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Was Notre Dame’s win against Clemson the best of the Brian Kelly era?

By Daniel Morrison

Nov 7, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Clemson 47-40 in two overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Clemson 47-40 in two overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Was Notre Dame’s win against Clemson the best of the Brian Kelly era?

2016 to the Present

Nothing good came out of 2016, but Kelly got the Irish back on track in 2017. They won ten games, including dominating ranked USC and NC State teams. There was also a frustrating home loss to Georgia, where to offense couldn’t get going. Worse was the trip to Miami, which felt more like a beat down where someone rubbed their jewelry in your face than a football game.

That humiliation, coupled with getting beat down by Stanford two weeks later, made it impossible to enjoy the Irish sloppily beating LSU at the Citrus Bowl. Still, Kelly clearly couldn’t get the program over the hump.

The Irish almost got over the hump in 2018, going unbeaten in the regular season and going to the College Football Playoff, where Clemson blew them out. Another reminder of what separated this program and the game’s modern day elite programs. All of the great wins over the course of the season were lost.

Unimportant. Ultimately meaningless.

They were bunny hills, not the hump. That includes beating a tough Michigan team, dominating then ranked Stanford and Virginia Tech, and beating down a Syracuse team whose quarterback got injured early in the game.

2019 as a follow up to that Cotton Bowl loss was the perfect encapsulation of the program under Kelly. Beat the teams you should, lose to the teams that would put you over the top. Yes, you can add ranked wins over Virginia and Navy, but those just don’t have the same importance of a Clemson or Ohio State.

dark. Next. Notre Dame Football: Offensive position grades vs. Clemson

It’s because of that decade of frustration in the biggest moments that Notre Dame’s biggest win in the Brian Kelly era was Saturday night. Ian Book, like his coach, had a signature win, and it was not only an impressive victory, but it was THE victory.

That was the hump. That was the elite team who should beat the Irish. By beating Clemson, the program should be able to change the narrative around them and push for the College Football Playoff.

Top 5 wins in the Brian Kelly era

  1. Clemson 2020
  2. Stanford 2012
  3. Oklahoma 2012
  4. Michigan 2018
  5. LSU 2017
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