Clemson At First Glance: Defensive Players Notre Dame Fans Need To Know
The Clemson defense is once again one of the best units in the entire country. Brent Venables continues his run as an elite defensive coordinator with a knack for building a fierce defense. While Notre Dame won't be running into that same caliber defense from 2018, this group is no slouch.
The Notre Dame offense has been the weak spot to this point in 2020 and the heavyweight matchup Saturday won't help. If the Fighting Irish want to secure the best win under Brian Kelly, they will need to find a way to move the ball. Here are three players to watch on the Clemson defense:
#10 BAYLON SPECTOR, LINEBACKER
2020 stats: 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Spector is the leading tackler for the Tigers and one of the leaders of the defense. He is also what makes Clemson so great on defense year after year.
Spector wasn't a very highly touted recruit. According to 247 Sports, Spector was only a three-star when he came out of high school and 609th overall in his class. However, Clemson develops players as very few can around the country.
The junior has been steady for Clemson and makes plays when they need it. During the comeback against Boston College, Spector forced a fumble that helped tip momentum back to Clemson. His game isn't flashy, he is just a sound player that fits what Clemson needs.
Clemson has been known for its elite defensive line play over the years; however, the defensive line isn't quite what it was a few years ago. The other thing Clemson does very well is linebacker play. From Stephone Anthony to more recently Isaiah Simmons, Clemson's defense always has strong linebacker play.
Spector isn't that level of Anthony or Simmons, but he is a reliable player in the middle of the defense.
#98 MYLES MURPHY, DEFENSIVE END
2020 stats: 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Murphy is only a freshman, but he was a five-star recruit and the No. 7 overall player in the country. He wasn't even the highest-ranked defensive lineman in Clemson's 2020 class.
Clemson hasn't played up to the level of 2018 only because they have a young group up front. The 2018 Clemson playoff team had multiple first-rounders on the defensive line that year. In two years, Clemson will have multiple first-rounders on the defensive line once again.
Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was the best player in the 2020 class and signed to Clemson with Murphy. Bresee has been good, but Murphy is the one having a bigger impact at this point in the season. He is the team leader in sacks and in the top five in total tackles.
Murphy is young but he falls into that generational talent group. 247 Sports has him ranked as the 135th best recruit of all-time. (goes back to 2000) Murphy also has the benefit of playing with an incredible group around him.
The freshman has the potential to be a game wrecker but has struggled with consistently showing up. The Tigers have used more of a committee approach and Murphy has been held without a sack over the last two games. Despite the recent lack of production, he had four total tackles and half a sack against Miami.
This will be by far the best offensive line Clemson has faced to this point. Notre Dame should be able to find a little bit of push and outperform the young Clemson defensive line. With Xavier Thomas out for the first half due to targeting, the defensive line should find themselves leaning on their youth even more.
#23 ANDREW BOOTH JR., CORNERBACK
2020 stats: 22 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 4 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD
Booth is only a sophomore but he is another young player on this list that was an elite player coming out of high school.
Booth was a five-star corner and the No. 23 overall player in the 2019 class according to 247 Sports. He played sparingly as a freshman but has taken on a much larger role on the defense this fall. At 600 and 190 pounds, Booth is exactly what you look for in a defensive back from both size and talent.
The Notre Dame receivers have been pretty hit or miss and they lack a true number one. Without a Chase Claypool or a Miles Boykin, Booth can basically take away one of Notre Dame's receivers. The Fighting Irish will also have to pick their poison.
Nolan Turner is a safety for Clemson that currently leads the team in interceptions. Both Turner and Booth help solidify what has been a rapidly improving secondary. Clemson had a slow start to the year with their pass defense. That is until these two continued to improve their play.
While the unit as a whole still has its weaknesses, they have enough talent to give Ian Book issues. Notre Dame should be able to find some success with the multiple tight ends they roll out and Boston College was able to find some success down the field.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book needs to watch some tape on his former teammate. BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec was able to find success sitting in the pocket until the very last second. Despite knowing he was going to get hit, it often resulted in finding a player open down the field.
Far too often, Book will scramble when he doesn't need to and it takes away half the field. If Book's happy feet return Saturday, he could himself in a bad situation with half the field out of play and a highly talented DB across from him.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes.
Follow me on Twitter: @rdpalmeri
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
