Thunderstorms now, but only heavy rain forecasted for the weekend and game time. Oh yea, lots of fun. The Hill is going to be off the chain. Clemson players better be careful during their cherished entrance to the Stadium...
I have not been impressed with Clemson at all yet this season. Clemson really has not shown me much yet.
Notre Dame has the fastest, most athletic defense in the BK era, but they have been wildly inconsistent at times. Offensively the Irish really haven't missed a beat since losing their starting QB / RB. As a result of the injuries, ND has become a run first team, looking to set up the big play through success in the run game. New QB, Sophomore, D. Kizer has all of the tools to make all of the throws. I broke down his film from this year and HS and see a QB with good potential and the ability to beat you with his arm strength. Brian Kelly is the QB whisperer. Before coming to ND, Kelly orchestrated an unbeaten season despite having to use 4 different QB's during the year. Backup RB, Procise, has blown up since becoming the starter, which has really helped break Kizer in slowly. The Umass game gave the youngsters valuable experience headed into this game.
As for Clemson, if they are going to win this game, they absolutely must force Kizer to beat them through consistent shut down of the run game. Death Valley at night is a very difficult place to play, Kizer has never seen anything like it. Kizer loves the deep ball, so Clemson must make sure they do not allow Fuller or any WR to beat them over the top bc Kizer has very nice arm strength.
Offensively, Clemson must protect the football and play better than they did in their only test thusfar against Louisville. I believe the first few drives in this game are crucial. If Clemson can get ahead by 7-10 points early, they can force ND to go away from the run game. ND has not seen an offense yet this season that is potentially as potent as Clemson's.
I believe the X Factor in this game is Watson bc of his dual threat ability, and the 12th man due to the inexperience of ND at key offensive positions.
Ultimately, I see Clemson pulling this game out, but much, much closer than some people think.
Clemson 28 Notre Dame 26
Good luck everyone!!!
Notre Dame has the fastest, most athletic defense in the BK era, but they have been wildly inconsistent at times. Offensively the Irish really haven't missed a beat since losing their starting QB / RB. As a result of the injuries, ND has become a run first team, looking to set up the big play through success in the run game. New QB, Sophomore, D. Kizer has all of the tools to make all of the throws. I broke down his film from this year and HS and see a QB with good potential and the ability to beat you with his arm strength. Brian Kelly is the QB whisperer. Before coming to ND, Kelly orchestrated an unbeaten season despite having to use 4 different QB's during the year. Backup RB, Procise, has blown up since becoming the starter, which has really helped break Kizer in slowly. The Umass game gave the youngsters valuable experience headed into this game.
As for Clemson, if they are going to win this game, they absolutely must force Kizer to beat them through consistent shut down of the run game. Death Valley at night is a very difficult place to play, Kizer has never seen anything like it. Kizer loves the deep ball, so Clemson must make sure they do not allow Fuller or any WR to beat them over the top bc Kizer has very nice arm strength.
Offensively, Clemson must protect the football and play better than they did in their only test thusfar against Louisville. I believe the first few drives in this game are crucial. If Clemson can get ahead by 7-10 points early, they can force ND to go away from the run game. ND has not seen an offense yet this season that is potentially as potent as Clemson's.
I believe the X Factor in this game is Watson bc of his dual threat ability, and the 12th man due to the inexperience of ND at key offensive positions.
Ultimately, I see Clemson pulling this game out, but much, much closer than some people think.
Clemson 28 Notre Dame 26
Good luck everyone!!!
Nice assessment, and I agree with it.
To add, if ND can create a turnover and capitalize early, they could set a nice tone early and settle some jitters. Watson has thrown a pick early in a couple games (6 inches of rain and 17 MPH winds during game this time around), but Clemson has still managed to come out victorious. Both teams plan to run, run, run, but that balls still gonna be slick, slick, slick.
This is a toss up game that I'm so looking forward to seeing. The rain is holding off for now, but the Monsoon is due tonight...
