Clemson stops 2-pointer to beat Notre Dame 24-22
CLEMSON, S.C. — Analyzing No. 11 Clemson's victory 24-22 against No. 7 Notre Dame:
THE BIG PCTURE: Given the weakened state of the ACC, there weren’t many trouble spots on Clemson’s schedule this season — or opportunities for big-time victories. But Saturday was one of them with Notre Dame coming to Death Valley, and Clemson got the job done, holding on for dear life at the end after controlling the game for three quarters.
The biggest revelation continues to be Clemson’s defense, which replaced eight starters from the unit that ranked No. 1 nationally last season but has been terrific so far, forcing turnovers on two late drives and stopping a two-point conversion to prevent a collapse.
With this one behind them and division rival Florida State coming here in November, the Tigers will likely be favored in every remaining game. This was by far Notre Dame’s most difficult outing since DeShone Kizer took over the quarterback job, an effort mostly undone by four turnovers and some untimely penalties. The Irish probably have to win out to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff, and that may well be possible. They won’t face a tougher combination of opponent, road environment and weather conditions all season. It was a valiant comeback that fell just short.
THE DECIDING PLAY: Remember that whole Clemsoning thing the Tigers seemed to have gotten past? Well, Notre Dame had three chances to make it stick again late with the ball down eight points — a sequence that included Clemson’s missed 45-yard field goal with 4:29 left that would have put away the game.
But Clemson's defense held strong when it mattered most. After stopping Notre Dame once at the 4-yard line, with safety Jayron Kearse forcing a fumble with 2:09 left, the Irish got the ball back with 1:05 remaining and a chance to send the game to overtime.
After Notre Dame's touchdown with seven seconds left, the game came down to one snap and a two-point conversion. Kizer immediately ran right on an option but was met by a crowd of Clemson defenders, who kept him out of the end zone when it mattered.
WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT: College football coaches still aren’t very good at math. And Brian Kelly paid for it big-time Saturday. With 14:13 remaining and Clemson seemingly in control up 21-3, Notre Dame finally broke a big play, scoring on a 56-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Prosise.
For some reason, Kelly elected to go for two even though it would have been a two-score game regardless. He even spent a timeout to think it over. Notre Dame’s passing attempt was incomplete. That came into play because the Irish would have only needed a touchdown and extra point to tie on the final possession instead of another two-point conversion attempt that went awry.
KEY STAT: Clemson finished with just 296 yards of offense, which was a function mostly of how the game started. Given how wet and windy it was here Saturday, with rain that went back-and-forth between merely steady and a downpour, the sequence at the beginning of the game set the stage for everything that followed.
After Clemson marched in its first drive for a 7-0 lead, Notre Dame went three-and-out and then shanked a 15-yard punt. Clemson converted the field position with a four-play, 40-yard drive to take a 14-0 lead after just 6:17. It was not a particularly exciting or dynamic game after that, which suited Clemson just fine. The Tigers were sort of content to sit on the lead and it nearly cost them.
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