Tyler Venables spoke to the media on Monday, detailing what the Notre Dame offense will bring to the table this Saturday.
The junior Clemson safety reflected on the most recent games between the Tigers and the Fighting Irish.
“We have some real competitiveness in the past couple of years and the last time we played Notre Dame,” he said.
The last time Clemson played Notre Dame was in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 20, 2020 and a lot has changed for both teams since then.
Venables described the upcoming game on Saturday in South Bend to be no different than the competitiveness seen in recent matchups.
“We definitely have our hands full and a tall task,” he said.
Notre Dame utilized a heavy rush attack against Syracuse, but the Irish also have a real talent in tight end Michael Mayer.
Venables described what aspects of Notre Dame’s offense will make it a threat to the Clemson defense.
“Then you watch their tight end play and 87 [Mayer] is unreal and probably the best tight end we are going to see all year,” he said. “But, they have more than one guy that is fully capable of doing it, so they can get in some heavier sets. If you have three running backs who are big dudes and not afraid of contact and willing to punish defensive guys, they take a lot of pride in their run game.”
Venables credits the consistency of the Fighting Irish offense to be heavily reliant on the run game, grabbing those first and second downs and evading dangerous third-down situations.
“That’s why they’re so consistent, because their first- and second-down production,” he said.
Beyond the impact of Notre Dame’s run game, Venables believes the passion of head coach Marcus Freeman has instilled a revitalized vision, especially on offense.
After starting quarterback Tyler Buchner was sidelined for the remainder of the season with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, the team has had to adapt.
Venables believes the passion the Irish play with is definitely playing into their offensive consistency out there on the field.
“They play with a lot of passion and that’s a direct reflection of their leadership and their coaching,” he said. “I was mainly focused on their offense, but they do a really good job at being so efficient and that’s because of how well they do on first and second down.”
It will come down to how the Clemson defense responds to the heavy run game of a physical Notre Dame offense this Saturday, but even with the “tall task” ahead, Venables believes it will be about not letting the moment get too big for the fifth-ranked Tigers.
