Notre Dame dominates in impressive 35-14 upset win over No. 4 Clemson
On a night that lived up to its billing as a windy one, the Fighting Irish called on a reliable formula to score a 35-14 over No. 4 Clemson Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
A stout running game, terrific defense, and big-time special teams work was again the recipe for success as the Irish (6-3) scored their sixth win in the last seven games.
It was the second straight impressive victory that came complete with good work in all three facets, and one that will return Notre Dame to the top 25 next week and undoubtedly drop previously undefeated Clemson (8-1) out of college football playoff consideration.
It was the first victory for an unranked Notre Dame team over a top-five opponent since Irish head coach Gerry Faust beat No. 1 Pittsburgh in 1982, and the third win for the Irish over a ranked team this season (No. 16 BYU, No. 16 Syracuse).
Notre Dame sent an early and emphatic message that it came to play.
Following Clemson’s first offensive drive that yielded negative-4 yards on 3 plays, Irish junior linebacker Jordan Bothelo blocked a Tigers punt that sophomore linebacker Prince Kollie snagged in the air and returned 17 yards around the left edge for an Irish touchdown.
It was the sixth blocked punt of the season for Notre Dame — which leads the country — and its fourth in the last three games.
The play also set the tone for the game, and staked the Irish to an early 7-0 lead that they never relinquished.
On a night when Notre Dame out-gained Clemson 348-281 in total yards and 263-90 in rushing yards, the Irish dominated the line-of-scrimmage battle against what is expected to be the best rushing defense they play all season.
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Led by sophomore tailback Logan Diggs, Notre Dame tallied 17 carries for 114 rushing yards against a Clemson defense that entered the game ranked No. 7 nationally in rushing defense after allowing only 87.9 yards through its first eight games.
Sophomore tailback Audric Estime added 18 carries and 104 yards with a touchdown.
After leading 14-0 at halftime, Notre Dame stretched its lead to 21-0 early in the fourth quarter after an interception by Irish freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison set up a 14-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 2-yard Estime scoring plunge.
As an encore, Morrison added a 96-yard interception for touchdown on Clemson’s ensuing possession to make the score 28-0 and put this one out of reach.
Clemson finally got on the board with 10:14 remaining in the game on a Will Shipley 1-yard touchdown run and added another garbage touchdown late.
Irish junior tight end Michael Mayer capped the Irish scoring with 4:16 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard touchdown reception that gave him 16 scoring catches for his career, a new Irish career record.
For the third straight game, Notre Dame’s defense dominated on third down, holding Clemson 4-of-11 on third downs. During its three-game winning streak against UNLV, Syracuse and Clemson, Notre Dame allowed its trio of opponents only 8-of-36 on third-down conversions.
