Tag: 2020 acc football

Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley wins ACC Freshman of the Week for third time

This kid is something else.

Christmas may be a month behind us, but Blake Wesley is the gift who keeps on giving for Notre Dame fans. For the third time this season, the guard from South Bend has been honored as the ACC Freshman of the Week. This time, he’s sharing the honor with Duke’s Paolo Banchero. Both players could be picked in the first round of this year’s NBA draft, making this week’s selections all the more appealing.

Wesley was instrumental in the Irish’s two road wins over Howard and Louisville over the past week. He averaged 17.5 points and shot 54 percent from the field. The 22-point game against the Cardinals marked the fifth time he has scored at least 20 points this season. He also has reached double figures in scoring 15 consecutive times, which is an Irish freshman record.

It no longer is a question of whether Wesley will have a big game every night, but whether it will be enough to bring the Irish to victory.

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Jenkins: Clemson field rush ‘exactly the right thing to do’

When Notre Dame upset top-ranked Clemson in South Bend last season, the students allowed into Notre Dame Stadium stormed the field.

When Notre Dame upset top-ranked Clemson in South Bend last season, the students allowed into Notre Dame Stadium stormed the field. With COVID-19 doing the worst of its damage at the time, this action immediately drew criticism on social media, and Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, wrote a letter to students about how “disappointing” it was to see this happen and called for widespread testing. Considering Jenkins was coming off his own positive COVID-19 test shortly after participating in a high-profile activity, many saw the letter as hypocritical. However, Jenkins sang a different tune as commencement wrapped up at the scene of the storming:

It’s easier to say that now with the virus having less of a stranglehold on our lives than it did in the fall. Heck, the fact that commencement was able to be held in person this year shows how much progress has been made in the fight against this dreaded disease. If it helps the new alumni leave Notre Dame with a clean conscience, it’s all good. It’s a time to celebrate, so you might as well feed into that celebration.

 

Former Notre Dame O-lineman Dillan Gibbons transfers to Florida State

The Irish will see an old friend to begin the season.

Four days after Notre Dame offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons entered the transfer portal, he has made his decision. Gibbons, a native of Clearwater, Florida, will be headed close to home as he suits up for Florida State as a graduate student:

This makes Notre Dame’s 2021 season opener all the more intriguing as it’s slated to happen against the Seminoles on Sept. 5 in Tallahassee. On top of that, Gibbons and the rest of the Irish’s offensive line played a key role when these teams met in 2020. The unit didn’t allow any sacks and made 554 yards of total offense, including 353 on the ground, possible. That rushing total was more than double what the Seminoles’ defense allowed on average going into the game.

It will be interesting to see whether Gibbons can provide the Seminoles with Irish’s defensive line’s Achilles’ heel during their game plan or if that D-line knows exactly what to expect from him and uses that to its advantage. Of course, it will be more interesting if that particular aspect determines the outcome.

ACC Championship Game: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

There’s not much more to say about Notre Dame’s performance in the ACC Championship Game.

There’s not much more to say about Notre Dame’s performance in the ACC Championship Game. We saw what many might have thought would happen had Trevor Lawrence been able to play in South Bend. The fourth quarter was just about using the remaining time to prove worthiness for the College Football Playoff. We’ll see after a 34-10 loss.

The Tigers (10-1, 9-1) got their remaining points on a 37-yard field goal from B.T. Potter. When the Irish (10-1, 9-1) returned their offense to the field, they got help from some Tigers penalties, including a targeting call against safety Nolan Turner that will cost him the first half of Clemson’s semifinal game. Chris Tyree took advantage of these breaks by running for a 21-yard touchdown. At that point, the Irish were playing for pride and trying to sway the playoff committee their way, so we’ll see if that does anything for them.

The debate on whether the Irish should get a spot in the playoff will rage until noon Sunday. There’s a lot of lobbying for Texas A&M to replace the Irish in the current rankings, which would give the playoff two SEC teams. Still others would like to see the Irish stay in and have Ohio State knocked out after it needed a comeback to beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game. Whatever the ultimate decision is will say a lot about what criteria was most considered.

ACC Championship Game: Third-Quarter Analysis

At first, it seemed that Notre Dame wouldn’t allow the situation to get any worse. It turned out things haven’t gotten any better.

At first, it seemed that Notre Dame wouldn’t allow the situation to get any worse. It turned out things haven’t gotten any better. The Irish will need the quarter of all quarters to come back against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. That’s what they’re facing as they trail, 31-3, after three quarters.

Initially, the defense played much better, forcing the Tigers into back-to-back three-and-outs. It even got to Trevor Lawrence behind the line a couple of times. Meanwhile, the offense tried in vain to get out of its rut, gaining little yardage after starting its first two possessions inside the 20-yard line. Ian Book tried his hardest to find open receivers, but they just weren’t there, and he paid for that by getting wrapped up for either negative yardage or no yardage at all.

Perhaps inspired by how much support his defense was providing him, Lawrence decided to take advantage. On third down, he threw a 22-yard pass that E.J. Williams had to make an amazing play on to complete, and he did. Travis Etienne then busted off a couple of a nice runs to get to the Notre Dame 34. Lawrence needed only one yard to pick up the first down, but he ran to the end zone instead, delivering a backbreaker to the Irish.

If you were watching this game and have turned it off already, you certainly can’t be blamed. It’s difficult to watch a team that’s been successful all year get humbled like this on yet another big stage. Still, even if the win is out the window, how it finishes this game could make or break its chances of making the College Football Playoff. Hope for breaking that national-title drought this year might still be alive.

ACC Championship Game: Second-Quarter Analysis

For the first time this season, Notre Dame needs to seriously reconsider its game plan.

For the first time this season, Notre Dame needs to seriously reconsider its game plan. If it doesn’t, Clemson could pull away en route to an easy win the ACC Championship Game. Many hoped that the second quarter would be a rebound to a disappointing end to the first. Instead, things got worse, and the Irish trail, 24-3, at halftime.

Deep in Tigers territory, the Irish realized they would have to take chances early if it wanted to take back control. On fourth-and-3, Avery Davis couldn’t hold onto an Ian Book pass that he should have. The Tigers took the ball over, and Trevor Lawrence immediately completed a 21-yard pass to Cornell Powell. He only needed a few more plays to hit E.J. Williams for a 33-yard touchdown.

When Book returned to the field, he had as miserable a time on a football field as he has all season. On what turned out to be the Irish’s only series, he took back-to-back sacks from K.J. Henry and Derion Kendrick. Although Jay Bramblett had a 51-yard punt, it meant little to Lawrence, who led another solid drive and got to the Irish’s 10-yard line. The Notre Dame defense didn’t let him advance the ball any further, and it was happy to only allow a 27-yard field goal from B.T. Potter.

After another offensive drive that stalled out quickly, Bramblett punted it 47 yards to the Clemson 12. With time running out on the half, the Tigers used a series of runs and short passes to at least get into field-goal range before the half. The drive ended with a 44-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. It all happened in 1:49, putting the Irish in a deeper halftime hole than they might have anticipated.

Don’t lose faith yet, Irish fans. So many times this season, we’ve seen this team fall down and pick itself back up, making it stronger than it was before. If that holds true now, we’re about to see the best half of football it’s played all year. As the old saying goes, setbacks are setups for comebacks.

ACC Championship Game: Second-Quarter Analysis

For the first time this season, Notre Dame needs to seriously reconsider its game plan.

For the first time this season, Notre Dame needs to seriously reconsider its game plan. If it doesn’t, Clemson could pull away en route to an easy win the ACC Championship Game. Many hoped that the second quarter would be a rebound to a disappointing end to the first. Instead, things got worse, and the Irish trail, 24-3, at halftime.

Deep in Tigers territory, the Irish realized they would have to take chances early if it wanted to take back control. On fourth-and-3, Avery Davis couldn’t hold onto an Ian Book pass that he should have. The Tigers took the ball over, and Trevor Lawrence immediately completed a 21-yard pass to Cornell Powell. He only needed a few more plays to hit E.J. Williams for a 33-yard touchdown.

