How Clemson football can slow down the Notre Dame offense
The Clemson football defense has a tough task ahead of itself as the Tigers look to slow down an offense that put 47 points on them the last time they matched up with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
It wasn’t that long ago that we saw Clemson and Notre Dame match up on a field.
The Tigers traveled to South Bend, IN without the services of three defensive starters- LB James Skalski, LB Mike Jones Jr., and DT Tyler Davis. By the time the second half came around, they were down seven total starters.
Notre Dame’s offense took advantage of that depleted lineup and the defense was clearly gassed before the night ended. The Fighting Irish had absolutely no problem moving the ball and scoring late in the fourth quarter, as well in overtime, resulting in the victory.
But this time around, Clemson football has its starters back and a whole host of issues to fix
Notre Dame QB Ian Book completed just 56 percent of his passes, but still had 310 yards passing and a touchdown. When you combine that with the job he was able to do in the rushing game- 67 yards- and the explosiveness of RB Kyren Williams (23 carries for 140 yards, 3 TDs), you can see how the Irish were able to put up some points.
Yes, it should be pointed out that Clemson did gift them some points with bad turnovers. That being said, the defense has to play better if they want to win this one.
How is it going to be done? Well, it all starts along the lines of scrimmage.
Notre Dame is going to play slow, come out of the huddle late as to not give away pre-snap tendencies and try to control time of possession. The offensive line for the Fighting Irish is one of the best in the country and they’re going to rely on that group to get the job done.
The question is if Clemson’s secondary can hold their own against those receivers while the front-seven finds a way to create havoc in the backfield.
You’ve got to create some exotic blitzes and find edge-rushers to get in the backfield. Expect Trenton Simpson to line up as an edge-rusher to get some extra speed on the field and look for the Tigers to rely upon Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and James Skalski to man the middle.
From there, it will be about setting a hard edge with the defensive ends and Simpson and playing disciplined coverage, especially in zone.
The overall key to the game? Create pressure.
You either get in the backfield and slow down Book and Williams or you don’t and you allow them to get going. Book is a streaky QB who plays well at times when he’s in a rhythm and plays atrociously at times when he is pressured. Williams is a hard-nosed, explosive rusher that the Tigers can’t allow to begin barreling downfield. That’s where it all starts and where it all ends.
If you want to win the game and slow down that Irish attack, it all starts with the chess match happening on the inside.