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Post by tigercpa on Dec 26, 2018 1:06:17 GMT
First - offense:
This is where Clemson has the pure talent advantage and as is generally the case, it bears out in the statistics. Clemson ranks 5th in yards per game and 7th in S&P+ offense, while Notre Dame ranks 28th in YPG and 26th in S&P+.
Trevor Lawrence:
8.0 yards per attempt
65% completion percentage
2,606 passing yards
24-4 TD-INT ratio
144 rushing yards
1 rushing TD
Ian Book:
8.8 yards per attempt
70% completion percentage
2,468 passing yards
19-6 TD-INT ratio
250 rushing yards
4 rushing TDs
Fortunately, Lawrence isn’t going at it alone. Clemson has the advantage with their skill position talent averaging half a star better than the Fighting Irish.
Clemson ranks #1 in the S&P+ defense rankings while Notre Dame is just barely behind at #4. Again, performance lines up with talent as we see very similar overall talent though it’s constructed very differently.
Clemson’s defensive line is incredible and holds more than a half star advantage over Notre Dame. Conversely, Notre Dame has more talent at linebacker. The secondary is deadlocked at a 3.38 average star rating. While the Irish offense doesn’t have the speed Clemson has, I don’t know that you’d make the same argument about their defense.
Clemson is favored by the oddsmakers in Vegas and the advanced stats. They have more skill position talent and a O-line with more experience and better performances to date. They’ve looked more impressive winning by larger margins against the same opponents.
There’s no doubting Clemson’s defense, which held Texas A&M and NC State - two offenses ranked above Notre Dame - to 33 combined points. I expect Clemson’s #1 ranked defense to again rise to the challenge.
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 27, 2018 16:23:56 GMT
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13612216/ND_Offense.png) Offense - depth chart comparison |
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 27, 2018 16:24:33 GMT
Defense is tighter: |
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 27, 2018 16:27:31 GMT
Versus Common Opponents:
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13599743/ND_Common_Opponents.png)
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Post by Bevo on Dec 27, 2018 16:57:22 GMT
Stats are great and all.... but, sometimes, I like to just step back and take the 'bigger picture' look at the football world: Clemson and Bama have just been BETTER than everyone else, all year. They are on a collision course. No podunk Irish or Sooners are going to get in the way.
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 27, 2018 18:51:57 GMT
Clemson leads all-time, 2-1
Nov. 12, 1977 No. 5 Notre Dame 21-17 No. 15 Clemson Clemson, S.C.
Nov. 17, 1979 No. 14 Clemson 16-10 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind.
Oct. 3, 2015 No. 12 Clemson 24-22 No. 6 Notre Dame Clemson, S.C.
Despite leading 10-0 in the third quarter of the 1977 game, some hotshot kid QB named Joe Dakota or something, led ND on a furious comeback win.
Dan Devine was uncharacteristically ugly to the Clemson fans before during and after the game...at one point, he walked to mid-field and flipped the bird to the whole stadium.
I also remember losing to Charlie Ward & Bobby Bowden in 1992. Helluva game there in DV too. Big difference though.
In ’92 I walked away satisfied that while Clemson had a great team, both teams gave it their all, played their best, both teams gave each other their due, and FSU was just a little bit better.
I have no such feelings about ND in ‘77. None at all. Left there feeling dirty about the whole Devine thing, as well as some things that happened on the field, and only a year and a half later was leaving Jacksonville wondering if Woody Hayes and Devine weren’t cut from the same crazy-ass cloth.
In '79, Clemson rushed for 241 yards (at the time - a ND opponent record in South Bend) and scored on 4 consecutive possessions to defeat the Irish in South Bend.
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Post by Bevo on Dec 27, 2018 20:25:20 GMT
Despite leading 10-0 in the third quarter of the 1977 game, some hotshot kid QB named Joe Dakota or something, led ND on a furious comeback win.
LOL Univ of Houston fans are familiar that "Joe Dakota routine". |
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Post by EvilVodka on Dec 28, 2018 0:59:36 GMT
Clemson literally played no one this year, and the ACC was pathetic
What is Clemson's biggest win?
I question how battle-tested this Clemson team is.
Notre Dame might not be as talented, but they've played a much more diverse schedule and hold wins over some impressive opponents
I won't be surprised at all if Notre Dame walks away with a W in the Cotton Bowl
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 28, 2018 1:34:41 GMT
The last 2 teams I would want to play with a month to prep are Clemson and Bama. I feel like Saban and BV are the top 2 or at the very least 2 of the best at using the extra time to completely out scheme their opponents. In our last 4 seasons, we’ve given up an average of about 12 ppg in our bowl game/semifinals to Oklahoma twice, Ohio State, and Bama (and that includes Bama’s 14 off of turnovers…take those away and we’re giving up around 8 ppg).
