Snap judgments as Clemson offense struggles in loss at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Indiana — Dabo Swinney was hopeful Clemson would play a complete game for the first time this season Saturday night at Notre Dame.

Instead, the Tigers played their worst game of the year at the worst possible time.

Notre Dame pounded Clemson 35-14 Saturday night in South Bend, dominating the game for the better part of four quarters.

Clemson trailed 14-0 at halftime and fell behind 28-0 in the fourth quarter, before finally getting on the board on a Will Shipley touchdown run.

Here are some takeaways as Clemson suffered its first loss of the season:

Clemson offense has serious issues

Clemson’s offense has some serious problems and not just at quarterback. DJ Uiagalelei struggled for most of the first three quarters and was eventually benched in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik.

That didn’t last long as Klubnik threw an interception deep in Clemson territory on his first and only drive.

On Clemson’s next possession, Uiagalelei threw a pick-six to all but put the game away.

Tigers receivers were rarely open and the running game also couldn’t get going. For the second consecutive game, Clemson looked like a bad offense.

Tackling issues remain for Tigers defense

While the offense really struggled, the defense wasn’t much better. Notre Dame rushed for more than 263 yards as the Irish lined up and ran it right at Clemson time and time again.

Notre Dame passed for only 85 yards and still won the game easily.

Irish running backs Logan Diggs and Audric Timme combined to have 35 carries for 218 yards.

Notre Dame had two running backs finish with more rushing yards than Clemson’s entire team.

Tigers defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin preached how important it was to be physical leading up to the game. The Clemson defense wasn’t nearly physical enough on Saturday.

Special teams mistake costly

Notre Dame continued its incredible run of blocking punts this season, recording their sixth punt block of the year.

The Irish got on the board early with the blocked punt in the first quarter to quickly gain momentum.

Swinney talked this week about punt protection being an emphasis going into the game, but it didn’t matter.

The Tigers struggled in all three areas against the Irish.