Clemson Excited to Play in a Packed Notre Dame Stadium

CLEMSON, S.C. — When fourth-ranked Clemson heads to South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, the players, coaches, and fans will get the opportunity to experience college football at its best.

Notre Dame Stadium is one of college football’s meccas. A bucket list destination for those who love the sport.

“That is what makes college football great,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Opened in 1930, some of college football’s greatest players and coaches have walked across Notre Dame Stadium’s hallowed grounds. Hall of Fame coaches such as Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz. Heisman winners Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, Leon Hart, John Lattner, Paul Hornung, John Huart and Tim Brown.

Other legendary players such as Joe Montana, Rocket Ismail, Joe Theismann, Jerome Bettis, Alan Page, Ricky Waters, Mark Bavaro, Dave Casper, Rocky Bleier, George Gipp, Aaron Taylor, Tony Rice and the list goes on and on.

“It’s not like you get to go to a place like Notre Dame every year,” Swinney said. “I think the history of Notre Dame, it speaks for itself.

“This is a historic place that Tim Bourret loves to tell me about for twenty years. So, I know way more about Notre Dame than I probably should. It is special.”

This is not Clemson’s first trip to South Bend. The program played there in 1979, as Terry Kinard and the Tigers rallied for a 16-10 victory. Clemson finally returned in 2020, as Notre Dame snuck out a 47-40 double-overtime victory.

However, this will be the first time since 1979 that Clemson has had the opportunity to experience Notre Dame and its atmosphere in all of its glory. The 2020 meeting, which featured No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame, was played in front of just 11,000 fans due to COVID restrictions.

“We were thankful to be able to play, but also, at the same time, it was kind of disappointing, especially when you have this vision and you go up there and it is what it is at that time,” Swinney said.

When the Tigers and Irish kick off on Saturday night, nearly 78,000 fans will be inside Notre Dame Stadium.

“It is exciting to be able to see Notre Dame at its best,” Swinney said. “I know that is what we will get. We will get the best they got, and we look forward to competing against them.”

Kickoff for Saturday night is scheduled for 7:30 and the game will be televised nationally on NBC.

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