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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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AUBURN, AL – SEPTEMBER 03: Tre Lamar #57 of the Clemson Tigers tackles Sean White #13 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Jordan Hare Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL – SEPTEMBER 03: Tre Lamar #57 of the Clemson Tigers tackles Sean White #13 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Jordan Hare Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Dexter Williams vs. Tre Lamar

Luckily for Notre Dame, our Dexter is still playing tomorrow. The big play running back has been a huge spark for this Notre Dame offense all season, and he will have to play one of the best games of his career Saturday to help this offense succeed.

Dex has a knack to find a hole and turn on the jets. His explosiveness and ability to accelerate is unmatched and something Clemson hasn’t seen a lot of this year. Notre Dame isn’t going to not run the ball, it’s part of their offensive identity. Though they might not run the ball early, Williams is still going to get his touches tomorrow.

One of the key matchups for Williams will be to win the one-on-one battle with Clemson linebacker Tre Lamar. The junior has started all but one game this season and has racked up 74 tackles, 5,5 tackles for loss, and three sacks.

His performance this year earned him second-team All-ACC honors as well as a Butkus Award finalist nomination as the nation’s top linebacker.

Lamar missed Clemson’s game vs South Carolina with an ankle injury but is expected to be fully healthy and ready to go tomorrow. As the middle linebacker, he is the anchor of the defense. The captain that can make plays all over the field.

Williams and Lamar will meet on more than one occasion tomorrow, and the consistent winner of that matchup will give their team an edge. Slipping a tackle and picking up the extra two yards to convert a third down seems small, but could very well be a game-changing play. The same goes for Clemson if Lamar makes an open field tackle on Williams that prevent a huge play.

Advantage: Even

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