Blue and Gold Illustrated

5 Clemson became the fifth school to have a win- ning record against the Irish after a minimum of three meetings, taking a 2-1 advantage with its 24-22 victory. The other four are Florida State (6- 2), Michigan (24-17-1), Nebraska (8-7-1) and Ohio State (3-2). BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI What Worked • Defensive Adjustments. Clemson had Notre Dame on its heels early, scoring two touchdowns before the Irish offense had its second possession. Clemson opened the game by emptying out the backfield, and the Irish defense reacted by doing the same with its linebackers. With the box lacking any second-level defenders, Clemson sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson called his own num- ber and broke free up the left sideline for a 38-yard gain. The Tigers then converted two straight third downs to jump to an early 7-0 lead. After a 15-yard Notre Dame punt, Clemson quickly added a score on a blown coverage. In just less than seven minutes the Irish gave up 14 points and 104 yards. Once it got settled, the defense was able to shut Clemson down the next 53 minutes, holding the Tigers to just 10 points and 192 yards. The unit also made big plays when it mattered. Notre Dame's offense fumbled its first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, but the defense held and forced a Clemson punt. The only true drive the Tigers put together in the second half ended with Notre Dame junior cornerback Cole Luke picking off Watson in the end zone. • Big Plays. With the Irish offense unable to sustain drives, big plays were needed, and in the second half they were abundant. In the final 30 minutes, Notre Dame ran 32 plays and seven went for at least 15 yards and six went for at least 20 yards. Senior running back C.J. Prosise caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Kizer in the third quarter, Notre Dame's eighth touchdown of at least 50 yards on the season. The big plays allowed the Irish to move the ball quickly, especially in the fourth quarter, and erase an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit. Back-to-back receptions of 20 yards to Amir Carlisle and 16 yards to Torii Hunter Jr. set up Hunter's one-yard scoring catch that made it a 24-22 game. What Didn't Work • Too Many Mistakes. Ultimately, it was a game of mistakes. Notre Dame made more than Clem- son, and the result was a loss. The Irish had four costly turnovers, while the Tigers had just one giveaway. Freshman returner CJ Sanders fumbled the open- ing kick of the second half, and the Tigers turned it into a touchdown. Kizer's fourth-quarter intercep- tion ended with a Clemson field goal, making it a 24-16 game. Senior wide receiver Chris Brown fumbled the football at the Tigers 2-yard line with Notre Dame about to score and just more than two minutes remaining in the game. If just one of those mistakes does not happen, the Irish likely win the game. • Run Game Woes. Notre Dame entered the con- test averaging 284.8 rushing yards per game and 6.7 yards per rush. From the outset the Tigers defense made it difficult to establish the ground game. Using a number of inside run stunts and edge pressures, Clemson stymied the Irish rushing at- tack, and the 21-3 third-quarter deficit all but took away Notre Dame's hopes of getting back on track. Clemson held the Irish to just 116 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per rush. Prosise came in averaging 150.0 yards per game and 8.1 yards per attempt, but against the Tigers he was limited to just 50 yards on 15 carries (3.3 yards per rush). — Bryan Driskell TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

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