“We’re extremely excited about the victory and beating Clemson. Look, all the narratives that are out there and whatever is said, you know, talked about, that doesn’t help you win this game. What we’re excited about and what we’re celebrating is that we played with an incredible focus and resolve. Those are things that we work on to try to be successful and win football games. That’s what we’re celebrating, because you have to keep playing and you have to show an incredible focus and determination. That’s worth celebrating when you come back and win a football game the way we did in double overtime. So we’re not celebrating because we showed the world or we changed the narrative or did this because they were the No. 1 team in the country. We did it because we proved something to ourselves, and that’s really satisfying and that’s what we’re celebrating.” – Brian Kelly post-game press conference
I guess Notre Dame, in fact, was due for a big win.
In one of the wildest games in recent Notre Dame memory–full of massive momentum swings back and forth between the Irish and Clemson–it was the team in blue and gold who walks away with the comeback victory in double overtime against the nation’s #1 team.
Clemson’s 36-game regular season winning streak is snapped. Clemson’s 28-game ACC winning streak (technically) is snapped, which could be one of the all-time great trivia questions years from now as Notre Dame exits ACC play after 2020. Clemson’s 14-game road winning streak is snapped. The Fighting Irish are the first team to ever beat a No. 1 ranked Clemson team in the regular season.
Notre Dame now wins big games!? I’ll try my best to remain calm and review this instant classic.
Stats Package
| STAT | IRISH | TIGERS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 47 | 40 |
| Plays | 79 | 77 |
| Total Yards | 518 | 473 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.6 | 6.1 |
| Conversions | 10/20 | 5/17 |
| Completions | 22 | 29 |
| Yards/Pass Attempt | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Rushes | 40 | 33 |
| Rushing Success | 47.3% | 32.1% |
| 10+ Yds Rushing | 5 | 2 |
| Defense Stuff Rate | 27.2% | 16.4% |
I’ve often said it’s tougher to write game reviews after wins, not this time baby!
In a narrow sense, you could look at some ugly turnovers and think Notre Dame lucked their way into a win over Clemson. But, not exactly. The Fighting Irish from the start of the game brought a physical brand of defense and surprisingly clutch offense to, dare I say, out-play the Tigers on a beautiful November evening in South Bend.
Offense
QB: A+
RB: B+
TE: A
OL: A
WR: B+
This was a legacy-defining win for Ian Book as much as any other player, coach, or even the program as a whole. He now joins the pantheon of great Notre Dame quarterbacks and adds the Big Win in a Big Game with Big Plays and Big Production without a hint of flinching. Especially given Notre Dame’s past history during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as a run-heavy offense, this was perhaps the best performance by an Irish quarterback in a big game in my lifetime stretching back to the Faust era.
Book finished with 377 total yards, which on its own is a heck of a performance. But it wasn’t just the numbers in the end. It was the consistency and the determination. You can look to Kyren Williams’ 65-yard touchdown run from the second play of the game as a tone-setter, of course. However, Book opened up the game 5 for 5 through the air and made it known immediately that Clemson was going to have trouble containing the Irish passing game. Who saw that coming?
Most of all, Book made plays when they mattered most.
On 3rd or 4th down Book was 9 of 17 for 117 yards with 7 first down throws, the late touchdown pass to Avery Davis (capping off 91 yard drive to force OT my goodness the stones for that unit), with 3 drops–2 on would-be touchdown throws and a clutch 4th down throw that would’ve kept a drive alive to possibly win it in regulation.
Book’s fumble near the goal line on a sure touchdown run was egregious. I noticed in reviewing the game this was the only time Book ran the ball on 3rd down, too. It was a blown opportunity to take a touchdown lead late in the 3rd quarter and grab back much-needed momentum from a largely sleepy 2nd half for the offense.
However, Book’s sheer will to win, focus, and leadership to overcome that turnover and steady the ship was amazing to watch, truly an all-time moment for a Notre Dame player at any position. In that vein, something stuck out to me in overtime. After the bevy of replay reviews and D.J. Uiagalelei’s 1-yard touchdown score to take a 40-33 lead, I noticed the young hot-shot true freshman quarterback smiling and having a good time on the sideline. Which, good for you there’s nothing wrong with that.
