This week, Andrea Adelson and Matt Fortuna are taking a look at the pivotal matchups in Saturday’s Notre Dame-Clemson game.

Up today: Notre Dame defensive line vs. Clemson offensive line

Notre Dame DL: Dabo Swinney has said that he often feels like he is looking at a mirror image of Clemson’s defense when he looks at Notre Dame’s unit on film. That is probably most evident on the defensive line.

Like the Tigers’ front, the Fighting Irish’s line is relatively green. It is also relatively thin. Andrea wrote Wednesday about the number of snaps some of Clemson’s front-line pass-rushers have been taking through the season’s first month. Hear, hear, say the Irish.

Tackle Sheldon Day and end Isaac Rochell played nearly every snap against Virginia and Georgia Tech. Ends Andrew Trumbetti and Romeo Okwara have helped on the edge, and the young inside combo of Daniel Cage (sophomore) and Jerry Tillery (freshman) has held its own in place of the injured Jarron Jones. But is this workload sustainable?

“I guess we'll see,” Day cracked Wednesday. “(Strength and conditioning) coach (Paul) Longo has done a great job with us, just making us kind of push ourselves to the next level and just making sure that we're giving everything we have on each and every play.”

Day has lived up to his billing after bypassing the NFL Draft last year for his final season in a Notre Dame uniform. The two-time captain has a lot of football under his belt, having seen extensive action all the way back to the Irish’s charmed 2012 run to the national title game. Of Day’s nine tackles this season, four have come behind the line of scrimmage. Two of those TFLs have been sacks, and opposing quarterbacks have become all too used to Day in their face, having been hurried nine times.

Add that kind of physicality with the fact that Clemson will be trotting out an offensive line consisting of completely new starters from 2014, and Notre Dame has its most distinct advantage of the game right here. If the D-line can force Deshaun Watson into some mistakes, that could be the difference in a Notre Dame win.

Clemson OL: If there is one area of weakness for Clemson, offensive line probably qualifies. And for the second straight game, the Tigers must play without starting center Ryan Norton, out with a knee injury. Right tackle Joe Gore and backup Jake Fruhmorgen both got hurt against Louisville but will play. Still, it is worth keeping an eye on Gore to see whether he is completely 100 percent in such a pivotal contest.

Then there is starting left tackle Mitch Hyatt, a true freshman facing his biggest challenge yet. Hyatt has held his own through the first three games, but you can bet his inexperience will be an area the Irish want to exploit, especially since he is protecting Deshaun Watson's blind side.

What has been missing through the first three games is consistency. While that isn't unexpected considering all the new starters, Clemson must do a better job holding up in pass protection, an area where the Tigers really struggled against the Cardinals. Watson didn't have much time to throw before the pocket collapsed, and took several big hits as a result. Though the stats don't show it, he seemed to be constantly under pressure.

The good news from that game was the way Wayne Gallman ran the ball, gaining 139 tough yards. Watson also was used in the run game, but what Swinney wants to do is get more of his running backs involved.

"We've got to get more production. Who's going to be the No. 2 back?" Swinney asked.

Clemson will need to rely on more than just Gallman in the game. And will need a much better performance from its offensive line.