ARLINGTON, Texas – The media descended on AT&T Stadium on Thursday morning for Cotton Bowl Media Day ahead of the Cotton Bowl Classic between second-ranked Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame.

There was availability for players and coaches of both teams and a between period with optional availability for the ESPN crews that cover the games. During the down time The Clemson Insider caught up with Marty Smith from ESPN for an exclusive about the upcoming game with Notre Dame and the Dexter Lawrence situation.

Smith is excited for the Cotton Bowl because it features a traditional power in Notre Dame and Clemson who has ascended to the elite level in recent years. The two teams have only met three times previously and the Tigers are one of six FBS programs to hold a winning record over the Irish (2-1).

“This is awesome, they are two of the programs by which college football is measured,” Smith said. “Notre Dame has all the tradition, . . . “Then you have Clemson who taken a meteoric rise to the college football elite over the past (eight) years,” Smith said. “Dabo’s leadership style is so different from most coaches and it’s awesome to see the way the kids respond.”

Smith thinks the Irish has great motivation entering the game as a 13-point underdog behind the arm of Ian Book, and Smith is impressed with the way they are handling it.

“They are the underdog, a 13-point underdog and they know it,” Smith said. “Ian Book told us Wednesday they have a chip on their shoulder, and I love that, they’re undefeated and are coming in with a chip.”

Smith thinks the game comes down to how the Clemson secondary handles Book in the passing game. Stopping Book will be no easy task, the quarterback has completed 70.4 percent of his passes on the year for 19 touchdowns.

Of course, Smith touched on the Dexter Lawrence situation and how it can harm Clemson going into a game of this magnitude. But, he does not think his absence would be a sure loss for the Tigers because of the depth they have built and their confidence in Albert Huggins.

“Dexter Lawrence being out is quite the thing, but his backup Albert Huggins is plenty seasoned and plenty capable, the Tigers are very confident in Albert’s ability,” he said. “Dexter’s response to this setback has been really inspiring to his teammates, they said ‘he has a whistle now, he’s making us run’ it is very interesting to see.”

The ESPN analyst was most impressed by the fact Lawrence went and spoke to the media Thursday to try and set the record straight. Many players would have shied away from controversy or not want to field questions from members of the media.

“He demanded that he come out and face the media today and he fielded every question that came his way. He doesn’t feel like he did anything wrong,” Smith said.

Clemson kicks off against the Irish in the Cotton Bowl Classic Saturday at 4 p.m.