On the other side of the field, Book had his helmet on and was locked and loaded.
He was ready for the moment.
On the final 2 drives in overtime he finished 3 of 3 for 30 yards, scrambled for 12 yards on 2nd down after a holding penalty (underrated play of the game) and tackle for loss pushed the offense back, then converted the crucial 3rd down pass to set up the game’s final touchdown run from Williams.
Notre Dame punched first, then Clemson’s defense led by elite coordinator Brent Venables punched back. There was a stretch of the game where the Irish gained just 44 yards on 19 plays without scoring and it seemed like the door was left wide open for Clemson to make a comeback. Still, young Tommy Rees & Co. found ways to keep the ball moving and ultimately putting points on the board while scoring touchdowns on their final 3 possessions. The doubters were silenced.
Rushing Success
Williams – 9 of 20 (45%)
Book – 8 of 12 (66.6%)
Tyree – 0 for 2 (0.0%)
Flemister – 0 for 1 (0.0%)
The red zone scoring didn’t come through (leaving said door open to Clemson) while scoring touchdowns on just 3 of the 6 opportunities. Yet, it wasn’t a pitiful situation in the least bit. The first miss came after a Michael Mayer false start on 4th down when I feel confident the Irish were punching it in. The second miss came after a Mayer dropped touchdown pass. And lastly, Book’s fumble. I feel like Notre Dame was unlucky not to go 6 for 6 in the red zone and ultimately win the game by a couple scores. I’ve never felt better about not scoring touchdowns!
Everyone on offense played at a high level. Clemson finished with 7 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, fine numbers in a vacuum but hardly impressive given their low stuff rate (16.4%) on the night. They rarely got Notre Dame off schedule and when they did it was usually countered with a timely throw from Book.
For the first time all season, a trio of pass-catchers played great in the same game. McKinley, Davis, and Mayer combined for 14 receptions and gave the Irish so much breathing room when it was needed. Davis in particular, came through with a legendary drive before the end of regulation hauling in a massive 53-yard catch followed up by the 4-yard touchdown to tie things up and send it to overtime.
Defense
DL: B+
LB: A+
DB: B
True freshman D.J. Uiagalelei threw for the most yards (439) ever against Notre Dame and while he played excellent clearly the gameplan was to bottle up Etienne and the run game. It worked. This felt a lot like those games you see Alabama play where they give up a lot of passing and points but you can’t say they played poorly.
Back to the run defense, this was a legendary performance. Etienne scampered for 10 yards on his first carry of the game then didn’t have a successful carry the rest of the first half. He later added a long run of 13 yards and a tough touchdown run, too. However, Etienne was only successful on 6 out of his 18 carries while finishing with just 28 yards on the ground.
Absurd rushing defense and a big advantage for the Irish to build on with their confidence if they see Clemson again.
Most of the night, Notre Dame struggled to defend Clemson’s senior trio of Etienne, Amari Rodgers, and Cornell Powell through the air. They combined for 22 receptions for 352 yards, which seems absurd but in a weird way never felt truly that bad.
Powell especially had dominant moments with catches of 53, 51, and 24 yards, the latter setting up their last touchdown in overtime. Nevertheless, Etienne is their biggest playmaker and only mustered 57 yards on 8 catches. So, in total Etienne had 85 yards on 26 touches, or 3.26 yards per attempt. That’s a massive win for Clark Lea and the defense.
Wonder if Clemson’s inability to consistently run the ball comes back to bite them in these overtime short-field situations?
— 18 Stripes (@18stripes) November 8, 2020
Finally, Shayne Simon showed up in a big way! He finished with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 stuffs, and 2 pass breakups. That must be what the coaching staff has been seeing in practice? The linebackers in total, with Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White, brought their A-game finishing with a combined 11 stuffs while punishing Clemson’s run game.
There was a lot of talk on the final Irish drive in regulation then in the subsequent overtime play whether Notre Dame should go for the 2-point conversion and the win. I had mixed feelings. I wanted that dagger but also opined during the game that Clemson’s lack of running could be the difference in the overtime short fields.
Eventually, Notre Dame got to Uiagalelei on the final drive coming through with a pair of sacks on 1st and 2nd down to force a near-impossible conversion that fell short for Clemson.