When Book returned to the field, he had as miserable a time on a football field as he has all season. On what turned out to be the Irish’s only series, he took back-to-back sacks from K.J. Henry and Derion Kendrick. Although Jay Bramblett had a 51-yard punt, it meant little to Lawrence, who led another solid drive and got to the Irish’s 10-yard line. The Notre Dame defense didn’t let him advance the ball any further, and it was happy to only allow a 27-yard field goal from B.T. Potter.

After another offensive drive that stalled out quickly, Bramblett punted it 47 yards to the Clemson 12. With time running out on the half, the Tigers used a series of runs and short passes to at least get into field-goal range before the half. The drive ended with a 44-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. It all happened in 1:49, putting the Irish in a deeper halftime hole than they might have anticipated.

Don’t lose faith yet, Irish fans. So many times this season, we’ve seen this team fall down and pick itself back up, making it stronger than it was before. If that holds true now, we’re about to see the best half of football it’s played all year. As the old saying goes, setbacks are setups for comebacks.

ACC Championship Game: First-Quarter Analysis

If Notre Dame wasn’t intimidated by Clemson before, it’s not going to be in the ACC Championship Game.

If Notre Dame wasn’t intimidated by Clemson before, it’s not going to be in the ACC Championship Game. It doesn’t matter that Trevor Lawrence is part of the equation now. The Irish came ready to play. However, that’s not enough as they trail, 7-3, after the first quarter.

The Irish were the first to get the ball and impressed out of the gate. In back-to-back third down situations, Ian Book connected with Michael Mayer for gains of 10-plus yards. The offense got as far as the Tigers’ 28-yard line before Book was sacked on another third down. Charlotte native Jonathan Doerer got the Irish on the board by getting just enough power to hit a 51-yard field goal.

When the Tigers took over on offense, the defense had a few moments in which it bent but didn’t break. Clarence Lewis hurt the unit’s cause by taking a face-mask penalty and putting the Tigers well into Irish territory. It could have spelled early disaster, but Kyle Hamilton came up with an interception before that happened. Talk about picking up your teammate.

The Irish looked like they would pounce on this momentum. Ben Skowronek picked up a 26-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage, and Kyren Williams ran 24 yards to get to the Clemson 10. The offense stalled out, and Doerer came out for what appeared to be a chip shot from 24 yards out. Instead, he hit the left upright, and Irish fans suddenly are worried that three points could make the difference in this game.

With the miss, momentum shifted the other way. This time, something came out of it. After back-to-back runs, Lawrence found Amari Rodgers down field and completed the long pass. Rodgers was off to the races and a 67-yard touchdown after that. How will the Irish respond to that?

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Clemson

Whoever wins the ACC Championship Game between Notre Dame and Clemson is guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Whoever wins the ACC Championship Game between Notre Dame and Clemson is guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Irish can get there by dominating the ground and succeeding at third down on both sides of the ball and as they have all season. It also would help if they can stay on offense for a while as they’re able. No matter how this game plays out, both the offense and defense have been fantastic, and neither unit has been penalized very much, so both the talent and the smarts are worthy of a conference title and the chance to play for the country’s top prize.

However, the Tigers have been even better on both offense and defense. They can match up to almost every strength the Irish have, and we saw that when these teams first met. Their success on fourth down could make the difference as more chances are taken in games like this. All of their offensive firepower in that arsenal makes that a real likelihood.

Tale of the Tape: Leading Receivers – Javon McKinley vs. Amari Rodgers

The top receiver battle between Notre Dame and Clemson for the ACC title comes down to quality or efficiency.

The top receiver battle between Notre Dame and Clemson for the ACC title comes down to quality or efficiency. Javon McKinley falls into the latter category. He’s picked up more yards a catch, but he never even scored a touchdown this year until the Irish’s regular-season finale. That he seems to be picking up momentum at the right time only can mean good things for Notre Dame.

Amari Rodgers and the rest of the Tigers’ offense benefit from having Trevor Lawrence as their leader. Rodgers in particular needs only 155 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, and it takes more than having a quarterback of Lawrence’s stature to get to achieve that. That’s why Lawrence likely will go to Rodgers more than any other receiver. When you’ve gotten as far as the Tigers have and the stakes are high, it’s typically best to stick with what you know, and that’s who Rodgers is to Lawrence.

Notre Dame vs Clemson: ACC Championship Prediction, Game Preview