When Notre Dame and Clemson squared off on November 7 we were all aware that the Tigers were playing without Heisman Trophy candidate Trevor Lawrence.
I’m not trying to say there won’t be a difference with Lawrence playing this time around but it’s not like D.J. Uiageleilei struggled as he threw for 439 yards and a pair of scores in that first meeting.
That said, Lawrence’s athletic ability and is a significant step up compared to Uiageleilei.
However, that’s not the Clemson player who didn’t play in the first meeting that has me most concerned as they return this time around.
Sophomore defensive tackle Tyler Davis missed the first Notre Dame-Clemson game this year, as well as four other games for the Tigers as he sprained his knee in the season opener and later dealt with an ankle injury.
Davis has played the last two games for Clemson, recording 33 snaps against Pittsburgh before participating in 36 plays against Virginia Tech.
When healthy he’s a force, earning second-team All-ACC honors as a freshman in 2019.
Couple Davis returning with the fact that Notre Dame will be without star-center Jarrett Patterson this time around and the Irish advantage up the gut isn’t nearly as evident.
Handling Davis will be massive in determining if Notre Dame walks out of Charlotte holding an ACC Championship trophy or if they get on their flight home wondering if they’ll be in the College Football Playoff or not.
Notre Dame vs Clemson: ACC Championship Prediction, Game Preview