Irish finally get chance for rematch against Clemson's Lawrence

SOUTH BEND — On Nov. 7, one of the biggest matchups of the college football season lived up to the hype. Then No. 4 Notre Dame knocked off then No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime. It was an instant classic that featured two of the heavyweights of the college football world over the past decade.

Except something was missing. More specifically, one person was missing: Clemson starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The superstar junior — and expected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19 nine days earlier. Lawrence was cleared to resume physical activities the Friday before the Notre Dame game, but he did not suit up against the Irish because he wasn’t at 100%.

Lawrence is back, though, and will be on the field Saturday when No. 3 Clemson plays No. 2 Notre Dame for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship (4 p.m., ABC). He has played in the last two games for the Tigers — wins against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, respectively.

“He’s always been confident, but his confidence is at an all-time high,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. “His knowledge is the best it’s ever been. He has complete command of what he’s doing. His leadership for the entre team is different than it was as a freshman and as a sophomore. He’s really asserted himself as a great leader and a great communicator for the team.”

In the teams’ first matchup in South Bend, Clemson started true freshman DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback. The five-star recruit was sensational in his second career start, throwing for 439 yards and two touchdowns in a hostile environment. He also added a touchdown run in the first overtime that put his team ahead.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly admitted earlier this week it was actually harder to prepare for Uiagalelei than Lawrence given the lack of film the Irish had on the freshman.

“We weren’t sure what DJ’s skillset was across the board,” Kelly said. “We didn’t have enough film to really evaluate him. … We got a sense that maybe he wasn’t the same kind of runner (as Lawrence), but we had to respect his ability to run read-option.”

The Fighting Irish are no strangers to what Lawrence is capable of. These teams met two years ago in the College Football Playoff semifinal, and Lawrence had a huge game. The then-freshman threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers won 30-3.

Lawrence has put up some eye-popping numbers in his career. He’s currently at 9,376 passing yards, 86 passing touchdowns and just 15 interceptions in 31 games. He’s also a threat to run the ball, as he has 861 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. He has a 30-1 record as a starter, with his only loss coming in the national championship game to LSU last season.

“The first thing is experience. He’s a proven leader,” said Notre Dame senior defensive end Daelin Hayes. “He’s played in a lot of big games. … You can’t really put a price on that experience. The other thing is that Trevor can run the ball. He’s deceptively fast. I remember back in 2018, we left that game thinking he was faster than we anticipated.”

The Irish’s quarterback for both of the recent games against Clemson will be the same Saturday, graduate senior Ian Book. The quarterbacks met each other at the Manning Passing Academy in 2019, a camp run by Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. Book said he and Lawrence developed a mutual respect for each other during their experience that summer.

“Just a really, really good guy,” said Book. “We both had to coach 7-on-7 teams down there, and we ended up playing each other. It was just fun. I got to know him a little bit. Obviously, he’s a really, really good quarterback and even better person. I’m happy for all his success, happy to have a rematch against Clemson with him playing. Just excited, really happy for him. He’ll play for a long time.”

Notre Dame sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton knows Clemson having its veteran quarterback this weekend will help bring a different level of confidence to the Tigers.

“Obviously, the experience that Trevor brings and the confidence he puts in his team that’s around him — that’s going to make a big impact on the game this weekend,” Hamilton said.