Notre Dame Football: 20 biggest wins of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame Football: 20 biggest wins of the Brian Kelly era

1.  Notre Dame 47, Clemson 40 (2020)

During the Brian Kelly era, elite teams have posed an issue to Notre Dame. They can’t beat them, and realistically they don’t have any shot in major games. This has kept the Irish just short of the traditional excellence that is expected at Notre Dame.

Clemson, in particular, has given the Irish issues, be it in the Cotton Bowl or a Hurricane in Death Valley, Dabo Swinney has had Brian Kelly’s number.

That was all different in November of 2020, and it was a strange night from the jump. A stadium mostly empty due to a worldwide pandemic, that same pandemic that put Clemson’s star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, on the bench and freshman DJ Uiagalelei in the starting role.

Coverage of the game would be cutaway from so that then-President-elect Joe Biden could make his victory speech. By the end of the night, Saturday Night Live was being bumped from its normal time slot, and the fans who did make it into Notre Dame Stadium poured onto the field without a thought of social distancing.

How did Notre Dame win?

It probably had something to do with Clemson’s COVID-related issues, but it had more to do with the two teams on the field. Kyren Williams outplayed Travis Etienne, as the Irish defense swarmed a running back who had dominated them two years earlier in the Cotton Bowl. The Irish took a 23-13 lead into the half, and it could have been a blowout if Notre Dame didn’t have multiple drives stall inside the 10-yard line, which ended in field goals.

That would haunt Notre Dame when Clemson pressed the gas in the second half to take the lead, 33-26, late in the fourth quarter. It would be a near miracle finish, as Ian Book made a pass to Avery Davis that went for six after a 91-yard drive in a minute and a half.

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It was a tie game. There’d be overtime.

In fact, it would take two overtime, as Williams would find the endzone on a methodical drive to start the second overtime for the Irish. In the first, it had been Williams who scored in response to a Clemson touchdown.

In Clemson’s response to the go-ahead Irish score, the Notre Dame defense stiffened up and got pressure on the freshman quarterback. Two sacks put the Tigers behind the 8-ball, and they couldn’t get out from behind it. Notre Dame 47 Clemson 40

Put aside how the 2020 season ended, this was a major monkey off their back, a great game, and one of the most fun nights in the history of Notre Dame Stadium.