On Friday, a former ACC and NFL player weighed in on Saturday’s game between Clemson and Notre Dame.

Former Florida State starting quarterback and current ACC Network analyst EJ Manuel appeared on ESPN’s College Football Live and gave some thoughts on the showdown between the Tigers (4-4) and 15th-ranked Irish (7-2) at Death Valley.

“Most may not see this Clemson game as a big matchup, but they host Notre Dame in their house,” Manuel said. “You look at Notre Dame’s pass defense, they’re one of the best in the country. They’re third in interceptions in the country at 13. So, I think if the quarterback, Cade Klubnik, doesn’t turn it over, Clemson will certainly have a chance to win that game.”

Along with ranking third nationally in interceptions, the Irish are fourth in the country in passing yards allowed per game (158.6).

In his first full season as the Tigers’ starting quarterback, Klubnik has completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,947 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.

Notre Dame is a three-point favorite entering Saturday’s game, which is set to kick off at noon on ABC.

Manuel gave his pick for the game during Friday’s ACC PM show on ACC Network, and he’s going with the Tigers to get the win at home.

“This is one of those moments where I think the home team Clemson Tigers are going to play upset… they’re going to play with their hair on fire. I got the Tigers winning at home,” Manuel said.

“And I also believe that this team will try to play for each other because now their back is against the wall. The fans are calling out their coach, calling out their players. There’s boos, all these kinds of things. A lot of times you gotta lock arms with the guy next to you and just say, ‘Look, I’m going to go out here and play for you,’ and sometimes you end up coming up with a win like that. So, I like Clemson.”

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