The entire stadium was silent for just a second, but when Zac Brooks landed on Notre Dame’s onside attempt with seven seconds left to secure Clemson’s 24-22 victory over No. 6 Notre Dame, Death Valley erupted all at once.

“It is great for our fan base. It rewards them for showing up,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “I mean we sold out Wofford and App State. Our fan base deserved this game.

“I’m so happy for that person sitting up in the upper deck, whatever row, getting rained on, I’m so happy for that person. People that drove hours, people that have been waiting for years to see this game … I’m so happy for those people.”

Swinney was also happy for his defense, which for the second straight game found a way to make one more play when they needed to the most.

Following DeShone Kiser’s one-yard touchdown pass to Torii Hunter, Jr., which pulled the Irish within two points at, 24-22, linebacker Ben Boulware and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins stuff the Notre Dame quarterback short of the goal line to preserve the victory.

“We kind of knew what was coming, and we stopped them,” Boulware said. “There were more ends and outs to the play, but basically our guys beat their guys. That is what it came down to.”

That led to a massive celebration, one in which Boulware tumbled over after his tackle and sprinted from the West side of the stadium all the way over to the east end zone where the student section is located.

“I don’t even know what I was doing,” Boulware said. “I was really excited and I was trying to get the crowd pumped up. They stayed until 12:30 at night in a hurricane. We have the best fans in the country. That’s what it comes down to.”

There were 82,415 fans to be exact that sat in a driving rain storm, and watched the Tigers build a 21-3 lead through three quarters.

Clemson (4-0) jumped out to a 14-0 lead right off the bat thanks to a Deshaun Watson to Jordan Leggett six-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive, which Watson followed with a 13-yard touchdown to wide receiver Artavis Scott.

Just six minutes and 17 seconds into the game, the Tigers already owned a two-score lead. Clemson led 14-3 at halftime.

It did not take long for the Tigers to extend the lead to 18 points in the third quarter. On the kickoff to start the third quarter, kicker Ammon Lakip stripped C.J. Sanders of the football, and C.J. Fuller recovered it at the Notre Dame 29.

On third-and-two from the 21, Watson ran up the middle, broke one tackle and walked into the end zone for a 21-3 advantage.

“Give credit to Clemson. I thought they came out fresh and aggressive and made things difficult for us early on,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. “Certainly, they carried the play in the first half.”

But the game was far from over. Kiser brought back images of Joe Montana from the 1977 game in which he led the Irish from 10-points down in the fourth quarter to win the game.

Kiser, who threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, first hit running C.J. Prosise for a 56-yard touchdown on a wheel route, ran three yards for a second score and then found Torii for a 1-yard score to pull his team within two points with seven seconds to play.

Kiser threw for 202 yards in the fourth quarter on 9 of 12 passing.

“I wish we could have supported him better,” Kelly said. “I’m really proud of him and the way he competed. He played well enough for us to win.”

Clemson finally stopped Kiser on the next play when Watkins blew through a double team and helped Boulware with the game winning tackle.

“This was a team win and a complete effort. Obviously, the weather was a mess, and Tony (Elliott) and Jeff (Scott) did a great job on offense putting it in the offensive linemen’s hands, and we made enough plays.

“I’m really proud of our guys. They played with a lot of heart and a lot of guts. And that’s what it’s all about. We gave up some big plays, but we just kept playing. I told them it was going to be a few plays, and there was nothing bigger than that last play at the end. Everything counts, and it’s great to be a Tiger.”

Clemson is now 7-3 against top 10 teams under Dabo Swinney.