Notre Dame Football: 3 Clemson defenders to watch on Saturday

By Andrew Hall | Nov 6, 2020

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers is tackled by Nolan Turner #24, and K'Von Wallace #12 of the Clemson Tigers during the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers topped the Clemson Tigers, 42-25. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame needs to be aware of Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy /

Notre Dame faces the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday night, and here are three Clemson defenders they need to be aware of.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head into their matchup with No. 1 Clemson with an unblemished record and a No. 4 overall ranking in the country. Led by quarterback Ian Book, the Fighting Irish have been able to run through most of their schedule, but this weekend, they face the only ranked team on the docket in 2020.

Clemson is a talented team on both sides of the ball, and is a favorite to return to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game this season. In order to do so, they will have to get through a tough Notre Dame team that is looking to make a big statement on Saturday night against the Tigers.

On Saturday, the performance of Clemson’s defense might be marked by who is not there rather than who is. The Tigers will not have starters: linebacker James Skalski, defensive tackle Tyler Davis and linebacker Mike Jones Jr. In addition, standout defensive end Xavier Thomas will miss the first half due to targeting in the Boston College game.

With that said, here are three Clemson defenders to keep an eye on in this top-5 matchup.

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