Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 NOV. 18, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT The turning point in this game came on a sequence of plays midway through the first quarter. Holding a 3-0 lead, Notre Dame faced a second-and-2 from its own 22-yard line. That play resulted in a 2-yard loss by Irish junior tailback Audric Estimé. The ensuing third-and-4 play ended with an 8-yard sack of Irish graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman, which forced Notre Dame to punt from deep in its own territory. Clemson graduate student wide receiver Hamp Greene returned the punt 15 yards to the Notre Dame 41-yard line. On the Tigers' first play of its offensive drive, junior tailback Phil Mafah went off tackle left side almost untouched and scampered 41 yards for the first touchdown of the game and a 7-3 Clemson lead that the Tigers never relinquished. This sequence of plays gave Clemson a boost of confidence it was missing in recent weeks during a two-game losing streak. STATS OF THE GAME Clemson entered the game ranked No. 122 out of 130 FBS teams in red zone offense, converting only 71 percent of its trips inside an opponent's 20-yard line into points. Meanwhile, Notre Dame entered the game ranked second nationally in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score only 64 percent of the time. Instead, Clemson went 3 of 3 on its red zone trips (2 touchdowns and 1 field goal), scoring 17 points and flipping the script on these game-deciding possessions. Turnovers were also a critical statistical category against Clemson. Notre Dame entered the game ranked third nationally in total turnovers gained with 18, while Clemson ranked only No. 95 in turnover margin at -3. The Tigers also flipped the script here, won the turnover battle 3-2, and recorded one of the biggest plays of the game in the second quarter when Clem- son junior linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown that pushed the Tigers' lead to 24-6. HARTMAN STRUGGLES For all of the success Hartman has enjoyed during his six-year playing career, the Irish graduate student quarterback was never able to solve the Clemson defense. The 31-23 loss to the Tigers dropped Hart- man to 0-5 as a starter against Clemson for his career. Hartman had some good moments during the loss, but overall it was a pedestrian performance by his high standards. He completed only 13 of 30 passes for a season low 146 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touch- down. He was also sacked twice, hurried 6 times and made uncomfortable in the pocket from start to finish. Surprisingly, it was on the ground where Hartman did his best work. Not known for his rushing acumen, he scored on a 26-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that kept the Irish within striking distance at 31-23. He also recorded a 38-yard rush in the first quarter. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE TAILBACK AUDRIC ESTIMÉ The Irish junior was the obvious bright spot, at least in the first half, on a Notre Dame offense that struggled against Clemson most of the day. The bruising tailback finished with 17 carries for 87 yards and 1 touchdown. Unfortunately for Estimé, most of his work came in the first when he recorded 14 carries for 82 yards. For whatever reason, the Irish coaches got away from Estimé in a second half when he carried the ball just 3 times for 5 yards. Estimé also tied for the team lead in receptions with 4 for 33 yards. PUNTER BRYCE MCFERSON It's usually not a good sign when a punter receives a game ball. But the terrific work the Irish sophomore displayed can't be ignored. Plagued by poor field position — Notre Dame started six of its drives in the second half from inside its own 25-yard line and four from inside its 10-yard line — McFerson still flipped the field on multiple occasions, averaging 50.2 yards on his 6 punts, with a long of 56 yards. In all, McFerson recorded three kicks of at least 50 yards. He entered the game ranked 23rd in the country with a 44.4 punting average. SAFETY XAVIER WATTS A regular on this list, the Irish senior finished with 3 tackles and his seventh interception this season — his fifth in the last three games. Watts recorded his interception early in the third quarter and returned it 33 yards to the Clemson 2-yard line, which set up a Notre Dame touchdown and kept the Irish within striking distance. Watts' 7 interceptions led the nation at press time and are the most in a season by an Irish player since Manti Te'o recorded 7 in 2012. The single-season interception record at Notre Dame is 10 set by Mike Townsend in 1972. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Senior safety Xavier Watts made 3 tackles and recorded his national-leading seventh interception of the season against Clemson. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP