By Grace Raynor and Pete Sampson
Nov 4, 2023
Clemson upset Notre Dame in Death Valley on Saturday, hanging on to take down the No. 15 Fighting Irish 31-23. Here’s what you need to know:
- The win marked Clemson’s first over a ranked opponent this year and snapped a two-game losing streak for Dabo Swinney’s squad. The win was also No. 166 for Swinney, making him the school’s all-time winningest coach.
- The Tigers’ defense bottled Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, allowing just 146 passing yards, snagging a key pick-six in the second quarter and sacking the Irish passer three times. He ran for a 26-yard score in the third quarter and tossed a second interception in the fourth quarter.
- Clemson running back Phil Mafah finished with a career-high 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns as star RB Will Shipley was forced to miss the game as he remains in concussion protocol.
- Clemson’s defense and special teams came up big drive after drive in the fourth quarter as the Tigers’ offense slowed. Even Clemson QB Cade Klubnik got in on the action, catching the Irish defense by surprise with a quick kick punt that pinned Notre Dame inside the 10.
- After Hartman’s second interception late in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame forced and recovered a Mafah fumble with less than two minutes to play, but the Irish offense couldn’t advance the ball past midfield and turned the ball over on downs.
Clemson’s defense delivers
What a day for Clemson’s defense.
Swinney talks all the time about playing complementary football and even though the Tigers’ offense looked much improved Saturday, the defense still had its work cut out — especially down the stretch.
Clemson essentially had four chances to add an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter but a high snap, a fumble, a punt and another fumble gave the Fighting Irish chance after chance to drive down the field and score again.
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But the Tigers’ defense kept Notre Dame at bay every time. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. played sensational, finishing the afternoon with 11 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and a pick-six. Kylon Griffin had a late interception that sucked the life out of Notre Dame’s offense. And Clemson held Notre Dame to 329 yards of total offense — nearly 100 yards fewer than Notre Dame’s average entering Saturday.
Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin has taken heat for his lack of coaching experience before Swinney promoted him a year ago, but his unit showed up when it mattered Saturday. — Grace Raynor, Clemson staff writer
Mafah goes off for the Tigers
Clemson was down starting running back and leading rusher Shipley on Saturday after Shipley went into concussion protocol last week against NC State. But the Tigers have rolled out a one-two punch with Shipley and Mafah all season, and (with the exception of a nearly catastrophic fumble late in the fourth quarter) Mafah did everything and then some for Clemson against the Fighting Irish.
On a day when Clemson had 287 yards of total offense, Mafah had about 65 percent of them, rushing a whopping 36 times. He had five runs of at least 10 yards, including one for 21 yards and another for a blistering 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter that proved the Clemson offense hadn’t totally lost its way.
Before Saturday, Mafah’s career high for rushing yards was 106 and his career high for carries was 18. He shattered both on Saturday against a Notre Dame defense that could never bottle him up. Mafah, who is 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, is the rare combination of size and speed — a bowling ball who can work through traffic or beat you in a foot race. It will be interesting to see how Clemson uses him once Shipley comes back, and there’s no denying Mafah needs to work on his ball security. But he was a star Saturday, looking like the best player on the field. — Raynor
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What happened to Hartman?
When Notre Dame pulled Hartman out of the transfer portal last winter, he was supposed to give the Irish a quarterback who could be the reason Notre Dame won games, as opposed to one who simply manages the game. It hasn’t worked out that way for the former Wake Forest quarterback, who struggled all afternoon at Clemson, at least when he attempted to push the ball down the field.
Hartman finished 13-of-30 passing. He threw a brutal pick-six in the first half that let Clemson keep Notre Dame at arm’s length. He almost threw another pick in the second half that snuffed out the Irish. In the end, it was hard to tell the difference between Hartman and Klubnik, which was a harsh reality for the Irish quarterback and offensive coordinator Gerad Parker.
Notre Dame’s game plan seemed to almost concede the lack of a pass game early, leaning hard on running back Audric Estime. But Hartman’s mistakes — to be fair, it wasn’t all on the quarterback — shoved Notre Dame to a place it didn’t want to go with a quarterback who still hasn’t gelled with a young receiving corps. Freshman receivers Jaden Greathouse, Rico Flores and Jordan Faison combined for two catches for 55 yards. Without star tight end Mitchell Evans, the tight end position couldn’t make a difference with Holden Staes or Eli Raridon.
It all leaves Marcus Freeman with some difficult questions about his offense entering Notre Dame’s second bye week. The entire operation feels short of ideas. — Pete Sampson, Notre Dame staff writer
Highlight of the game
A house call by Clemson 😳
The Tigers are pouring it on early on Notre Dame.
🎥 @ACCnetworkpic.twitter.com/FrVKnkKUe7
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) November 4, 2023
Key stats
In Notre Dame’s three losses this season, Hartman has thrown for less than 600 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Clemson had zero penalties for the first time on record since the 1952 Gator Bowl against Miami.
What they’re saying
“If Clemson’s a stock, y’all better buy all you can right now,” Swinney said after the win, later calling it “a great, great, great day.”
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“I’m just happy for our fans, I’m happy for our team because these guys haven’t had a lot go their way this year but they never lost their fight.”
The coach notably exploded on a “smart-ass” fan on a radio show earlier in the week and referenced the fan in the news conference after the game before redirecting attention to Clemson receiver Tyler Brown, who caught a touchdown in the second quarter.
“There was a lot of talk about Tyler from Spartanburg this week, how about Tyler from Greenville? Tyler Brown. He didn’t practice one snap all week. Didn’t practice a snap all week. Not one snap,” Swinney said.
Required reading
- Dabo Swinney’s response to adversity will be storyline to watch in season’s final month
- Dabo Swinney explodes on ‘smart-ass’ Clemson fan calling into radio show
- After Notre Dame dominated Pitt, it has something bigger to prove at Clemson
(Photo: John Byrum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
