Blue and Gold Illustrated

pocket while rallying the Irish from a 21-3 second- half deficit to nearly force overtime. Most of his 321 passing yards came in the fourth quarter even though the Tigers knew he had to throw. He also was able to sense and sidestep several strong pass pressures to extend plays. Although several of his attempts sailed high be- cause of passing mechanics issues, he spread the ball well, with Prosise's 100 yards on four catches featuring a 56-yard score off the wheel route. In the first half, Kizer at times put too much zip on his passes, making snaring the ball in inclement and wet conditions a little more difficult. Five passes were dropped by four different targets, including a potential first down by junior wideout Will Fuller on a third-and-17, a possible touchdown by junior wide receiver Corey Robinson and a two-pointer by Rob- inson where the extra mustard on the pass reduced the margin of error. It was feast or famine many times with the Irish aerial game, but it almost made overtime possible when all hope seemed gone. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Two Clemson touchdowns, one at the start of each half, resulted because of Notre Dame special teams snafus. Sophomore punter Tyler Newsome's 15-yard shank after Notre Dame's first series gave the Tigers the ball at the Irish 40, resulting in a quick 14-0 lead. Then freshman CJ Sanders' kickoff return to start the second half resulted in a lost fumble that set up another short field and a 29-yard touchdown drive by Clemson. Kickoff coverage had been an Irish strength this year, but the Tigers brought back the opening kick- off to their 36 for their first TD drive, and had a couple of other returns get past its 30-yard line. Irish freshman Justin Yoon did boot a career long 46-yard field goal, and Tyler Newsome dropped four punts inside the Clemson 20 — but the Tigers did the same. This kept the Irish pinned deep for most of the first half. ADVANTAGE: Clemson THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Both teams finished at 33.3 percent, with Notre Dame 4 of 12 and Clemson 5 of 15. Notre Dame's average third-down situation in the first half was 10.7 yards. Its highlight was on the final TD drive Kizer found fifth-year senior Amir Carlisle for 21 yards on third-and-16. Clemson converted a third-and-five on its opening TD march. Watson ran for a 21-yard score on third- and-two to make the score 21-3. ADVANTAGE: Even TURNOVERS One can rarely ever expect to win anywhere — never mind on the road versus a ranked team — with a minus-three (4-1) verdict in turnovers. All four Notre Dame turnovers occurred in the second half, including the first two touches after the in- termission when it needed a momentum boost. Instead, the fumbled second-half kickoff led to a 21-3 deficit. Clemson produced only seven points off the four Irish turnovers, but those Notre Dame miscues con- tinually had it swimming upstream, especially after the Tigers scored touchdowns within the first three minutes of both halves. ADVANTAGE: Clemson ANALYSIS Other than not forcing more turnovers, Notre Dame's defense played well enough through the final 52 minutes to win. Notre Dame's offense, led by the pocket poise and presence of Kizer at quar- terback, was superb in the fourth quarter, but not consistent enough through the first three to dig itself out of an 18-point hole created by four turnovers. Special teams always are crucial in close outcomes, and there were too many setbacks by the Irish in that area, especially at the start of each half. The Irish probably have the better overall personnel, but Clemson earned the win with its sizzling start in the opening six minutes and by posting a plus-three turnovers advantage. ✦ ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI

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