CLEMSON, S.C. — There are plenty of mistakes Notre Dame can point to in explaining its 24-22 loss to No. 12 Clemson on Saturday night. Four turnovers and a slow defensive start are the primary reasons.
But a pair of failed two-point conversion attempts loomed large in calamitous loss for the Irish.
Down by 12 early in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame failed on a two-point conversion attempt when DeShone Kizer’s throw slipped through Corey Robinson’s hands. Then, with seven seconds left and following Kizer’s touchdown toss to Torii Hunter Jr., Clemson stuffed the Irish on a two-point conversion attempt that would’ve tied the game.
Kelly said Kizer made the right read on a run-pass option on the latter two-point try. Kizer correctly read that Clemson was running zone — he said after the game had Clemson played man coverage, he would’ve looked to pass — so running back C.J. Prosise motioned to his right. With tight end Nic Weishar and receivers Hunter and Will Fuller lined up on the right, Notre Dame had a good setup for Kizer to plunge the necessary three yards into the end zone.
[MORE: Notre Dame's gutsy comeback ends with gutting defeat at Clemson]
“We had fair numbers,” Kelly said. “He’s reading it at the line of scrimmage, if the numbers were fair, they were in zone coverage. It was the right call. He made the right call.”
Clemson’s defensive line, though, came through with a massive push, powering center Nick Martin and right guard Steve Elmer toward Kizer, who was smothered and dropped by three orange jerseys. He wasn't close to getting in the end zone.
“We gotta execute,” Martin said. “Play’s called, we block our men, we’re in overtime.”
Kizer took some of the responsibility on himself after the game.
“The run option was there,” Kizer said. “It’s just at that point in time, it’s man versus man, heart versus heart. We got there and we blocked it the way we were supposed to block it, we just didn’t get the drive we were supposed to get and I didn’t lower my shoulder the way I should’ve. We didn’t get in the end zone and get the three yards we needed.”
A game-tying two-point conversion wouldn’t have been necessary, though, had Notre Dame converted its previous attempt — or just kicked a PAT.
[NBC SHOP: Get your Notre Dame gear right here]
Kelly decided to go for two after Prosise’s 56-yard touchdown catch with just over 14 minutes left in the game in an effort to get Notre Dame within 10 points (it was 21-9 after Prosise’s score). Notre Dame lined up for two after a review of Prosise’s touchdown, then called for a timeout before sending its offense back on the field for the ultimately-failed attempt.
With the wind at Justin Yoon’s back — he hit a 46-yarder earlier in the game — Kelly said he figured it was the right time to go for two.
And with those unsuccessful two-point attempts, plus the turnovers and slow start, Notre Dame headed back to South Bend with a festering frustration that won’t wear off any time soon.
“It just sucks that we end the game the way we did,” Kizer said, “after fighting back the way we fought back.”