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It’s time for the 2020 ACC game of the year. The fact that Trevor Lawrence — one of the ACC’s two best players — won’t be playing in this game places Saturday’s featured attraction in a very different light.
Notre Dame had a puncher’s chance against Clemson if the Tigers had Lawrence under center. Now, with Lawrence out, the Fighting Irish have a far better chance of winning. The implications of this development are significant in a world where the Big 12 champion and the Big Ten runner-up (whichever team loses to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game) are increasingly unlikely to make the playoff: If Notre Dame can beat Clemson on Saturday without Lawrence and then run the table through the rest of the regular season, the Irish could complete their season with one loss if Lawrence and the Tigers then gain revenge in the ACC Championship Game.
Clemson fans don’t want to lose this game, of course, but ACC fans wanting the league’s prestige to grow should be rooting for the Irish this weekend. Notre Dame wins without Lawrence, Clemson wins the rematch with Lawrence. PRESTO! Two ACC teams in the playoff, with one-loss Notre Dame getting in over two-loss Georgia from the SEC plus unbeaten Cincinnati in the Group of Five.
A Notre Dame win this Saturday significantly boosts the ACC’s chances of a two-team playoff haul.
With that in mind, let’s give you three quick keys to Saturday:
1 – D.J. Uiagalelei finding a way
Clemson’s prized recruit at quarterback was thrown into the fire against Boston College. He made plenty of mistakes but even more big plays. He didn’t panic, and he trusted his teammates. Uiagalelei displayed the arm strength and talent which marked him as an elite recruit, but what I loved about Uiagalelei against Boston College is that when he led the Clemson comeback, he didn’t try to be the hero. He made good reads and relatively safe throws. That kind of decision making will serve him well against Notre Dame.
Playing in a stadium with few fans might calm him down and prevent him from overthinking. Regardless, Uiagalelei needs to compare and contrast the two halves he played versus Boston College and absorb why one half went a lot better than the other.
2 – Ian Book versus the Clemson secondary
Ian Book has, at times, held back the Notre Dame passing game — not always, but often enough to matter. Saturday, Book has to play his best game of the season. No more rough edges, no more B-minus performances. This has to be the best Book written in 2020. Ian has to author a special story and force Uiagalelei to keep pace in this supreme showdown.
The fact that Clemson’s secondary played horribly in the first half against Boston College should gain Book’s attention. Bad penalties — one on 2nd and 27 — made Clemson’s task far tougher than it should have been versus the Eagles. Book will look at film and see the vulnerabilities of the Tigers’ back line of defense. If Clemson can’t fix these bad habits, Book could feast, and Uiagalelei will have to score a ton of points to win, thereby reducing the freshman’s margin for error.
3 – A non-Etienne Clemson rusher or receiver
Clemson will try to get Travis Etienne the rock in a number of different ways. Notre Dame will key on stopping him. It could be that Etienne will thrive regardless of the Fighting Irish’s attempts to contain him — he’s that good — but being realistic, Etienne will get a ton of attention with Lawrence out of the picture.
Someone else in Clemson’s skill position group will have to step up with a big performance. If everything depends on Etienne alone and Notre Dame can keep him under wraps, Clemson has to prove it has a significant, game-changing Plan B in South Bend.
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