Venables excited to play in 'historic' Notre Dame Stadium where Rudy played

Venables says the Tigers have to stop and smell the roses at Notre Dame.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Nov 01 16:46:48 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Tyler Venables has grown up around the best programs in college football, and he knows what it means to play at Notre Dame.

When the Clemson safety was younger, his dad was an assistant at Oklahoma, and he followed his dad around watching some of the biggest games in college football. When his dad, former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, moved to Clemson, Venables not only watched but also played in conference title games, big bowl games, the College Football Playoff, and National Championships.

He also remembers Clemson’s trip to Notre Dame two years ago when the Irish walked away with a victory in double-overtime. Venables is ready for another shot and to savor the opportunity.

"You don't really try to ever let the moment get too big, and of course, you can go in and appreciate it, but at the same time don't let it overwhelm you," Venables said earlier this week. "You can always stop and smell the roses, and you definitely should."

What does he remember about playing in historic Notre Dame Stadium?

"It's extremely historic...beautiful architecture," Venables said. "The stadium was just really cool. And I was like, 'Wow, I really get to be here in this venue.' I thought about 'Rudy' the whole time."

The Tigers got their revenge on Notre Dame a month later, taking the Irish to the woodshed in the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers also defeated Notre Dame in the rain in 2015 and in the national semifinal in Dallas in 2018.

“We have some real competitiveness in the past couple of years, and the last time we played Notre Dame,” Venables said. “We definitely have our hands full and a tall task.

Venables said he knows the Tigers will face one of the nation’s top tight ends in Michael Mayer.

“You watch their tight end play, and 87 [Mayer] is unreal and probably the best tight end we are going to see all year,” he said. “But, they have more than one guy that is fully capable of doing it, so they can get in some heavier sets. If you have three running backs who are big dudes and not afraid of contact and willing to punish defensive guys, they take a lot of pride in their run game.

“That’s why they’re so consistent, because of their first- and second-down production.”

He then said that he can see the Irish play with a lot of passion, and he gave the credit to head coach Marcus Freeman.

“They play with a lot of passion, and that’s a direct reflection of their leadership and their coaching,” he said. “I was mainly focused on their offense, but they do a really good job at being so efficient, and that’s because of how well they do on first and second down.”