Notre Dame Ground Game Bullies Past No. 4 Clemson

NOTRE DAME, IND. - Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the country, but on Saturday night in South Bend Notre Dame’s offensive line bullied the vaunted Tiger front four en route to Marcus Freeman’s first signature win as head coach.

The Irish line pushed the talent laden front around all night in Notre Dame’s 35-14 win over the formerly unbeaten and No. 4 ranked Tigers, who have two linemen who are projected as first round NFL draft picks next year.

The line paved the way for a 263-yard rushing performance. It’s the fifth time in the last six games the Irish have eclipsed the 200 yard mark. Clemson finished with 281 total yards. It’s the most rushing yards the Tigers have allowed since Lamar Jackson-led Louisville ran for 273 in 2016.

It all amounted to Notre Dame’s first win over a top-5 team since beating Clemson at home in Nov. 2020.

Neither team scored on its opening drive. In fact, Clemson went more backwards than forwards in its first possession, which followed an Irish punt. The Tigers faced 3rd and 22 after a pair of holding calls on wide receiver Beaux Collins and were forced to punt after just an eight-yard gain.

Lighting struck for a third straight week for Notre Dame when Jordan Botelho shot through the middle of the Clemson line to block Aiden Swanson’s punt. The ball shot up in the air and Prince Kollie snatched it and raced to his left to his left for a 17-yard return for a touchdown.

The block is Botelho’s second block of the season, the sixth for Notre Dame this season and the fourth punt block in the last three weeks by special teams coordinator Brian Mason’s unit. If he hasn’t already asked for a raise, he should.

After the Tigers turned the ball over on downs on their second drive, he Fighting Irish defense forced three successive punts. The third one traveled just 24 yards, giving the Irish the ball at their own 47. Notre Dame moved the ball 29 yards but settled for a 42-yard Blake Grupe field goal attempt, which missed wide left at the 8:35 mark of the second quarter.

The Irish took a 14-0 lead with :38 seconds to play in the first half after Drew Pyne ran left for a five-yard touchdown run. Audric Estime gained 35 yards on five carries of the drive, which marked the first touchdown drive of the game for either offense. It was also Pyne’s first career TD run.

Isaiah Foskey brought the Fighting Irish faithful to their feet when he sacked DJ Uiagalelei on the final play of the first half. After the play was over, Clemson offensive lineman Walker Parks was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for shoving Jayson Ademilola to the ground. The penalty was assessed on the second half’s opening kickoff.

The Irish outgained Clemson 163-71 in the first half after forcing four punts. Notre Dame owned a 122-30 rushing advantage with Estime tallying 59 yards on nine carries. Clemson was 0 for 5 on 3rd down. Notre Dame was 3 for 7. The Tigers also committed four penalties for 34 yards, while the Irish had none.

Backed up to its own seven on its third possession of the second half, Clemson went to freshman Cade Klubnik at quarterback at its own seven yard line. Klubnik rolled to his left on second and seven.

With Justin Ademilola bearing down on the former 5-star recruit, Klubnik forced a short pass that was intercepted by freshman corner Benjamin Morrison at the 14. Estime scored three plays later on a two-yard plunge to make it 21-0 :23 seconds into the fourth quarter.

With Uiagalelei back in, Clemson drove to the Irish 19-yard line on the ensuing drive, thanks in large part to three borderline calls against the Notre Dame secondary. The junior quarterback dropped back on 2nd and 10 and fired to his right .... right into the hands of Morrison, who raced 96 yards to the opposite ends zone to put the game away at 28-0 with 12:58 remaining.

Notre Dame’s defense switched to soft zone coverage when Clemson got the ball back and the result was the first Tiger score of the Night. Clemson drove 75 yards on 11 plays, finishing with a one-yard touchdown run by Will Shipley with 10:14 to play.

The Fighting Irish answered by grinding out 75 yards on 11 plays, while using 5:58 on the clock to reach the end zone on a Pyne to Michael Mayer 17-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown catch was the 16th of Mayer’s stellar career. It set a record by an Irish tight end. The first 10 plays and 58 yards of the drive came on the ground.

Clemson scored one final touchdown on a pass from Uiagalelei to Joseph Ngata. Uiagalelei was 27 for 39 for 191 yards.

Logan Diggs led the Notre Dame ground game with 114 yards on 17 carries. Estime had 18 carries for 108 yards. It’s the first time this season the Irish have had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game.

Notre Dame out-gained Clemson 348-281, with the ground game accounting for 263 yards. It was the most rushing yards since Lamar Jackson and Louisville went for 273 back in 2016.

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