Notre Dame Football: Three Reasons the Irish have a chance against Clemson

By Ben Belden | Dec 17, 2018

ATLANTA, GA - December 6: Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban, Oklahoma Head Coach Lincoln Riley, Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney and Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly pose with the National Championship Trophy at the College Football Playoff Semifinal Head Coaches News Conference on December 6, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 01: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

1. Clemson will be starting an untested true freshman quarterback

Yes, Trevor Lawrence is a pretty darn good quarterback. When all is said and done, he will have had a tremendous career at Clemson, as long as his health holds up. He may even be good enough to garner Heisman attention in the next couple years.

All of that is well and good, but none of that will matter on December 29th.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: While much of the Clemson roster is tested under the hottest fire, its quarterback is not. Since Lawrence took over as a starter, he has put up gaudy numbers, but none came in games that were close. The last time Clemson was significantly challenged was in Lawrence’s first game as a starter against Syracuse. Clemson won the game 27-23, but Lawrence left the game late in the second quarter and did not return.

Since then, Lawrence has not had to face adversity. It’s safe to say that Notre Dame’s defense will provide some adversity for Lawrence in the College Football Playoff. We’ll see how he responds.

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