Live chat: Have questions about Notre Dame football? Ask beat writer Mike Berardino now

Mike Berardino answers questions about Notre Dame football. Cheryl from Texas wonders if ND can run the ball against Clemson.

Notre Dame's rushing offense ranks 56th nationally at 4.38 yards per carry. Clemson's run defense is 11th in the country with 2.98 yards a carry allowed. The Tigers have allowed just five rushing touchdowns all season. Four of those rushing scores have come in Clemson’s last four games, including two go-ahead scores for Florida State in first half.

Marcus Freeman believes that recruiting is about getting the best players and not about having a system. Braylon James, Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores are 4-star WR commitments. Tyler Buchner, Pyne and Steve Angeli are still undecided about their future. The transfer portal can change the calculus in a hurry. It's also unknown how Tyler will perform in spring practice.

Mike Berardino answers questions about Notre Dame football.

Notre Dame is a 4-5 point favorite against Clemson. The Irish have played well against their competition this year. They are 2-0 ATS as an underdog when favored by 13 points or less.

Mike Berardino answers questions about Notre Dame football. Sean asks about the home-field advantage and Brandyn Hillman's commitment.

Mike Berardino and Sean are discussing the game between Stanford and Notre Dame. Stanford has won the last two games against the Irish.

Tiger#84 and Tiger#82 are discussing the weather forecast for Saturday.

Mike Berardino believes that inclement weather favors the underdog. He has no stats to back this up.

Mike Berardino answers questions about Notre Dame football. Ryan in Mars, Pa. has questions.

Joseph made a game-opening pick-six at Syracuse. Tight end Mayer's catch rate has dropped to 52% of his targets since the Stanford loss. He was targeted 9.4 times on average through the first five games and 9,0 times over the past three. Three of Mayer’s five drops all year came against Clemson. He is still tied with Ken MacAfee for most career TD grabs by a Notre Dame tight end.

Brian believes the Rees offense will not work against Clemson. Brian thinks Tyree should be used in the slot rather than running back. Mike Berardino answers live chat questions.

Brian Pyne was calling plays at Notre Dame when the Irish put 47 on Clemson in November 2020. Tyree has played just seven snaps in the slot or out wide over the past three games. He has only 1.99 yards after contact this year, compared to 2.73 for Diggs and 3.38 for Estime.

Harry from Auburndale, Florida, is skeptical about Notre Dame's ability to defeat a top 5 team.

Jenkins wants to know if computer rankings are more important than on field results when ranking teams.

Mike Berardino is confused about Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings. He thinks computerized number-crunching removes the emotional element and allows for unexpected outcomes.

Tommy Rees should be fired as the coach of the team's quarterbacks. RustyIrish thinks it's time for a change if the club is to get to the next level in quarterback play.

Freeman and Rees tried to fill an offensive analyst opening right up until the start of the season. Reese might bring someone in as the QB coach after the year to focus more on the big-picture stuff.

Al Golden is preaching red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball. He wants to make a better call in that situation. The team needs to take the football away. The game against UNLV was a good example of this. It was won by the team with two stops and two turnovers.

Brian Polian's two stints as Special Teams coordinator saw the Irish have many punt blocks.

Mike Berardino did a search for blocked kicks/punts for Notre Dame under Polian. The search focused on Polians second five-year stint in South Bend.

Shane from White Deer, Texas is looking forward to the game. Shane asks about Clemson's weaknesses and their strengths.

Clemson's defense is good, but it's vulnerable in pass blocking and receiving corps. Notre Dame's special teams are ranked first by PFF.com. Clemson has two punt blocks on the year, while the Irish have five.

Mike Berardino and Al Golden will talk about the performance of Shipley. Shiply has forced 32 missed tackles on the year and has 476 rushing yards after contact.

Dean from Elkhart wonders why Drew Pyne is getting worse as a quarterback. Dean compares him to Ian Book.

Drew Pyne is a better runner than Mike Berardino expected. Pype needs more free release throws and a running game that sets up the play action vs. Clemson. Tyler Buchner is the only quarterback comparison for Notre Dame.

Mike Berardino is a Notre Dame beat writer. He believes there will be a quarterback battle next offseason.