A few weeks back the Tigers went into South Bend for one of the most anticipated games of the season. It was a top 10 matchup with the Fighting Irish and it lived up to the hype. The game ended up going into double overtime with Notre Dame getting the seven point win.
One of the big storylines from the game was the fact that Clemson entered that game without several players including starters QB Trevor Lawrence, LB James Skalski, and DT Tyler Davis. The Tigers, like Notre Dame, had an extra week to prepare for the ACC championship and coming into this game those players are all expected to be back. It will be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes.
The Fighting Irish on the other hand have been hearing the same thing since they took down the No. 1 team in the nation 47-40 back on November 7. Many have questioned whether they could have beaten Clemson if they hadn’t been missing the players that were out.
The Fighting Irish have put together a great season to this point with an unblemished regular season and now appear to have themselves in the drivers seat. Many feel that even with a loss they every well could be in the College Football Playoff.
This game has all of the makings of being another great one and very well could come down to the wire just like the first one this season. Let’s look at how these two teams matchup by the numbers.
The Numbers:
#2 Notre Dame 10-0 (9-0)
- PPG- 37.7
- Opp PPG- 17.1
- Rushing YPG- 235.0
- Opp Rushing YPG- 99.7
- Rush YPC- 5.4
- Opp YPC- 3.3
- Pass YPG- 239.4
- Opp Pass YPG- 214.8
- Total Offense YPG- 474.4
- Opp Total Off YPG- 314.5
- Off Yards Per Play- 6.5
- Opp Off Yards Per Play- 5.1
- 3rd Down Conv- 52%
- Opp 3rd Down Conv- 26%
- Sacks- 28
- Sacks Allowed- 17
#3 Clemson 9-1 (8-1)
- PPG- 46.0
- Opp PPG- 18.3
- Rush YPG- 158.3
- Opp Rush YPG- 105.4
- Rush YPC- 4.4
- Opp Rush YPC- 2.9
- Pass YPG- 346.0
- Opp Pass YPG- 196.6
- Total Off YPG- 504.3
- Opp Total Off YPG- 302.0
- Off Yards Per Play-6.6
- Opp Off Yards Per Play- 4.6
- 3rd Down Conv- 46%
- Opp 3rd Down Conv- 31%
- Sacks- 38
- Sacks Allowed- 16
