5 Storylines Heading into Clemson's ACC Championship Game with Notre Dame
No. 3 Clemson has been in a playoff since it lost to No. 2 Notre Dame on Nov. 7 in South Bend, Indiana.
The Tigers can't afford another loss, including in Saturday's ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. A rematch of monumental proportions, Clemson can lock up a spot in the CFP with a victory and its sixth consecutive conference title.
Despite entering this week as a 10-point favorite, this might not be the walk in the park that the last three years were. The Tigers beat Miami, Pittsburgh and Virginia by a combined score of 142-30.
Here are some of the key storylines and conversations that will occur leading up to the biggest ACC Championship Game in the league's history:
Travis Etienne has to show up
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday that his offense doesn't have to be balanced. It just needs to be more efficient. The same can be said about Clemson's star running back. Etienne hasn't had a 100-yard rushing game since Oct. 10. Against ND the first time, he had 28 yards on the ground and averaged a career-low 1.56 yards per carry.
He's also disappeared in the passing game recently. For whatever reason, one of the nation's best playmakers has been neutralized, and he doesn't have to have the best game of his career Saturday. He just needs to be a factor again...and not put the ball on the ground. Having Trevor Lawrence's ability to run the ball might get Etienne free.
Stop the run
Having their horses in the middle back, the Tigers should be better against the run, but how much better? Tyler Davis and James Skalski are difference-makers, but what ND did to Clemson in the previous matchup is not something folks in Tiger Town are used to seeing. The Irish became the first team since Alabama in 2016 to rush for 200 yards against Brent Venables' defense.
Keeping that from happening again will be talked about all week, and Venables will address the media Monday. If he and the Tigers can't contain Kyrin Williams and that NFL-caliber offensive line, the next storyline won't matter.
A second chance at Ian Book
Notre Dame's senior quarterback was phenomenal in the first meeting. He did a tremendous job feeling the pressure, moving the pocket and anticipating what Clemson would do next. He got great pass protection from Williams and made clutch throws to an unheralded ND receiving group.
This time, Venables will have the luxury of hindsight and evaluation to come up with a better game plan, but regardless the Tigers have to execute it and get Book on the ground. He's simply a better QB than Clemson faced in 2018. Expect the Clemson players and coaches to have a ton of respect for Book this week.
Red-zone efficiency
Clemson settled for two field goals inside the 20-yard line in the first meeting. With Lawrence back behind center, the Tigers might have a better chance of turning those opportunities into six points. ND is as stingy as defenses come nationally. The Irish rank 26th in red-zone touchdown percentage allowed.
Lawrence running the read-option could very well be the difference this time around, and Clemson will need to get creative against the Irish. Running right at this defense, especially near the goalline, won't work. On the other side of the ball, Clemson can't get worn down by ND's front and give up easy TDs again.
Will Notre Dame ever play for another ACC title?
ACC commissioner John Swofford, despite the criticism at the time, made a great decision for the conference to bring Notre Dame on board in a disjointed season and allow the Irish to play a full league schedule. Many thought he was throwing ND a lifeline it didn't deserve, but he saw the potential of what it could mean.
Clearly, the ACC's profile has improved greatly with the Irish sitting in the CFP's top-4 rankings. And there's a chance the league could get both teams in the final four. But this might be the last time we see the Irish here. They're going to go back to playing an independent schedule with a heavy ACC lean next year. Perhaps, though, the appeal of playing for something so meaningful, along with the absurd TV ratings these games are generating, will lure the Irish to a full-fledged membership down the road.
