Notre Dame Football: The Tiger Kings

Q4, 14:37 – Audric Estime Pushes the Lead to 21

Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei had struggled mightily in the first three quarters against Notre Dame, so head coach Dabo Swinney decided to go with a change of pace. He put 5-star freshman Cade Klubnik into the game to start the 4th for the Tigers. Klubnik had come in for the Tigers in their last game, two weeks prior against Syracuse, and provided a spark that propelled Clemson to a win. The same was not meant to happen against ND. Klubnik was pressured heavily and to avoid a sack, threw a desperation pass that was decidedly ill-advised. Freshman corner Ben Morrison leaping in front of the intended receiver and intercepted the pass, setting up the Irish at the Clemson 14. 3 plays later, Audric Estime bulldozed his way into the endzone and made it 21-0. 

Q4, 12:58 – Ben Morrison’s Career Night Gets Better

Uiagalelei was back in at QB, and Clemson was finally moving the ball. At the Notre Dame 19-yard line, Uiagalelei dropped back to pass, looking to cut the lead to 14. He badly underthrew his target and who else but Ben Morrison, the true freshman who had been picked on all year, was waiting to grab his second pick of the night. He stayed inbounds and ran it back 96 yards to the house, and not only did he put the Irish up 28-0, but he was finally having a breakout performance that showed not only the ND but the rest of the nation that he is a superstar in the making.

Q4, 4:16 – Michael Mayer Puts a Bow on It

Notre Dame imposed their will all game, and they decided they had one more incredible drive in them on their final 11-play, 75-yard drive. Drew Pyne capped it off with a 17-yard strike to a wide open All-American, Michael Mayer. Not covering the best tight end in the sport doesn’t usually go well, and it didn’t go well for Clemson here. Mayer scored, and the Irish went up 35-7. 

Notre Dame Dominated for Four Quarters

The final score in this one was 35-14, but it felt like an even bigger win for the Irish as the 80,000 plus on hand stormed the field after the game. The game was a complete blowout, just not the way the college football world thought it would go. The Irish held Clemson to 90 rushing yards, stopped them on 4th down once, blocked a punt, and intercepted both of the QBs that played against them. On offense, the Irish ran absolutely all over the Tiger defense to the tune of 263 and over 5 yards per carry. Clemson knew Notre Dame was going to run the ball and they still couldn’t stop the combination of Audric Estime, Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree. Drew Pyne only attempted 17 passes, completing 9 of them for 85 yards and a TD. Pyne really didn’t need to throw the ball; the run game was that dominant. Dabo Swinney called the game, “an a––kicking“, and Marcus Freeman earned his first signature win, defeating a top-5 team 12 years faster than Brian Kelly did in his Notre Dame tenure. It was a monumental win for the Irish and once again Notre Dame proved to the college football world that they are the Tiger Kings.