watch

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams
He's been a difference-maker all season and that especially stood out with his performance against Clemson running and in blitz pickup. Notre Dame will need him to be just as good today to get the win.

Clemson WR Cornell Powell
He's been a beast over the last four games. He's averaging close to 20 yards per reception and 133 yards per game. In the previous matchup, he had two receptions over 50 yards. Notre Dame can't let him go off like he did last time. The Irish need Clarence Lewis to play his best game of the season.

Notre Dame DE Ade Ogundeji
The pass rush wasn't good enough until the very end of the last game. They'll need a better performance to make an impact against Trevor Lawrence and it starts with Ogundeji. Lawrence is only a 37% passer when pressured this season.

Clemson LB James Skalski
Skalski is a player to watch not just because he's the quarterback of their defense or because he missed the previous game. It's also because he hasn't looked right since coming back from injury and he had to leave the game against Virginia Tech early. His backup is out and if Skalski isn't close to his best, it could go from a plus to a minus.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams:
“We know as an offense that no matter what it is, we have to establish the run by any means. We're going to get that done, so we can open up more plays down the field."

"We have to be consistent. Play the band of football we know how to play and execute to a high level and make no mistakes. We know what we have to do and we're going to do what we got to do." 

Notre Dame DE Daelin Hayes:
"At the end of the day, you have to go play ball. Your ball is going to speak for itself. Playing ball the right way, the brand of football we like to play - that's going to put us where we need to be. 

"As long as we stay focused on that - we go out and play hard and the standard of the brotherhood, then the narrative, the stories, this and that will all take care of itself." 

Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton:
"I even just got reminded he was the head coach at Vanderbilt today. I had kind of forgot. It's obvious he's still focused on Notre Dame and winning a championship here."  

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly: 
"Our mission is to graduate and win championships. So this is part of what we build this for. This is the culmination of this long season, and we're not there yet. WE have not fulfilled the goal that we all got when we were afforded this very unique opportunity. We're extremely grateful that the ACC has given us this opportunity. It's like anything else, you want to finish the deal. Our guys want to finish it off with an ACC Championship.”

For Your Nerves