Nov 4 | Clemson

[IAIrish]

Clemson could easily be 8-0. I don’t like their angry / backs against the wall thing. I think they’ll played inspired and aggressive and ND will struggle to move the ball.

Clemson 28 ND 17

Their backs might be against the wall, but that offense (minus Shipley) isn't putting up 28 on this defense.
It'll take an st and potentially a defensive td to get to 28.
Will be interesting to see if ther offense builds on the pitt performance. Would be a good time for Hartman to play like the hero that was promised.

 

[NDPhilly]

ND at #9 in this weeks SP+, between PSU and FSU. Feels fair, although i think we’d beat both of them.

 

[Plankton]

Notre Dame has to match the Clemson intensity from the opening snap. This is their season - and the team will be hyped up. When Notre Dame lost in 2015, a big reason was that they were not ready to match Clemson's intensity at the beginning of the game (by the time they stabilized the game, the deficit was too big to overcome, and the failed two point conversion at the end finished it off). If Notre Dame comes out focused, and hits them hard in the first quarter, the rest will take care of itself. If they don't, it will be a long afternoon.

 

[DONTH8]

I just hope that when Dabo inevitably does his sprint in front of the team coming down the hill so he can get the admiration that he craves, the fans boo him instead.

Set the tone for the rest of the game.

 

[NDohio]

Notre Dame has to match the Clemson intensity from the opening snap. This is their season - and the team will be hyped up. When Notre Dame lost in 2015, a big reason was that they were not ready to match Clemson's intensity at the beginning of the game (by the time they stabilized the game, the deficit was too big to overcome, and the failed two point conversion at the end finished it off). If Notre Dame comes out focused, and hits them hard in the first quarter, the rest will take care of itself. If they don't, it will be a long afternoon.

I am still salty that BK went for the first two point conversion unnecessarily...

 

[BabyIrish]

Im not seeing the similarities between this yesr and last year Clemson has lost a couple in a row and are struggling. Last year we had a couple wins in a row and we’re ascending heading into the game. Certainly I think it’s going to be a tough game. We’ve got to be ready to walk out with a victory.

 

[BeatSC]

Hartman needs to show why he’s been getting all the attention. His performance since NC St has been borderline benchable at times. Playcalling and dropped passes haven’t made him look any better. He needs to nut up and use his feet more to open things up. This threat really opens up the offense. More roll outs like the one to Rico for 60 yards.

Btw the guy who called in said he was a vet thinking it might deflect some Dabo blowback. I guess he was wrong. Wonder if he’s still a Clemson fan. He’s a infamous guy now though. We have more than a few of those here…….

 

[Crazy Balki]

Clemson rolls up a decent number of yards on offense but it's been undone by poor red zone play and turnovers. If they have good luck/execution on those fronts they are a dangerous team.

Clemson is 21st in overall SP+, the game is on the road, and Clemson has probably been looking forward to this game since fall camp. ND should win but I'm expecting a fight.

Clemson is 93rd in Yards Per Play. They're really not rolling up decent yards.

ND meanwhile is 13th in Yards Per Play, in spite of the poor showings against Louisville and Duke.

The thing is that Clemson has had the luxury of playing some REALLY bad offenses who can't hold onto the football long enough.

Miami, Wake and NC State have abysmal offenses. ND's offense hasn't been anything special, but they're better than those 3.

It doesn't help matters that Clemson's offense is going to be down their best player. Clemson's defense is good, but they're not THAT good. ND should have some form of success against them, as they've been having to carry the team all year, FAR more so than ND's defense.

 

[Irish#1]

I posted yesterday that this is going to be Clemson's Super Bowl, but allow me to play devil's advocate.

Clemson is 4-4 and has lost their last two games. Given Dabo went off on the caller tells me that maybe he and the team have lost their focus and, while it is a different year, Sam went off on Clemson last year.

Whether it is their SB in their eyes or they have lost focus, the best scenario is to jump on them early and leave no doubt.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Clemson could easily be 8-0. I don’t like their angry / backs against the wall thing. I think they’ll played inspired and aggressive and ND will struggle to move the ball.

