One of the top surprises of the college football offseason was when Clemson running back Travis Etienne decided to delay NFL pursuits and return for his senior year. With the way this season has gone, perhaps the two-time reigning ACC Player of the Year might have privately second-guessed the decision on occasion.

With “only” 758 rushing yards through Clemson’s 10-game regular season, Etienne’s production pace fell well short of last year when he gained 1,614 yards on the ground, averaged 7.8 yards per carry and scored 19 touchdowns on his way to second-team All-America honors. In 2018, he ran for 1,658 yards, 8.1 yards per carry and 24 touchdowns.

But make no mistake, a production slip during this strange season doesn’t diminish how dangerous Etienne is. The ACC’s all-time leading rusher still averages 5.1 yards per carry — a modest total compared to the two previous years — and leads the Tigers with 14 total touchdowns.

In Notre Dame’s first meeting against Clemson on Nov. 7, a 47-40 double-overtime Irish win, controlling Etienne became a top pregame priority. Mission accomplished. Led by senior nose tackle Kurt Hinish and senior linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame remarkably held Etienne to only 28 yards on 18 carries — a 1.6-yard average.

Clemson entered this season replacing four starters along the offensive line, while Notre Dame's front seven was replete with seniors and fifth-year seniors. It showed in the way the Irish controlled the line of scrimmage. Seven times Etienne was thrown for lost yardage, and on six other carries he totaled zero to three yards.

Clemson finished with 34 yards (on 33 carries) — the lowest rushing output for the Tigers since Nov. 19, 2011, when it also had 34 yards during a 37-13 loss to North Carolina State and was still in its “Clemsoning” phase.

Junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence, absent in the first game against the Irish because of coronavirus, is expected to open up the running game better with his zone reads and be activated more in the ground attack. He is quite underrated as a runner, totaling 563 yards, 5.5 yards per carry and nine touchdowns last year.

On Dec. 5, he was let loose more in the 45-10 victory at Virginia Tech with seven carries for 41 yards and two scores. Lawrence’s presence should enhance the Tigers’ ground game, but the Irish performance here on Nov. 7 cannot be dismissed.

Advantage: Notre Dame