Clemson at Notre Dame will feature two elite running backs
By Brad Weiss
In a matchup of two teams ranked in the top-5, the Clemson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish go into the game with premier running backs.
Looking at the matchup between Clemson and Notre Dame on Saturday night, a lot of the conversation has circled around the quarterback position. With Trevor Lawrence out for the Tigers, they will once again turn to a true freshman at the position in D.J. Uiagalelei, who threw for over 340 yards against Boston College last weekend.
Notre Dame counters with Ian Book, a veteran under center who has the ability to make plays happen with his legs, and his arm. While the game likely hinges on which quarterback can make enough plays, it is the running back situation for each team that is one to definitely keep an eye on Saturday night.
Clemson has arguably the best running back in the country in Travis Etienne, who many believe will be the only running back selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Etienne is a dual-threat back who is the ACC’s all-time leading back, and while he has a longer resume than Kyren Williams, both are as important to the team as the other.
Let us take a look at these two elite backs heading into the marquee matchup of the college football weekend.