Clemson Football: Albert Huggins is ready for the challenge

Clemson football will rely on defensive tackle Albert Huggins to step up in the place of Dexter Lawrence when the Tigers take on Notre Dame.

Clemson football received news that starting defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, along with tight end Braden Galloway and offensive lineman Zach Giella, would be suspended for the Notre Dame game following a failed drug test.

The NCAA tested the B-Sample and that showed the same results as the original test.

Because of that, all three of the Tigers won’t be playing in the game Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers will have a chance to appeal the test, but that won’t be until after the Cotton Bowl. That means Clemson will rely heavily on Albert Huggins, Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams to fill the void.

In the mix, though, Huggins will be the one to take the majority of snaps.

He’s ready for the challenge…

Let’s not pretend that Huggins is inexperienced or wasn’t going to get plenty of playing time anyway.

The senior has played starter-level snaps all season and was already going to be relied upon heavily coming into this one.

Now, though, it’s his time to shine. This is a money game for him. Many NFL scouts have already said that Huggins could be selected in the upcoming draft. With a solid game against Notre Dame’s offensive line on his film, he’d almost guarantee himself a shot at getting drafted.

Huggins started two games back in 2017, but this is certainly the biggest start of his career.

I expect him to come out and play with reckless abandon. He’s going to stuff that Notre Dame running game and I believe that Huggins will come away with a couple of sacks or tackles for loss, as well.

Be looking for the talented senior to be in the backfield in the game this afternoon. It’s his chance to shine and I don’t think Huggins will disappoint.