Finally got ’em late.
Notre Dame has to feel really good about this performance limiting Clemson to 6.1 yards per play while forcing a couple crucial turnovers. The corners would definitely like a few plays back (Tariq Bracy in particular) and the tackling wasn’t great at times. Clemson was tough to defend and the Irish got in as many haymakers as they received. Tip of the hat to everyone on both sides, honestly.
Stuffs vs. Clemson
JOK – 5
White – 4
Hinish – 3
Hayes – 2
Simon – 2
Hamilton – 1
Oghoufo – 1
McCloud – 1
Foskey – 0.5
Cross – 0.5
Ademilola, Jay. – 0.5
Ogundeji – 0.5
The Irish have to feel good about this game even if Trevor Lawrence is back and healthy in a future matchup. Can he improve upon DJU’s record-setting day? Will Lawrence’s presence and experience make their run game better? Despite an absurd debut in a big game for the freshman quarterback, I think Clark Lea has to feel like they made a lasting statement on Saturday.
Final Thoughts
The refs certainly didn’t cover themselves in glory on Saturday night missing calls for both sides. However, the picked up flag for pass interference with a mask-less Dabo Swinney screaming in their face is something that just can’t happen. The defender held from the back and ripped through the front too early, there’s no way you can pick up that flag.
MTA’s (super predictable!) offsides on 4th & 1 in what became Clemson’s go-ahead touchdown late in the game felt like one of those ‘woe is me’ moments for the Irish. They still overcame it! Also, MTA was really lucky he didn’t get called for a late hit (push) on DJU on the final play of the game. Can you imagine that flag?
The sneaky best play of the game was Shaun Crawford jarring the ball lose on 3rd down before the final play of the game. Clemson was looking at a very manageable 4th down call if that ball was completed.
This was an unbelievable, near perfect, way to set the tone in a big game. Notre Dame ripped off a long touchdown run then Shayne Simon stuffed Etienne on 3rd & 1 to get the ball right back.
Two coaching errors that are important to point out: Notre Dame should’ve ran another quick pass play right before halftime instead of settling for the 57-yard field goal that Etienne nearly took back to the house after catching in the end zone. I’m shocked Etienne didn’t try to cut back on punter/holder Jay Bramblett instead of trying to foolishly hurdle him! Also, I was so surprised that Clemson knelt the ball to end regulation with a timeout available. They had 16 seconds and their offense can pick up 35 yards on one snap better than just about anyone in the country.
Heck of a game from both kickers. Absent the aforementioned Doerer miss from deep, they were 8 for 8 on field goals with a ton of pressure-packed PAT’s late.
I can’t tell you how much I liked the response from Notre Dame after Clemson tied it late in the 3rd quarter. They opened immediately with the deep ball 45-yard catch to McKinley and drove right down the field. If only Book didn’t fumble.
What in the actual hell is D.J. Uiagalelei anyway? He’s like a combination of Big Ben and Aaron Rodgers, my goodness. It’s unbelievable that Clemson is going to be going from Deshaun Watson to Trevor Lawrence to DJU with only a brief Kelly Bryant interlude in the program over a decade.
In my opinion, Clemson getting healthier and several starters back on defense is going to be far more important in a potential re-match than the return of Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. This Clemson team seems far more fallible but I’m certain they will be much better on defense if we meet in the ACC Championship Game.
If Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah isn’t the top linebacker on everyone’s draft boards and gone in the first half of the 1st round this spring, maybe now that’s a lock for 32 teams.
Can’t believe I’m the first to comment, it’s almost 10:00 pm here. But I am delighted to do so, what a fabulously fun review to read. Concur that the Clemson passing yardage didn’t feel like that much. It really does underline the importance of the run game even in the modern era.
I feel so proud of the shared attitude of the team, as a military guy my feeling is that this is a culmination of the steady focus on “traits” (in BK speak) since 2016, and especially how he has constructed an approach that spreads and embeds leadership and ownership. Ian said it best, this team just doesn’t stop focusing. Btw it is so damn nice to hear how enthusiastic (for Ian) his voice sounds in his post game presser.
I have to say the series of the game for me is us forcing them to 3 and out setting up our final drive to tie.
And yes, I may regret it, but if (and a big if for those of us veterans of BC in ’93” and USC’s 55 unanswered points decades earlier) we do make it to a rematch with them, I feel less panicked because of the physical statement we made — a very astute observation, Eric.
As More Noise, I will leave it with an enormous shout out to the student body. They made noise for 35,000 and they looked great on the field!
Former military here too; I agree 100% on the focus to the process you mentioned.
Anecdote: when I was a college shot putter, I spent an entire season changing my technique to throw farther. I’d spent months in frustration underperforming but knowing eventually, I’d break through when the change clicked in my muscle memory. It all came together on one throw when I threw a massive all time best, qualified for nationals, and never looked back. But it took that affirmation moment in crunch time for everything to manifest itself, and a hell of a lot of patience to trust how to get there.
I have to think this was that wall smashing moment for notre dame, the summation of better coordinators, better training, better athletes, and finally a moment where we could weather our own mistakes (15 points left on the board with the fumble and 1st Q field goals).
This team went haymaker for haymaker with a proven heavyweight, and our body blows actually hurt them; 2 rushing TDs in OT is emphatic chest puffing in the best ways. This is the best notre dame win I’ve ever seen, and I hope it’s the beginning of the next level!
Go irish
Great write up of Ian and his performance last night. Was so happy for him no matter what happens the rest of the year. He was tough as hell last night and never stopped competing. Like Georgia last year but with the win.
I’ve have also sought out the parallels between Nd and clemsons rise to the top. Clemson kept winning 10+games and couldn’t break through until they finally did. Back in 2014 they went down to FSU and Jameis was suspended or hurt and they still could t win. Definitely felt like Nd at parts last night. Hoping this becomes are Clemson game for the jump up
Couple other things: I was in the go for two camp as well as defer to second half camp and I was happily wrong on both. Good in coach kelly for knowing his team and being proven right.
Dani has done an incredible job of building that culture and program. He’s hired great coordinators who love working for him and players love playing for him. His in game coaching leaves a lot to be desired. The coaching sequence prior to the 91 yard drive was a hot mess and honestly his end game coaching in 2015 was pretty bad. Because of him they so routinely overmatch their opponents it doesn’t matter but still think kelly had the edge in in game head coaching should they meet again
While the bomb to Davis was an incredible throw by Book, the touchdown pass to Davis is one of the best of Book’s career. Felt the pressure, calmly moved out of the pocket. Nobody open, Davis absolutely blanketed; doesn’t just chuck it away. Instead, it looks like he might be able to pick up 3-4 yards with his legs. So he forces the defender to make a decision; close on Book, or stick to Davis. As soon as the defender committed, Book easily slipped the pass to Davis. That is the epitome of Good Ian. Able to move without panic, able to be smart with the ball, able to to beat a defense that is outnumbered. Just an incredible play by Book.
Williams and the TEs blocking was incredible all night. Great decision by Rees to always keep at least 1 TE or RB in to block in pass protection.
Kyle Hamilton is an incredible pass defender, but my goodness can he tackle too. 1-on-1 in the open field with Etienne is supposed to be a nightmare (see Kyren Williams vs. the Clemson safety), and he easily brings down Etienne. Of course, maybe Hamilton learned that skill from Bramblett.
Book was on the move on that TD pass to Davis too, really nice job to fire it in there….It kind of makes me wonder why they never really run any play action bootlegs or try to move the pocket and let him get out into space and just let him read and react. Book is at his best when he’s scrambling or just making things happen being an athlete like that, I don’t really feel like they’ve leaned into that as much as maybe they could have.
I really loved the long throw to Davis though. Book had to step up in the pocket and let it fly. Davis also made a great route to fake stutter to the out then cut into the middle where he was wide open. And it was a beautiful pass. Stuff like that is what we have been waiting for seeing from him for so long.
I continue to think that they should roll Book out more often too. Let him use his legs to put pressure on the defense.
David Shaw lost. Harbaugh lost. MSU lost by 42. USC won, but in a way that reminds us they stink but won’t fire Helton. Dabo lost, giving Notre Dame the longest active ACC Conference win streak. That’s a dream day of football for me.
Don’t forget Penn State getting paved by Mike Locksley.
