ACC Championship Game Recap

Clemson rolled over Notre Dame 34 – 10 to avenge their only loss of the season. The Tigers are clearly a better team with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and Tyler Davis, James Skalski and Mike Jones available on defense. Clemson proved they are still the best team in the ACC with or without Notre Dame in the conference.

Notre Dame had a few chances early but did not capitalize on them. Clemson took advantage and built a big lead, then coasted to victory. There were very few similarities between this game and the November match-up between the two teams, where Notre Dame pulled out an overtime win.

Notre Dame Could Have Built An Early Lead

Notre Dame actually started the game strong. On the opening drive of the game, Notre Dame moved the ball into Clemson territory reaching the Tigers’ 28 yards line before a sack on third down forced them to kick a long field goal. The kick was good and the Irish had a 3 – 0 lead. It’s tough to beat Clemson with field goals, but scoring on the opening drive of the game was important.

Clemson moved the ball on the next drive before Kyle Hamilton came up with an interception on a tipped pass. Notre Dame hit a couple of big plays on a receiver screen and a run by Kyren Williams to get inside the Clemson 10 yard line. Again, Notre Dame could not get the ball into the endzone and had to settle for a field goal. This time Jonathan Doerer missed the chip shot field goal and the Irish were turned back empty handed.

The Tigers quickly capitalized on the swing in momentum. After two runs for 13 yards, Lawrence dropped back to pass and found a wide open Amari Rodgers for a 67 yard touchdown. Notre Dame had spent the entire first quarter building long drives that got deep into Clemson territory but had just three points to show for it. Meanwhile, Clemson hit a 67 yard pass just before the end of the quarter and took a 7 – 3 lead.

Notre Dame got the ball back and mounted another drive into Clemson territory. In five plays the Irish covered 55 yards, and facing a fourth and three at the Clemson 28 yard line, Brian Kelly decided to go for it. Ian Book scrambled out of the pocket and threw the ball down field to an open Avery Davis, the throw was behind Davis and he could not adjust to make the catch. Notre Dame turned the ball over on downs and failed to score on another drive inside the Clemson 30.

Notre Dame had the opportunity to build an early lead and possibly put the pressure on Clemson, but they failed to convert. The Irish took three straight drives inside the Clemson 30, but only came away with three points. They would not cross midfield again until late in the third quarter, by then Clemson had built a 31 – 3 lead and was salting the game away.

Clemson Made Big Plays On Offense

The Tigers’ offense was able to strike quickly numerous times during the game. All four of Clemson’s touchdowns were on plays that covered more than thirty yards. The longest was the aforementioned Lawrence pass to Rodgers, but plenty of Clemson’s athletes got in on the fun.

Clemson’s second touchdown, which stretched the lead to 14 – 3 came on a pass from Lawrence to true freshman EJ Williams. Lawrence was able to buy time in the pocket while Williams came open on a crossing route in the middle of the field, made the catch and angled across the field for a 33 yard touchdown. The young receiver has been emerging of late and should be a big threat for the Tigers in the Playoff.

With the half winding down, Clemson’s most explosive weapon got in on the act. Clemson was facing a fourth and one at the Notre Dame 44 yard line with 29 seconds to play. Travis Etienne took the hand off around the left side of the offensive line, broke a tackle and hit the gas. Once he is in the open field, Etienne has a gear that few players can reach and he broke away for a 44 yard touchdown run. The score gave the Tigers a 24 -3 halftime lead and the rout was on.

Late in the third quarter, Trevor Lawrence showed he can make big plays with his feet as well as his arm. The star quarterback faked a pitch to the left and ran up the middle, he cut around a block and put his long stride to work. Lawrence raced away from the Notre Dame defense for a 34 yard touchdown run of his own. It was the final touchdown of the game for Clemson, mostly because they didn’t need to score more touchdowns. Lawrence’s run gave Clemson a 31 – 3 lead with just over a quarter to play.

Notre Dame drove inside the Clemson 30 yard line three times in the first half and scored no touchdowns. On the other hand Clemson scored four touchdowns from more than 30 yards out in the game. The Tigers were on a mission to prove they are significantly better than Notre Dame, the college football world got the memo.

Brent Venables Wins Again

Clemson’s Brent Venables is the best defensive coordinator in college football. He not only designs a good defensive scheme on a weekly basis, but he has the ability to adjust to what the offense is doing and adapt on the fly. Clemson’s defense is versatile mixing up fronts, coverage schemes and blitzes to create confusion for the offense.

In the ACC Championship game, Venables was able to adjust to what Notre Dame was having success with early and shut them down after the first quarter. He made Ian Book uncomfortable, creating pressure and the illusion of pressure that forced missed reads or errant throws. The Clemson defense sacked Ian Book six times and hurried him several other times. Book was unable to get comfortable and establish a rhythm on offense, leading to Notre Dame’s struggles for much of the game.

In addition to creating pressure on Ian Book, Venables was able to shut down the Notre Dame running game. Notre Dame has an excellent offensive line and a quality running back in Kyren Williams. Add in Ian Book’s ability to make plays with his feet, it’s a daunting task for any defense to contain Notre Dame’s rushing attack. Venables was able to adjust after a few early runs by Williams and disrupt the Notre Dame blocking schemes, giving the backs no where to run to. The end result was 44 rushing yards on 30 carries for a Notre Dame offense that had not been held under 100 yards and had only been held under 200 three times in ten games.

Venables proved again he is the best defensive coordinator in the game. Saturday was another example of why he is so respected and should be near the top of every coaching hot board this off season.

Impact going forward

Clemson has now won six straight ACC Championships and is headed back to the College Football Playoff again. Notre Dame being added to the ACC was a new test for the Tigers but they passed it and won the conference again. The semifinal rematch with Ohio State should be one of the more intriguing games of the year. Regardless of the outcome in the Playoff, Clemson is in great shape to be at the pinnacle of college football for the foreseeable future.

Notre Dame’s first year and possibly only year in the ACC was big success. They weren’t able to win the conference but had an undefeated regular season and are also headed to the Playoff to face Alabama. Brian Kelly’s team thrived in the ACC and may want to consider making a permanent home for themselves in the conference. Either way, Notre Dame has earned a spot near the top of the college football hierarchy. With a strong recruiting class coming in and plenty of young talent on the roster, Brian Kelly’s team should be here to stay.

2020 Clemson Tigers ACC Champs Gear

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