We held those 4 opponents to an average of 29.9 points below their season scoring outputs (ND is averaging 33.8 ppg on the season / 37.2 since Book took over). Our worst performance was holding Bama to 15.1 points below their average. The only opponent who did NOT score their lowest total of the season against us was Alabama last year (unless you take the 14 points off turnovers away). ND’s season low is 19 points.
Clemson needs to get ETN involved in order have a balanced attack and help their true Freshman QB. Up to this point, Notre Dame has been strong against the run so it’s difficult to foresee Clemson having huge success on the ground, but on the flip side, Notre Dame has yet to face an elite rushing team all season.
Notre Dame has not played a team all year with an Offense capable of having multiple dimensions. This makes it more difficult to evaluate the Golden-Domers, but not impossible. What we do know is that the Irish have not yet seen a Running back as explosive as Etienne, nor have they seen an Offense as balanced as Clemson’s.
Obviously, past performance is not a guarantee of future results…but I like the direction that these numbers are pointing.
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Post by bluehen on Dec 28, 2018 4:49:19 GMT
Clemson leads all-time, 2-1
Nov. 12, 1977 No. 5 Notre Dame 21-17 No. 15 Clemson Clemson, S.C.
Nov. 17, 1979 No. 14 Clemson 16-10 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind.
Oct. 3, 2015 No. 12 Clemson 24-22 No. 6 Notre Dame Clemson, S.C.
Despite leading 10-0 in the third quarter of the 1977 game, some hotshot kid QB named Joe Dakota or something, led ND on a furious comeback win.
Dan Devine was uncharacteristically ugly to the Clemson fans before during and after the game...at one point, he walked to mid-field and flipped the bird to the whole stadium.
I also remember losing to Charlie Ward & Bobby Bowden in 1992. Helluva game there in DV too. Big difference though.
In ’92 I walked away satisfied that while Clemson had a great team, both teams gave it their all, played their best, both teams gave each other their due, and FSU was just a little bit better.
I have no such feelings about ND in ‘77. None at all. Left there feeling dirty about the whole Devine thing, as well as some things that happened on the field, and only a year and a half later was leaving Jacksonville wondering if Woody Hayes and Devine weren’t cut from the same crazy-ass cloth.
In '79, Clemson rushed for 241 yards (at the time - a ND opponent record in South Bend) and scored on 4 consecutive possessions to defeat the Irish in South Bend.
I remember Clemson losing 31-11 and 37-0 to the VT Hokies in 1998 &99. Heck, I remember Clemson losing to Presbyterian, Wofford and Furman in 1925.....by a combined score of 52-9 |
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Post by tigercpa on Dec 28, 2018 15:13:10 GMT
Clemson leads all-time, 2-1
Nov. 12, 1977 No. 5 Notre Dame 21-17 No. 15 Clemson Clemson, S.C.
Nov. 17, 1979 No. 14 Clemson 16-10 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind.
Oct. 3, 2015 No. 12 Clemson 24-22 No. 6 Notre Dame Clemson, S.C.
Despite leading 10-0 in the third quarter of the 1977 game, some hotshot kid QB named Joe Dakota or something, led ND on a furious comeback win.
Dan Devine was uncharacteristically ugly to the Clemson fans before during and after the game...at one point, he walked to mid-field and flipped the bird to the whole stadium.
I also remember losing to Charlie Ward & Bobby Bowden in 1992. Helluva game there in DV too. Big difference though.
In ’92 I walked away satisfied that while Clemson had a great team, both teams gave it their all, played their best, both teams gave each other their due, and FSU was just a little bit better.
I have no such feelings about ND in ‘77. None at all. Left there feeling dirty about the whole Devine thing, as well as some things that happened on the field, and only a year and a half later was leaving Jacksonville wondering if Woody Hayes and Devine weren’t cut from the same crazy-ass cloth.
In '79, Clemson rushed for 241 yards (at the time - a ND opponent record in South Bend) and scored on 4 consecutive possessions to defeat the Irish in South Bend.
I remember Clemson losing 31-11 and 37-0 to the VT Hokies in 1998 &99. Heck, I remember Clemson losing to Presbyterian, Wofford and Furman in 1925.....by a combined score of 52-9 Damn, you are old if you were at 1925 games. |
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Post by bluehen on Dec 28, 2018 20:59:32 GMT
I am old, cpa. I remember the Civil War
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