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Fighting Irish 4-1-1 - Clemson

4 elements that defined Notre Dame’s first signature win under Marcus Freeman

By John Brice
Special Contributor

The hardest real estate to acquire for Notre Dame came at game’s end Saturday night.

Having already gouged Clemson’s vaunted but vaporized defense as well as dispatched the Tigers’ disjointed offense, Drew Pyne, Logan Diggs, Benjamin Morrison and a lengthy cast of both stars and supporting stalwarts had nowhere to go as the seconds peeled off the digital boards inside raucous, sold-out Notre Dame Stadium.

And Marcus Freeman, after he had dashed into the north tunnel and ducked into the Fighting Irish’s iconic locker room, only found more difficult passage when he cruised to a victorious post-game press conference.

“Pretty good ovation right there,” Freeman said, to no one in particular and absolutely everyone after fans, families, recruits and students all had thundered their approval. “This is a special one.

“It’s not every day you get the opportunity to play in this place, jam-packed with those fans, and have the opportunity to beat a top-five team in the country.”

Beat.

Pound into submission works, too.

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Superior on this night in every phase – offense, defense, special teams and, most especially, coaching – Notre Dame was dominant in a 35-14 win that frankly wasn’t nearly as close as that final three-touchdown margin.

As after every game, here’s the Fighting Irish 4-1-1 on a win that gave Notre Dame its third this season against a top-20 team and boosted them to bowl eligibility.

FOUR ELEMENTS THAT DEFINED NOTRE DAME GETTING BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK INSIDE NOTRE DAME STADIUM

17: In notching its sixth punt block of the season, and fourth in three weeks, Notre Dame scored less than six minutes into the game when Prince Kollie corralled out of mid-air the blocked punt from teammate Jordan Botelho and proceeded to race 17 yards into the end zone.

The play set an early tone, not just for excellent special teams play but likewise for a Clemson offense that repeatedly found itself in impossibly long fields against a hungry, attacking Irish defense.

96: Yards covered by freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison on the second of his two game-clinching interceptions. Proving the ultimate opportunist, Morrison intercepted both Clemson reserve quarterback Cade Klubnik and embattled starter D.J. Uiagalelei – the latter Morrison turning into a 96-yard pick-six that traversed south to north in front of a roaring Fighting Irish sideline. The pick made it 28-0 after Blake Grupe’s extra point, and any fleeting notion the Tigers had of staging another epic rally – they had come down from 11 points against then-unbeaten Syracuse two weeks ago – was vaporized when Morrison easily outpaced the Clemson offense for the defensive touchdown.

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17 for 16: Michael Mayer, the Irish’s indomitable tight end, continued his full-fledged mission for ownership of every significant career record for Notre Dame tight ends when he snagged Drew Pyne’s play-action pass late in the fourth quarter and breezed into the end zone from 17 yards out for his 16th career touchdown – the all-time mark for a tight end here at Tight End U. – and what thoroughly punctuated the Irish win for a 35-7 lead.

85: Yards passing for Notre Dame’s offense. Significant why? Because that figure underscores the absolute domination by the Irish running game, which gnawed through the Tigers’ NFL Draft-prospect-laden defense for 263 yards. Notre Dame saw the sum of its offensive ballcarriers average 5.6 yards per rush against Clemson.

Both Logan Diggs and Audric Estimè topped 100 rushing yards; Diggs had 114, didn’t lose a yard on 17 tries and saw his classmate Estimè supply an additional 104 as well as a 2-yard plunge into the end zone.

For context: Clemson entered the contest allowing opponents just 2.98 ypc and a scant 88 yards per game.

ONE THING TO NOTE

Even without its best offensive production this season, or certainly not its most consistent, Clemson had not failed to score a touchdown through the first three quarters of a game in 20 consecutive contests entering Notre Dame Stadium Saturday night.

Frankly, the Tigers didn’t seriously threaten to score against the Notre Dame defense until the Irish led 28-0 and adjusted its defense to keep big plays even harder to find for Clemson.

Al Golden’s Notre Dame defense amassed seven tackles for losses, four of them sacks, and also added four quarterback hurries. The Irish picked off two passes, broke up two others and saw 13 players record a multi-tackle performance.

ONE THING PIVOTING FORWARD

This element, perhaps, cannot be overstated: Notre Dame’s win is foundational for both the present and the future of this program.

More than just on the usual surface levels of belief and bowl eligibility now as well as validation in the system of Freeman, this win carries added significance.

This game came with a primetime, national TV audience against a recent College Football Playoff champion and among the sold-out crowd of 77,622 were dozens of high-profile, national recruits – some committed to the Irish, some seeking the impetus to buy in to the program’s future. They had their parents with them, and by game’s end, as fans ringed the brick walls around Notre Dame Stadium to rather politely storm the field, those same parents and family members and prep coaches were seen on the field, near the Irish sideline, soaking in the Notre Dame victory.

It’s an image that promises to be an enduring one as Freeman constructs his program.