Williams is so good. So elusive. Absolutely embarrassed that safety on his long TD run. And on the first OT TD he has an unblocked defender right in front of him on the edge and still got by for the TD.
Ever since his first BG game I’ve been convinced Kyren would be a stud. I’m glad I was finally right about something.
In a rematch it will help ND to know that they didn’t play a perfect game last night and that they left some easy points on the field. Yes, Clemson can be better with their players returning but, ND can play better too.
In years gone by would Kelly have yanked Mayer after his two costly errors ? Kudos to both coach and player, as Mayer stayed focused and made some nice plays after.
Seems Kelly had told his players to expect fans rushing the field if they won and to get to the locker room right away if they did. That could have been sage advice, we’ll never know.
Eric, I’ve been with you for a long time. This is the sweetest win in all that time. I hope you’re feeling as elated as I am about this win. Next beer I crack open I’ll give a little toast to you for all the great work you’ve done. Thanks Pal.
Now let’s kick the crap out of BC…..GO IRISH!!!
Thanks!
Yep, Kelly has really trusted his guys this year after mistakes. After Kyren’s first fumble of the season, he went straight back to him and he scored a TD the next drive. It’s been wonderful to see him trust his talented players.
My score prediction was way off but the way the game went was actually kinda similar to what I wrote lol
What a game man I still can’t believe it actually happened lmao
Fun fact: It is quite likely the Class of 2021 will graduate having seen ND lose one (1) game at home.
Also, let me just make sure I have this straight. ND’s
small-timey coach,
who can never beat good opponents,
and who hires useless crony assistants,
and who never tries to run the ball,
or even practices running plays,
and who can’t manage a quarterback,
beat the number 1 team in the country,
by running the ball down their throats,
and stuffing their run game,
and an incredibly clutch performance by the quarterback,
as called entirely by two assistants,
in a night game,
on astroturf,
with a jumbotron.
That about right?
They wouldn’t know. They were busy taking their kids to soccer practice, or grilling a steak, or preparing for a class-action deposition, or whatever other activity they say is more fulfilling than watching Notre Dame’s most satisfying game in 25+ years.
Ian Book shut me up and made me eat my words last night and I’ve never been so happy to be wrong! I was jumping around like a fool after the final play! Man did that win feel great! We still have work to do! Let’s keep winning!
All this. This was a true win. Everything was earned. Nothing was cheap or luck. Clemson didn’t play below themselves or fumble the game away.
Ian’s progression in the second half. I’ve never seen that in 30 years of watching this team. To have go cold a bit in the second half, fumble away a certain touchdown into the endzone, and punt near mid field with minutes left needing a score because your on-target passes go incomplete via a bad drop and Clemson’s God-Coach getting a justified PI reversed after complaining in a way the media doesn’t accept from your coach, only to then go 91 yards on a two minute drill cold as ice and score, in the biggest game of your life, in large part by doing something that, to put it kindly, you have trouble doing, stepping up in the pocket against a strong rush and dropping a deep pass on the money.
I’ve seen other ND comebacks. Battle making a meal out of a dump pass from Dillingham against MSU in 2002. Brady Quinn and Smardjiza finally finding themselves against UCLA 2006. Everett being Everett and pulling out one last moment of that special magic he had against Pitt in 2012 and FSU (even if it didn’t end in a win) and Stanford, and LSU in 2014. DeShone Kizer coming in cold and throwing a bomb TD to one of the best recievers Notre Dame has ever had against UVA and again against Temple in 2015. Even Book last year against UVA. But I’ve never seen any ND QB do what Book did lastnight. Going from so low to so high right at the end to win a huge game, the biggest one your campus has seen in 27 years.
This was special.
I gave you a plus for “Clemson’s God-Coach getting a justified PI reversed after complaining in a way the media doesn’t accept from your coach”….a very valid point. Can you imagine the outcry?
I can’t believe I forgot to mention this but unbelievable defensive series to get the ball back before the final touchdown in regulation. Clemson got the ball at their 47-yard line with 2:10 remaining:
1st down – Clemson runs QB Power (interesting decision) and DJU is met in the hole by JOK for a gain of 1-yard.
2nd down – Clemson tries a sweep to the right and JOK blows it up and Etienne is gang tackled for a loss of 5 yards. Irish smartly decline holding so Clemson can’t waste more time with an additional down.
3rd down – Swing pass to Etienne, Drew White reads it perfectly, beats the lineman’s block, and trips Etienne up just as he’s turning the corner for a gain of 5 yards AND he runs out of bounds (just barely) to stop the clock.
Clemson went too conservative, IMO.
Great sequence. That was a fortunate turn of events and JOK was everywhere.
Also, for all the “Lawrence wouldn’t help them too much since DJU did so well” narrative (which isn’t 100% untrue), I think situationally a big moment like that is exactly where Lawrence puts a pin in a game. He ran 16 for 107 vs Ohio State last year, and I bet in a game like this Lawrence keeps it more (DJU finished with 2 yards on 13 carries after backing out the sack yards) and stresses the defense with that angle.
Agreed. Lawrence is a talented runner, and DJU consistently struggled in that one area. If we take out the sacks, he ran 13x for 16 yards. I think in the rematch, we will be hard pressed to shut down Etienne if we also have to account for Lawrence running.
I think this is valid because they’re different styles of runner. DJU is a battering ram, and will eventually be a Tebow/CAM-esque, you can’t stop me on 3rd and under 5 type runner. Lawrence is more effective as an open-field weapon, though they only use him as such sparingly (see tOSU in the playoff).
But I think the big difference is experience. Lawrence may not have made a difference statistically in the passing game in terms of more yards, but he’d make different, likely better, decisions, and have a higher percentage. He hits Amari Rodgers inside the 5 and Rodgers scores where DJU threw behind him. He finds other receivers in different situations when DJU misses them. Those little things that turn an overtime game into one Clemson wins in regulation. Or he doesn’t get sacked twice in a row on the final drive in 2OT, because he sees it coming and adjusts. Things like that won’t affect the statistics that much, and it’s not to say DJU didn’t play a great game–he did! 90% of college football would trade their current starting QB straight up for DJU, right now. I loved Book’s performance but I’d be tempted to make that trade. But Lawrence makes a difference in this game, with his legs and his experience, and saying that isn’t a knock on DJU at all.
If you want to complain about officiating, play 3 here is where to do it. Etienne was tackled in bounds. After the holding penalty, the clock should have RUN and this crew did not do so. Saved ND 40 seconds they shouldn’t have earned
Saved Notre Dame a timeout. (Which it turned out they didn’t need).
But I agree with the overall premise that the officials were just dreadful all around and in many facets in both directions for/against both teams for no real reason besides their own inconsistencies.
Just saw you nailed this, which was my candidate for.one of the most critical series of the game. Concur on Clemson going conservative. But that’s a normal tendency for coaches, and in fairness, Clemson has not been much in situations like that. Also, some arrogance, I really don’t think they expected we could march 90 yards with a minute left.
Just saw the Avery Davis TD reception again, and I missed this in real time: on 3rd and goal from the 4, with the chance to end this game, Venables went with a 3 man rush. The pass blocking was so unbelievably strong all night that Venables, in the most crucial of situations, decided that rather than going to his bread and butter by blitzing, his only option was to go to a 3 man rush. ND forced the #1 team in the country (and arguably the best coordinator in the country) to abandon its game plan in the most crucial play of the game. That right there is something I would never have dreamed of. During my lifetime, that’s something I’ve seen ND do at the end of games; desperately trying to find a way to stop Navy 1 more time or prevent Stanford from throwing one more lob, completely bailing on our defensive game plan.
But not this time. This time, Tommy Rees, the O Line/TEs/RB, and Ian Book bullied the #1 team in the country into running a defense they hate to run; and then beat that defense anyway. Just beautiful.
Still grinning from ear to ear over this.
I think the RB grade should be bumped up a bit, purely based on Kyren’s pass blocking. I don’t EVER want to hear that we can’t trust a freshman/RS freshman/sophomore in the game because they need time to learn how to pass block. Show them the tape of Kyren in this game alone. He made MILLIONS right there. I’ve said elsewhere that he reminds me of Etienne, and for one night, especially in the pass protection realm, he was better.
Also, all I want for Christmas is an ACC championship.
