Notre Dame Vs. #4 Clemson: How the Irish Broke Down the Tigers
Last Saturday, the number four ranked team in the country stormed into Notre Dame Stadium undefeated and undaunted. The Tigers had Playoff aspirations.
Notre Dame, who for all intents and purposes was having a disappointing season, sitting at 5-3, with losses to Marshall and Stanford in the same building Clemson was coming into.
A 3.5-point underdog at home, hope among Irish faithful was waning as gameday approached. What answer would Notre Dame have for Clemson running back Will Shipley? Would the struggling Irish secondary be able to hold up against the Clemson passing attack? The general consensus among college football pundits and fans alike was that a Clemson blowout win was all but assured going into the contest. They said Marcus Freeman was still trying to figure it out in South Bend, and in a rebuilding year for Notre Dame Dabo Swinney’s Tigers would have every advantage against the sometimes anemic Irish offense and struggling defense.
The experts couldn’t have been farther from the truth of the matter. From the opening kickoff to the closing moments, the Irish had their way with the Tigers. The final score was 35-14, but the Irish led for 28 points for most of the game, and this time Notre Dame fans got to beat Clemson with a full stadium (last win was during pandemic season, 2020), and rushed the field in true, full-fledged, frenzied passion.
Q1, 9:08 – It Started on Special Teams
Notre Dame flexed its special teams muscles again to start things off. Coming into the contest, the Irish led the nation with 5 blocked punts on the year and got their 6th after stopping Clemson on their first offensive possession. Jordan Botelho got a hand on the punt, and it fell right into Prince Kollie’s arms and the Irish jumped out in front, 7-0.
Q2, 0:38 – Drew Pyne Shows He Can Run Too
After the special teams touchdown early on, the game featured 5 punts, a turnover on downs, and a missed field goal. It wasn’t pretty football for much of the first half, and it felt like neither team would get it together. Notre Dame got it together at the end of the first half to the tune of an 11 play, 78-yard touchdown drive that Drew Pyne capped off with his first rushing touchdown of the year, a play call that froze Clemson’s defense and almost certainly stunned everyone watching, because Drew Pyne’s rushing ability was not a part of the offense to put it lightly. He used it here and ND went up 14-0.
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.