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Notre Dame Football: Key Offensive Matchups vs. Clemson

By Connor McJunkin

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 6: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #81 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his touchdown reception against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the second half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 6: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #81 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his touchdown reception against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the second half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football takes on No. 2 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals this weekend. Here are the important matchups to watch when the Irish are on offense.

Well, here we are,118 days removed from the Michigan home opener in early September. That game feels like it was two years ago at this point, and the season itself feels like it was one big blur of excitement, frustration, and wins. Even this previous month with no Irish football has absolutely flown by, as we are now just a day away from Notre Dame’s redemption matchup with Clemson on the biggest stage in college football.

Clemson hardly needs any introduction in this article. By now, you’ve heard the hype surrounding them and the success they’ve been able to have on both sides of the football all season long. At 13-0, this is now the eighth straight year the Tigers have won at least ten games and this will be the fourth consecutive year Clemson has made the College Football Playoff.

This year’s Clemson team has been pretty consistent in terms of how they’ve won. Outside of the Texas A&M and Syracuse scares, the rest of Clemson’s schedule was a breeze, with the Tigers winning every game by at least 20 points. Clemson’s high-powered offense has been lighting up the scoreboard all year, but it is the defense of the Tigers that’s been the catalyst to their undefeated season thus far.

The Clemson defense is littered with play makers and NFL talent. Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables has had no shortage of talent for his group, who have given up ten points or less on eight separate occasions.

Here’s a look at where Clemson’s defense ranks nationally in major defensive categories, according to ESPN (out of 130 FBS 1-A Teams):

  • Yards/Game: 4th (277 yards)
  • Pass Yards/Game: 18th (184 yards)
  • Rush Yards/Game: 3rd (93 yards)
  • Points/Game: T-2nd (13.7 points)
  • Total Sacks: 3rd (46)
  • Tackles For Loss: 2nd (121)
  • 3rd Down Conversion: 7th (28%)
  • Defensive Efficiency: 1st (92.3)

So, as you can see, this defense is one of if not the best overall unit in the country. Even though they played in an extremely weak ACC division this year, it’s hard to deny or discredit the talent of this group with what they’ve been able to accomplish.

If Notre Dame wants to pull off the upset and punch their ticket to the National Championship, it will start with being able to put points on the board and winning individual matchups when they have the ball.

Here are the key offensive matchups to watch for vs Clemson’s defense.

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