CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers defense was stifling against a prolific Notre Dame offense. As always, right in the center of the success was linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Trotter finished the game with a team-leading 11 total tackles, 2.5 for loss and the game-changing pick-six of Sam Hartman. On that play, he practically ran the route for the Irish receiver and that resulted in a walk-in trip to the endzone.

Just watching and checking the box score, it’s obvious to see why Trotter is racking up the honors. That said, looking deeper shows how dominant he really was against the No. 12 team in the country.

According to PFF’s review, Hartman had a 16.7 NFL passer rating when targeting receivers covered by Trotter, which he only did twice. He also finished the game credited with all three sacks of the Notre Dame quarterback.

Trotter earned a 92.8 defensive grade for his performance, the highest of any Tiger defender this season. This was most represented in his 93.0 coverage grade, but that was obvious given the fits Hartman had throwing in his direction.

Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said Monday that every week, Trotter has “gotten better and better” and we weren’t even looking at the peak of the star linebacker early in the year. During camp, he dealt with an injury and Goodwin said it kept him from really dominating during the first few games.

It’s safe to say that’s over, as Trotter has just a single missed tackle over the last four weeks. There’s no doubt who the anchor of the Clemson defense is, and Goodwin says he’s maybe the most respected voice in the locker room, even if he has a quieter demeanor.

When you play like Trotter, you don’t have to be loud and the numbers speak for themselves. The Tigers better enjoy this year with Trotter, because the NFL price keeps going up for the Butkus Award semifinalist.