CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers that took the field in the first half against the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish looked a whole lot different than what we’ve seen through eight games in 2023.

Complimentary football is the story heading into halftime, with Clemson overcoming a lot of injuries to take hold of the game. Here’s the halftime observations as the Tigers’ best half of football this season results in a 24-9 lead at the break.

-Notre Dame stuck to their bread and butter by pulling blockers in the run game to the tune of 23 and 25-yard rushes on their opening drive. The motion caused the Tigers fits early, but Clemson got stingy on the drive and limited the Irish to a field goal. It didn’t stop though, and they’re up to 101 rushing yards at the half.

-With running back Will Shipley out, Phil Mafah took over the duties and we saw two touchdowns last week. A week later, he broke the game open with a 41-yard score, outpacing Notre Dame defenders. This offense desperately needed juice in the run game, and Mafah is providing. He’s playing like a man possessed, breaking tackles effortlessly with eight carries for 76 yards in the first quarter. What was odd is Mafah had just a single carry in the second 15 minutes.

-Quarterback Cade Klubnik might not be 100%, but he fed off the success in the run game. He was 6-for-6 in the second quarter after completing just a single pass in the first quarter. It’s amazing what happens when defenses have to stack the box.

-Special teams has been a nightmare for the Tigers in recent weeks. Not against Notre Dame, as a 15-yard punt return for Hamp Greene set up the early Mafah touchdown. The Irish then made a massive blunder on a muffed punt, recovered by Clemson. It resulted in a chip shot field goal, but could’ve been even more.

-The first half was played in a different century. Both teams combined for a grand total of 122 passing yards. The Tigers finally opened up the air game on their second touchdown drive with 59 passing yards, including a nine-yard score by freshman receiver Tyler Brown.

-Sam Hartman sees ghosts in Death Valley. Down 17-6, the passing game had to wake up for Notre Dame and Hartman found an orange jersey instead of a gold cap. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. sniffed out a pass and ran the route for the receiver, taking it back for a 28-yard touchdown.

-What a turn of events. Clemson is firing on all cylinders, forcing their will on the opponent. Add in some errors for the Irish and the game quickly shifted into the hands of the Tigers.