Clemson 28 ND 17

Not saying there's no way Clemson can win, but c'mon Lax. Really?

No, they couldn't "easily" be 8-0.

Sure, they made some critical errors in scoring position, but that can't be wiped away as mere coincidence when it keeps happening. Eventually, that becomes who you are.

And them being in a position to lose to NC State or Miami is pretty damning. Neither are good teams, and both have awful offenses.

 

[NDdomer2]

Dabo sounded like someone who is foot half out the door to be honest.

 

[PutuporShutup]

Dabo sounded like someone who is foot half out the door to be honest.

His press conference is not much better today. He spent the first 7 minutes hyping up his results at clemson, then in the middle he spent another 10 minutes doubling down on his rant yesterday.

It's like he wants people to not be satisfied, but don't you dear question anything we do because our players and coaches are awesome. I think dabo is a great coach and program leader, but you have to change when the landscape does. He's late to the party and won't admit it despite it being fairly obvious. If ND doesn't get hartman we may be 4-5 or 5-4.

 

[Crazy Balki]

His press conference is not much better today. He spent the first 7 minutes hyping up his results at clemson, then in the middle he spent another 10 minutes doubling down on his rant yesterday.

It's like he wants people to not be satisfied, but don't you dear question anything we do because our players and coaches are awesome. I think dabo is a great coach and program leader, but you have to change when the landscape does. He's late to the party and won't admit it despite it being fairly obvious. If ND doesn't get hartman we may be 4-5 or 5-4.

...Really? We'd lose 2-3 more games if we don't have Hartman?

I could see maybe the Duke game, but really, what else?

NC State? Nope. ND's defense had them on point and really, Hartman didn't play that well, especially early. I don't see Angeli being that much of a downgrade.

USC? Nope. Hartman definitely didn't play well in that game. ND won because the defense made CW's life a living hell.

Pitt? C'mon man. Hartman threw 2 picks and was all-around not good, and we still won 58-7.

So no, we are not 4-5 or 5-4 without Hartman. I'll be real, Hartman has not been as good as I had hoped, especially recently. To the point where I think Angeli could replace him and I don't think we see much of a drop-off. Hartman needs to up his game in these final few weeks, especially this week.

 

[IrishLax]

Not saying there's no way Clemson can win, but c'mon Lax. Really?

No, they couldn't "easily" be 8-0.

Sure, they made some critical errors in scoring position, but that can't be wiped away as mere coincidence when it keeps happening. Eventually, that becomes who you are.

And them being in a position to lose to NC State or Miami is pretty damning. Neither are good teams, and both have awful offenses.

In their four losses, here was their net success rate differential:





So they outplayed their opponents 3 out of 4 times with one "even" game against Miami. Fumbles... which are mostly sheer dumb luck... and other mistakes have doomed them. If they ever play a "clean" game they would be VERY good. They should have beaten Top 5 FSU.

If they are as self-destructive as usual against ND then I like ND to win but at some point they have to stop aiming the shotgun at their foot. They have been extremely unlucky this year and with "normal" luck they'd be 7-1 at worst.

 

[zelezo vlk]

In their four losses, here was their net success rate differential:





So they outplayed their opponents 3 out of 4 times with one "even" game against Miami. Fumbles... which are mostly sheer dumb luck... and other mistakes have doomed them. If they ever play a "clean" game they would be VERY good. They should have beaten Top 5 FSU.

If they are as self-destructive as usual against ND then I like ND to win but at some point they have to stop aiming the shotgun at their foot. They have been extremely unlucky this year and with "normal" luck they'd be 7-1 at worst.

And ND played like an 8-4 team statistically back in 2016, but when there's trouble in the locker room/culture you start losing games you should win.

 

[IrishLax]

And ND played like an 8-4 team statistically back in 2016, but when there's trouble in the locker room/culture you start losing games you should win.

This is a good point, and hopefully it continues on that trend. The saving grace for ND should be that the defense is good enough to limit their scoring regardless of whether they make mistakes or not. Still, I've got a bad feeling about this one ever since that call in to Dabo.

