It appears ESPN GameDay host Rece Davis is leaning towards Notre Dame in Saturday’s top 15 showdown in Death Valley, and he feels the Irish’s defense will be the difference in the game.
“I just don’t think people appreciate how good Notre Dame’s defense is,” he said on Friday during a break in the popular preview show’s production meeting. “They have two of the top linebackers in the country in Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt … those two guys, one is just a quintessential baller and the other is a freak.
“They have a really strong defense.”
Yet that really strong defense ranks 40th in scoring defense (19.8), 42nd in total defense (341.5), 46th in rushing defense (137.8) and 55th in passing defense (203.8), against a schedule where they have beaten one 0-4 team, two 1-3 teams and one 2-2 team.
Though he did not imply it necessarily, it comes off as if he feels Clemson’s offense is the weakest of the four units playing in this game.
“It has been fine, but it has not been what people think it was going to be with Deshaun Watson coming back healthy,” he said.
The Tigers are averaging 442 yards and 36.7 points per game. Watson has completed 74.4 percent of his passes for 641 yards, seven touchdowns and just three interceptions.
On the flip side, Davis likes the matchup between Clemson’s defensive line and the Irish’s offensive line.
“Clemson has not seen an offensive line like this, neither has Notre Dame seen a defensive line like this,” he said.
The Irish are averaging 284.5 yards per game on the ground with running back C.J. Prosise rushing for 600 yards and six touchdowns. He is averaging 8.1 yards per carry.
Davis says Prosise is averaging at times more than five yards per carry before he is even being touched.
“Right at a third of his carries he has not been touched until he is five yards (down the field). Think about that, one out of every three times you give him the ball, he gets five before anyone lays a hand on him,” Davis said.
But Davis feels Clemson’s defense will make it difficult for Notre Dame to run, and will try to force freshman quarterback DeShone Kiser to beat them instead.
“I think Clemson making it difficult for Notre Dame to run, that makes it a huge deal. How the weather factors into the passing game remains to be seen. That is one of the biggest deals on that side of the ball,” he said.
Clemson and Notre Dame kick off at 8:22 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised by ABC.