Clemson 34 Notre Dame 10: Position Grades
Clemson not only won a sixth straight ACC title with their dominating 34-10 win in their rematch Notre Dame on Saturday night, they also punched their ticket to a sixth consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers played arguably their best football game of the season while avenging the 47-40 double overtime loss the team suffered in South Bend back in November.
Position Grades:
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence proved just how much he was missed in that first game with his performance in Charlotte. He overcame an interception on the teams first possession to carve up the Notre Dame secondary to the tune of 322 yards, while hitting on 69% of his passes. He also added another 90 yards on the ground and accounted for 3 total touchdowns on the night. His ability to read the defense pre-snap and check into the right play is invaluable, and was on full display against the Irish..... A
Running Back: Travis Etienne looked as fresh as he has all season, rushing for 124 yards and averaging over 12 YPC. It was the first time in six games the senior back topped the century mark in rushing yards..... A
Wide Receiver: This group of receivers had another big night against the Notre Dame secondary. Amari Rodgers led the way with 8 catches for 121 yards, including the big 67-yard touchdown in the first quarter that put Clemson up for good. E.J. Williams had 4 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. The young freshman just gets better with each passing week. His one-handed catch was one of the best catches we have seen all season..... A-
Tight End: Braden Galloway had 3 catches for 15 yards, but what he and Davis Allen did a lot of in this game just won't show on the stat sheet. Both were used as blockers at times and both more than held their own most of the night..... B+
Offensive Line: This group has faced its share of criticism throughout the season, and deservedly so. After an underwhelming performance in South Bend, this group rebounded in a big way in and won the battle at the line of scrimmage in the rematch. The Tigers rushed for over 200 yards on the night. It wasn't perfect, but it might have been their best performance of the season considering the competition..... A-
Defensive Line: An absolutely dominating performance as the Tigers had six sacks on the night. The strong running game of Notre Dame had just 44 yards and averaged just 1.5 YPC. There was just nowhere to run, and that includes quarterback Ian Book. The Tigers used a disciplined pass rush that not only consistently harassed the Notre Dame quarterback but also kept him bottled up all night long..... A+
Linebacker: James Skalski and Baylon Spector were huge factors in shutting down the Notre Dame rushing attack. Each had 5 tackles on the night and Skalski also added a sack. Trenton Simpson had 2 TFL and a sack and has made great strides since the first time these two teams played..... A
Secondary: The backend of this defense was fantastic. The Notre Dame tight ends, who have been so good all season, were not much of a factor. Nolan Turner, who is quietly having by far the best season of his career, led the team with 7 tackles and had 1 TFL. Derion Kendrick was making plays. This group is peaking at just the right time..... A-
Special Teams: B.T. Potter hit on both of his field goal attempts and all three of Will Spiers punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Travis Etienne had a 37-yard kickoff return..... A