 

[zelezo vlk]

This is a good point, and hopefully it continues on that trend. The saving grace for ND should be that the defense is good enough to limit their scoring regardless of whether they make mistakes or not. Still, I've got a bad feeling about this one ever since that call in to Dabo.

I think what should help is that the team has likely always h ad this game circled as a big one, even now that Clemson has suffered losses the guys should be up for this trip to Death Valley. This defense will travel

 

[GrangerIrish24]

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around Clemson losing 3 in a row

 

[Irish du Nord]

ND at #9 in this weeks SP+, between PSU and FSU. Feels fair, although i think we’d beat both of them.

I think FSU is legit. They have some great receivers and Travis is dangerous. Plus probably the best defense they’ve had in quite a few seasons

 

[PutuporShutup]

...Really? We'd lose 2-3 more games if we don't have Hartman?

I could see maybe the Duke game, but really, what else?

NC State? Nope. ND's defense had them on point and really, Hartman didn't play that well, especially early. I don't see Angeli being that much of a downgrade.

USC? Nope. Hartman definitely didn't play well in that game. ND won because the defense made CW's life a living hell.

Pitt? C'mon man. Hartman threw 2 picks and was all-around not good, and we still won 58-7.

So no, we are not 4-5 or 5-4 without Hartman. I'll be real, Hartman has not been as good as I had hoped, especially recently. To the point where I think Angeli could replace him and I don't think we see much of a drop-off. Hartman needs to up his game in these final few weeks, especially this week.

Absolutely lose to duke and possibly nc state, offensive line struggled big time other than estime run and 1-2 price runs vs state …you go into usc with 3-4 losses and this team wouldn’t be the same

Agree Hartman hasn’t been as good as I wanted. Some on him a lot on Parker and wrs

 

[Katzenboyer]

Clemson is 93rd in Yards Per Play. They're really not rolling up decent yards.

ND meanwhile is 13th in Yards Per Play, in spite of the poor showings against Louisville and Duke.

The thing is that Clemson has had the luxury of playing some REALLY bad offenses who can't hold onto the football long enough.

Miami, Wake and NC State have abysmal offenses. ND's offense hasn't been anything special, but they're better than those 3.

It doesn't help matters that Clemson's offense is going to be down their best player. Clemson's defense is good, but they're not THAT good. ND should have some form of success against them, as they've been having to carry the team all year, FAR more so than ND's defense.

Agree with this, except for Miami's offense. They're a very good offense (ranked 19th nationally in total yards), but Clemson caught them down their starter due to injury, and faced a true freshman QB instead. Even then, Miami averaged 5.6 YPC that day, and by the end of the game kept punching Clemson in hte mouth.

I understand why people are wary and this is not going to be a cakewalk, for sure. But this Clemson is not very good, and their coaching staff is below average/poor. We aren't facing a juggernaut Saturday, and they could be the 3rd or 4th best ACC team ND faces this year.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Y’all ain’t riding the ROY bus for this one. Irish by two scores.

 

[Crazy Balki]

In their four losses, here was their net success rate differential:





So they outplayed their opponents 3 out of 4 times with one "even" game against Miami. Fumbles... which are mostly sheer dumb luck... and other mistakes have doomed them. If they ever play a "clean" game they would be VERY good. They should have beaten Top 5 FSU.

If they are as self-destructive as usual against ND then I like ND to win but at some point they have to stop aiming the shotgun at their foot. They have been extremely unlucky this year and with "normal" luck they'd be 7-1 at worst.

Sorry, but no Lax.

You can't wash away 4 losses to sheer dumb luck. If they keep happening, that's not luck, that's part of their identity. Period.

And even in the Duke game, Duke made several unforced errors. Hell, Clemson's only TD that game came off a muffed punt. They also fumbled the ball late in the first half when they were in scoring position to take the lead. Duke adjusted and made the necessary plays. That "bad luck" argument goes both ways.

Klubnik throwing dumb picks isn't bad luck. Nor is their poor ball security. One or two times can be explained away, but not the number of times it has happened.

