3 reasons why Notre Dame will upset Clemson and 1 why they won’t
By John Buhler
2. This will be D.J. Uiagalelei’s first career road start
If Trevor Lawrence were playing in this game instead of on the sidelines, it may be next to impossible for Notre Dame to pull off the upset. Ian Book is a fine quarterback, but he is not a player of Lawrence’s caliber, who is expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. But with Lawrence out for the second consecutive week due to a positive test, Notre Dame has a chance.
If Lawrence were able to go, Notre Dame would be at a quarterbacking disadvantage. Even though Book is a very good player in his own right, he’s not Lawrence, and we all know that. What we are not sure of is how Lawrence’s backup D.J. Uiagalelei will fare under the bright lights. He might be a former five-star recruit like Lawrence was coming out of high school, but this is a big spot for him.
The last time a true freshman was making his first road start on the road in South Bend at night, Jake Fromm stunned the Irish ahead of Georgia’s fantastic 2017 campaign. That one-point victory helped propel the Dawgs to an SEC East championship, an SEC Championship, an overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and a brutal national championship loss to Alabama in Atlanta.
What this second point all comes down to is we have no idea how Uiagalelei will play on the road at Notre Dame at night. He helped the Tigers overcome an 18-point deficit to beat the Boston College Eagles at home, but that was Boston College at home. This is Notre Dame on the road, and that matters so much here. Ultimately, Clemson is vulnerable at its most important position.