Quick-hitters: Al Golden on Clemson offense, Jordan Botelho, Junior Tuihalamaka

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden gets his second shot at a top-10 team this season when the Irish host No. 5 Clemson Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC). Golden met with reporters Tuesday discuss the matchup and more. Here are some highlights.

PROMOTION: Join for only $10 to unlock premium access until the start of the 2023 football season

On Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei

“Sometimes it happens. We knew going into Syracuse there was a lot of feast or famine. There are a lot of get-after-you defenses, and they made some penetration. That was one of the issues. I don’t know how that factored into his success in that game or not, but I’m very impressed with the young man.

“To me, I can see why they keep saying he’s the starter. He has length, he can get the ball down the field. The run game, if you don’t keep him in the pocket, he’s gone. Any time he carries the ball, they have an extra blocker. Someone has to beat a block.

“He can throw it on the move. I’ve seen him make every throw. I’ve seen him hit the field out vs. post coverage or quarters. He has hit the seams. Once he gets the quarterback run game going, the play action that comes off it is challenging. Every game is its own dynamic, so I don’t know what went into that decision [to pull him] in [the Syracuse] game, but I’ve been impressed with him.”

RELATED: More Notre Dame football:

• Thoughts, observations from rewatching Notre Dame’s win over Syracuse

• Analyzing all 15 Notre Dame football third down plays vs. Syracuse

On Clemson running back Will Shipley

“He has power, he has explosion. He can lateral cut, he can protect, he will block on the quarterback runs, catch the ball on wheels and flares out of the backfield. All dangerous. Really, really good. The way they used him is excellent.”

On preparing for Clemson coming off a bye and the possibility of seeing two quarterbacks

“Maybe it’s a little different if [Klubnik] is in there at quarterback, but not significantly different. They’re both really talented. Extra time, idle time leads to creativity, no doubt about it.

“It’s hard to be more creative than they are. They’ll run gadgets anywhere on the field and make you pay for it. It’s not some loosely constructed thing where they hope it’s a double pass and it works. They’re pushing the ball downfield, they’re making explosive plays on some of those designs.

“We have to be ready for them. You can’t be crippled by them, but you have to get ready for them.

“You can literally get to the point where you’re worried about all these [gadget] things, because you build a book on someone and you’re looking at 50 of them. We have to get ready for a bunch of them, and they’re probably as good as any.”

On Notre Dame’s red zone defense struggles

“We need to get a stop or a takeaway. It’s really that simple. There are a lot of things we’re happy with, but the end result has to change, no question about it. We’re going to keep working it, just like we kept working takeaways and had a breakthrough [vs. Syracuse]. We have to do the same thing in the red. Everybody knows it. It’s on my shoulders.”

On Notre Dame defensive end Jordan Botelho and LB/DE Junior Tuihalamaka getting playing time vs. Syracuse

“Both are really progressing and learning the defense really well. They both earned reps, Junior on early downs, and Jordan a little bit on early downs and in the third-down package. Jordan has been working really hard, and it’s great to see when that comes to fruition for kids and they’re able to go make some plays. Everybody in the building is happy for Jordan, because he has worked really hard.”

On Tuihalamaka’s position

“He’s a swing guy. He can do both, which is a great attribute to have. He reps at both stops. We used him vs. UNLV in both spots.”

On the hardest part of coming back to college from the NFL

“The thing I don’t think anyone can imagine or get ready for is the amount of plays we’re seeing. It’s extraordinary. Every week, it’s a different blueprint. It’s a different offense you’re seeing, whether it’s the quarterback running the ball, option next week or whatever it is. There’s a broad spectrum of offenses in college.”