Keep in mind too, that these aren't really good teams they are losing to. ND is better than the 4 teams they lost to. Yeah, I'm not buying the FSU hype. Had Leonard not gotten hurt, they lose that game to Duke at home. They're a paper tiger. So while Clemson may not have the same "bad luck" in this game, they also likely won't have the same number of chances to succumb to said "bad luck" in this game, because ND's defense is a step above all 4 of those teams. And in spite of the struggles, ND's offense is better the likes of Miami, Duke and NC State. As they say, luck is where preparation meets opportunity. ND's defense isn't just good, but they're opportunistic. They pray off of opposition's errors and lapses in play. Clemson's offense meanwhile, shows poor preparation when the opportunity arises. That falls back to coaching.

I just don't understand how you get to 28. Clemson hasn't scored 28 in any of their 4 losses, and it can't be explained away by bad luck. Even against Wake, they only managed 17 points. Clemson has managed more than 24 points against a Power 5 opponent ONCE all season, which was 31 against Syracuse, who is the worst team in the ACC. Their defense has given up 38+ and over 520 yards in the last 3 ACC games. So what makes it that Clemson is magically going to put up a similar number against one of the top defenses in the country, barring just a complete collapse or "bad luck" from ND?

 

[Crazy Balki]

Agree with this, except for Miami's offense. They're a very good offense (ranked 19th nationally in total yards), but Clemson caught them down their starter due to injury, and faced a true freshman QB instead. Even then, Miami averaged 5.6 YPC that day, and by the end of the game kept punching Clemson in hte mouth.

I understand why people are wary and this is not going to be a cakewalk, for sure. But this Clemson is not very good, and their coaching staff is below average/poor. We aren't facing a juggernaut Saturday, and they could be the 3rd or 4th best ACC team ND faces this year.

Yeah, I was factoring in that Miami was playing with their backup QB.

I also think Miami's offense is kind of being exposed as fake lately. The A&M game looked like they were budding into a good offense, but the Georgia Tech and recently, the Virginia game was a crash back down to reality. Even with Van Dyke, they didn't move the ball well at all, and were held to 20 and 23 points respectively against bad teams. Keep in mind, the week prior to the Tech game, GT gave up 38 points to Bowling Green.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Absolutely lose to duke and possibly nc state, offensive line struggled big time other than estime run and 1-2 price runs vs state …you go into usc with 3-4 losses and this team wouldn’t be the same

Agree Hartman hasn’t been as good as I wanted. Some on him a lot on Parker and wrs

No. The NC State game is a total reach on your end.

Hartman wasn't doing anything particularly special to keep us from losing that game. That game was opened up thanks to the defense turning it on and forcing Armstrong into his shell.

ND went into the USC game completely emotionally exhausted, running on fumes and dealing with injuries at the position they could least afford to. Hartman didn't play well at all, ND still won by 28. How you figure they lose that is beyond me.

Honestly, it's easier to see ND still winning at Duke without Hartman than losing to NC State without him. Hartman was 15/30 for 220 yards, no TDs and had several key misses that stalled drives. The one game-saving play wasn't anything that Angeli couldn't do, because Duke gave him all the room in the world to run for that first.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

TigerIllustrated - TYLER vs. DABO

EXCLUSIVE: Tyler from Spartanburg spoke exclusively with Tiger Illustrated Tuesday. A must-read!

clemson.rivals.com

 

[NDWarrior]

Dabo sounded like someone who is foot half out the door to be honest.

Maybe Saban retires and this is the year that Dabo gets the keys to The ('bama) Kingdom?

 

[NDWarrior]

I'm just worried about consistency and playing like the talented enough team that we are to beat Clemson. Under BK and last year Freeman, we've had similar situations only to get beat up. This really is the opportunity to show that MF has genuinely turned this team around and that we beat a team (handily hopefully) that we're supposed to beat (no major ND letdown), even as a tough away game. I want this to be the 2002 Pete Carroll USC team that was running on all cylinders at seasons end after two losses early in the year and that could have beat any team at the end of that season, including that year's CFB Champion Miami.

 

[Irish#1]

Top to bottom This defense is better than any ND defense Clemson has played against recently. Klubnik is going to remember BenMo. Heck, he may be in his head before the first play.

 

[Valpodoc85]

IMHO this comes down to our O line and their DL. The W goes thru the uglies up front