CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers may not have a championship to play for, but the mettle they played with against No. 12 Notre Dame was that of a heavyweight great.
A rare hot start fueled a Clemson team that refused to let the demons from last year’s loss to the Irish linger. Instead, they exorcised it here’s the 411 on the Tigers’ 31-23 victory.
-After a near-perfect first half, quarterback Cade Klubnik fielded a bad snap and delivered a strike to wide receiver Beaux Collins, but he dropped it and it landed right in the hands of Notre Dame. The next play from scrimmage was an Irish touchdown to cut the lead to single digits. Clemson needed to stay out of their own way, but got off to a messy start in the second half.
-Good news is the Tigers churned out an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive led by running back Phil Mafah’s 35 rushing yards during the possession. Clemson desperately needed it, and it’s a type of response we haven’t seen often this season
-Mafah was the star of the game with 36 carries for 186 yards, both career highs. It was his second-straight game with two touchdowns to boot. Taking over in place of Will Shipley, he dominated and led the Tigers to a win.
-Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has a case of his own as the MVP Saturday. He had a team-leading eight tackles, two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown. As the leader of the defense, he took it upon himself and terrorized Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman.
-Speaking of Hartman, he was stifled by the Tigers defense. Two interceptions to go with a pair of sacks spooked the Notre Dame quarterback. He finished the game with a 48% completion and just 146 passing yards.
-The fourth quarter was a field-position battle, and Clemson struggled to put the game away late. Relying on the defense, the Tigers made sure to pin the Irish deep, forcing them to start from their 10-yard line or deeper four times in the second half. That made it near-impossible for Notre Dame to string together the drives necessary for a comeback.
TURNING POINT
The first half in Death Valley was a beauty for the Tigers, and it was mainly the offense leading the way. This changed everything for Wes Goodwin’s defense, who finally got to play aggressive.
Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. took advantage with a 28-yard pick six that made it 24-6 Clemson. Notre Dame fought back into the game, but that was the moment that gave the Tigers a lot of leeway to hang on for the win.
TELLING STAT: 5.2
That’s how many yards per carry Mafah had Saturday. With a multitude of offensive linemen either out or banged up, Clemson man-handled a defense that gave up 3.5 yards per carry on the year coming in.
Given the respect the Irish defense has and the struggles the Tigers have had rushing in 2023, that was a signature performance for Thomas Austin’s offensive line. That ended up being the catalyst for a narrative-flipping victory as Clemson moves to 5-4 on the year.