Clemson star defender to miss Notre Dame game

SOUTH BEND, Indiana — Clemson will be without star defensive end Xavier Thomas on Saturday at Notre Dame.

The senior suffered a setback with his foot injury and will not be able to play against the Irish, Clemson Sports has learned.

Thomas suffered a foot injury during fall camp and missed the first five games of the season. He played in the past three games but will now be unavailable Saturday.

Thomas has four tackles and two sacks so far this season.

With Thomas out, KJ Henry and Myles Murphy will need to make even more plays for the Tigers at defensive end.

Murphy leads Clemson with 9 tackles for loss, while Henry is second with 6.5.

Fellow Clemson defensive ends Justin Mascoll and Kevin Swint will also need to step up against the Irish.

In addition to Thomas, other notable players who did not travel for Clemson include cornerback Fred Davis, running back Kobe Pace and offensive lineman Collin Sadler.

This is a big game for Clemson as it looks to stay in the College Football Playoff race.

The Tigers debuted at No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings earlier this week.

Should Clemson win Saturday, its only remaining regular season tests are at home against Louisville, Miami and South Carolina.

Winning at Notre Dame will not be easy, though. The Irish have won five of their past six games and are playing their best football of the season.

“This is a really good football team. It’s a team that when you really look at them and you study them… coach [Marcus] Freeman’s done a great job of just settling them in,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “They have found their identity. They’re getting the ball to their playmakers. … It’s a complete football team.”

The weather could play a factor in Saturday’s game.

It is supposed to be rainy during the day on Saturday and windy Saturday night. Winds could be up to 20 miles per hour during Saturday’s game.