The playoff afterwards would be fine, of course. But I’m definitely on the “join a conference for one year, win it, then peace out” bandwagon just for the ammunition it will always and forever provide against the “dur join a conference durrrr” morons.
One other point that I’m surprised I haven’t heard mentioned elsewhere (in the media/punditsphere): Yes, DJU threw for a record # of yards against ND.
So what? As ND fans we know all too well that while there are days where it’s good to throw for a ridiculous amount of yards, there’s also many days where it is not. Clemson’s ground game was completely bottled up. The best RB in ACC history was contained. The plan was clearly to let DJU try to beat us, and he did a heck of a job and almost did it. But when you HAVE to have a freshman backup (no matter how talented) throw for 439 yards, that’s not a good sign for your team. Lawrence back there might not make any statistical difference, but I’d argue he’d make a few different decisions and possibly hit a few throws that DJU didn’t, and it could have been the difference in a game that came down to 2OT. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Clemson throwing for that much was actually a positive within the context of this game.
It should also be noted that something like 35 of the yards were in OT (24.99999 in 1OT, ~10 in 2OT); I’m not so sure he beat the record in regulation.
From Pitt week I said we would know Notre Dame was true Pitt rival like PSU and WVU when they wanted to stop scheduling ND…Good news everyone — ND is a true Pitt rival now!
https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1325869074442760195
Hahaha.
Well played!
Don’t threaten me with a good time
On Instant Reaction, Mikey B wrote:
“If anybody is friends with a Clemson fan, please ask them if any RB has ever picked up their blitzes better than Kyren Williams…. Williams’ blocking may have been the key to this game.”
Several of you have mentioned the same among your posts. I do have a very good friend who is a fervent Clemson grad and fan, lives right there, on the Board, etc. He and I commanded battalions together and he has always had a soft spot for ND, he was at the hurricane game in 2015 that started Clemson on their current run. So I asked him. He said that they have NEVER seen anyone pick up Venables’ blitzes like he did, that it was one of the key factors that he and his buddies all felt was crucial to the outcome. So, amen to all your comments about this incredible aspect of Kyren’s game — and let’s give some credit to Lance Taylor as well?
The personalized service I get with my Premium Membership here pays off again!
Et oui, Monsieur. Even bi-lingually if you wish (in honor of the bi-lingual name of our school 🙂
Listening to the Irish Illustrated recap podcast, and Tim O’Malley said he has a neighbor who is deaf and reads lips who watched the game, and at one point they had a shot of Dabo and Etienne and he could read Etienne saying “they (Notre Dame) are hitting us too hard out there.”
Love it.
ND fan stealing Clemson’s sideline communications. Sad!
(But seriously, that’s a cool story. I liked how Pete Sampson mentioned that several of the ACC coaches he talked to downplayed the DL and specifically Hinish. I thought he was very strong in this one and proved some people wrong, if only for a week. Etienne must have thought Owusu-Koramoah was a ghost popping up and hitting him every time he touched the ball.)
What a joyful win!
And, yes, they were missing a lot, but we have some room for improvement too (I think the B defensive back grade is quite generous. I’d say C+, averaging an A- for the safeties and D for the cornerbacks). Plus Lenzy hopefully back will give us a bit more of deep threat next time.
Loved that game. Would have been proud of that effort, W or L. But SOOOO happy with the W.
Book deserves all the praise. But on the goal line throw to Ben S., Tremble is as open as I have ever seen a player in the end zone. Every time I see the replay, I cringe. Luckily it did not matter.
So re: the picked up flag here are my complete thoughts:
*I wouldn’t have thrown on it, personally. I’m coming from the same angle as the S on that play and I can see that the ball and the player arrive at the same time. As a practice, we try to not flag plays like that.
*You mention holding, but where was the receiver going that makes that a foul? He had posted up so the grabbing of his jersey didnt restrict him in any way. From my angle (again, I’m acting as the S here) I don’t even see that action so my only input is from the early contact. As I go to the H who threw the flag, unless he tells me there was restriction from a hold, I’m telling him the contact was right as the ball arrived. I’m not thinking the H saw the hold either because his focus would be on the LOS at the moment that was occurring. He transitions to the ball as it’s being thrown and by then, the hold has ended. All of this to say that the initial flag was not because of the hold, it was the early contact
*The covering official whose key and zone the action occurred in did not throw the flag, a supporting official who transitioned did. Therefore, the covering official should have the majority opinion in the matter.
