Wednesday Notebook: Tigers to stop by Notre Dame Stadium Friday |
The Clemson football team will stop by Notre Dame Stadium on the way to the hotel Friday, then settle in and wait for Saturday’s primetime matchup.
No. 4 Clemson travels to South Bend to take on a Fighting Irish team that has won five out of its last six games. The Tigers have won 14 in a row dating back to last season, and have won three of four against the Irish since 2015. Head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media following Wednesday’s practice and said the Tigers will drop by the Notre Dame campus after arriving in South Bend. "We'll swing by the stadium because it is one of those places," Swinney said. "We did that when we went to Atlanta to open up the season. We did that one other game this year, but we'll do that occasionally when it's a place that we don't go to very often or haven't been to. We have a lot of guys that haven't been there, so we'll swing by there just for just 15 minutes, then head on to the hotel." The Irish sit at 5-3 and have suffered losses to both Marshall and Stanford at home, but Swinney said Notre Dame is not the same team that lost those games. "I'll tell you what, man they settled in, they really have. Again, they've won five out of six,” he said. “They had some guys get hurt and they've kind of found themselves, found their identity, who they are hanging their hat on and you can tell that they're a much more confident team than they were in those two games in particular." Swinney said he expects a big effort out of starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. "He's got to get back on track. Again, my expectation is that he plays his best game,” Swinney said. “Not that he plays well, but that he plays his best game. That's the expectation. That's his expectation." It would help Clemson’s passing game if freshman receiver Adam Randall gets untracked, and Swinney said he thinks Randall is poised for a breakout. “He’s practicing well and really in a good spot right now,” Swinney said. “Still got a long way to go, but he’s going to make some big plays along the way.” Another freshman wide receiver, Antonio Williams, leads the Tigers in receptions. "He's done a good job earning our trust as far as handling the ball, first of all,” Swinney said of Williams. “That's where it starts. I don't care how skilled you are with the ball, it starts with possessing the ball and that's the number one thing. So he's worked hard. He's taking advantage of his opportunity."
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