If you want a battle of running backs, Notre Dame-Clemson will be the game to tune into. For maybe the first time all season, Kyren Williams enters a contest not holding the clear advantage at the position. Still, that doesn’t diminish the fact that he’ll pick up a bunch of yardage almost every time he touches the ball, either by taking it on the ground or catching a pass from Ian Book. If the Irish are to pull off the upset, he’ll need to be every bit as excellent as he’s been all year.
The Tigers have a solid running back in Travis Etienne, and he’s every bit as dangerous as a receiver. You can’t ask for much more than what he’s done rushing the ball, but that only tells part of the story. The fact that his rushing yardage isn’t far off from his receiving yardage shows his completeness. He’ll get a real test against the Irish’s touted run defense.