*Mechanically, the H who threw the flag did so too quickly to really process what he saw. I think if he waits a half second longer and thinks about what he saw the flag never comes out and this whole thing is moot. The only reason we’re complaining today is because the flag was seemingly picked up because Dabo was screaming in the camera shot as the officials got together to discuss it.
*In the end, I think they got this right. S comes in and says something like “Hey, do you want some help on that call? What did you see?” H replies, “I have DPI for early contact before the ball arrived.” S, “Are you entirely sure it was early because I watched the whole thing and the contact occurred right as the ball got there.” H, “I caught the action right as it happened so you may be right. I’ll wave it off.”
Here’s the play:
Far closer to an egregious PI than bang-bang play, IMO.
He rips Ben’s right collar which throws him off balance just as he’s shutting down the route. That’s enough for me, and allows the corner the space to get over Ben (who is much taller) and try to make a play on the ball. And he does so early and right through Ben’s back.
You’re right that it could be a foul. But it’s closer to 50/50 than egregious. The only way I’d agree it was a foul is like you say, the restriction of the arm. But coming from my angle as a deep official, I cant see that. The only one who could have would be the H but since the flag was picked up I know that’s not why he threw it. If he had, then the S’s view was blocked out and he wouldn’t have seen a hook. If the H had told him that was what the flag was for, he would have backed off and let him have it. The flag was thrown for early contact which the S could see came at the same time the ball arrived.
I’ve asked two fellow CFB officials I work with their opinions and theirs is right in line with what I’ve said. I’ll definitely be looking the next few weeks for Steve Shaw’s video to see his official position on this. Hopefully he addresses it in some way.
There’s one angle where it’s very clear the DB bodies Skowronek hard and early from behind and is the reason he falls forward. It’s the last clip in E’s gif, the grainy side angle.
However, that view also makes it look like the hands are the least interfere-y, so I see why it would be tough to call.
Terry whatever his name is, the rules guy on the broadcast, had no problem calling it clear PI.I’ll go with his judgement.
IMO, the flag was picked up because Dabo was screaming at the officials from a few feet away. They got intimidated by the king of ACC football.
I would just LOVE to see the national reaction if that had been Kelly instead of Dabo.
Macaulay. Great guy and someone I respect a lot. He was my friends mentor when he got a contract on the NFL. But his saying it was clear PI and everyone I’m talking to saying it wasn’t is proof of what I’m saying. It’s a 50/50 call and differing opinions will happen.
But Dabo yelling and screaming did not affect the decision to wave it off. He started yelling and demonstrating after the S had already come in with a differing opinion. He didn’t just start screaming at one official and then everyone got together to wave it. The decision by the S that it should be picked up was already made and Dabo never even looked his way
As the ball approaches Ben, his left arm looks impeded.
https://youtu.be/JQff-434kyM?t=8854
Right, and I addressed that part. That’s not why the flag was thrown. If it was, it wouldnt have been picked up. The angle for the S would be to have the Clem defender’s back impeding the view of that action. So if the H had thrown because of that, the S would have to let him have the call because that’s new information he didn’t see. We know it was a flag for playing through the back for the sheer fact that it was waved off when the S came in and told him the ball arrived at the same time contact was made
Dungy thought picking up the flag was ridiculous. Macauley has reffed a few super bowls and Dungy, definitely not an ND homer the way he calls things, has won a Super Bowl, so I’ll go with them.
I don’t remember a flag pickup in that situation, ever.
Tirico,”I wonder how much because it was on that sideline?”…. Clearly that was pass interference no matter what our resident official opines. Like him, the announcers were trying to help out the officials. They just couldn’t bring themselves to refute the obvious. It would be one thing to miss that call but to pick up the flag after the fact…Egads!
So, an update here. I haven’t heard the statement personally myself but one of my mentors who is aligned with the ACC just told me that the ACC coordinator of officials wanted this called. I want to hear the wording because if the reason is the hooked arm, I completely agree. My only issue with that is, like I mentioned, that’s not what the flag was for so did they even see that?
How do you know that’s not why the flag was thrown?
Crickets