Clemson played about as perfectly as Dabo Swinney or Tyler from Spartanburg could have ever hoped in its 31-23 win against No. 15 Notre Dame (7-3) on Saturday. The Tigers did not commit a penalty. Usually a turnover-riddled team, their first giveaway was a fluke dropped pass straight to Irish safety Xavier Watts. And one of the country’s worst red-zone offenses, Clemson (5-4) turned three trips inside the 20-yard line into two touchdowns and a field goal.
All while Notre Dame had to turn to its third-string center due to injuries, handed over 10 points via turnovers and settled for field goals on its first three trips into scoring range.
Those 10 points off turnovers, an interception returned for a touchdown and a muffed point setting up a field goal, proved to be the difference in the sixth meeting in the last nine years of this developing rivalry.
Yet despite those mistakes, Notre Dame had two chances to tie the game in the final minutes, even after a four-drive stretch had yielded one first down and 24 total yards to chew up the bulk of the second half. The Irish were down one possession with the ball but backed up inside their own 10-yard line, in a situation not too dissimilar from the moment when Sam Hartman concocted a whirlwind game-winning drive at Duke to end September. Instead of those heroics again, Hartman threw his second interception of his second career trip to Death Valley, his first back in the second quarter returned for a touchdown by Tigers linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Jeremiah Trotter on the Pick Six, Hartman continues to struggle@ClemsonFB | #ALLINpic.twitter.com/5RvoHziy6d
— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) November 4, 2023
Clemson’s first genuine mistake of the day then followed Hartman’s seeming game-ending turnover, running back Phil Mafah fumbling away a chance to drain the clock.
Hartman could not make the Tigers pay for that regret, throwing four straight incompletions to seal the loss. Hartman finished 13-of-30 for 146 yards with the two interceptions.
“If you guys want to blame, put it on anyone, put it on me,” Hartman said. “I played very poor today. All the different situations, scenarios that we were in today is partly my doing and really all my doing. I just didn’t execute well enough. ...
“I’m big enough and man enough to admit that I didn’t play up to the standard that this team deserves, this fan base, this university deserves.”
Hartman’s legs produced Notre Dame’s two most explosive plays, a 38-yard scramble late in the first quarter helping the Irish toward a 30-yard field goal and a 26-yard touchdown dash to bring Notre Dame within one possession halfway through the third quarter. He finished with five carries for 81 yards (sacks adjusted).
TOUCHDOWN IRISH
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 4, 2023
Hartman takes it himself 😤#GoIrish☘️ | @sam_hartman10 pic.twitter.com/GLac5zg44t
Those plays — the 38-yarder certainly by design, the 26-yard touchdown forced by quality coverage and then furthered by a strong block from freshman receiver Jaden Greathouse — underscored the eventual offensive struggles for the Irish, failing to gain multiple first downs on any of their last six drives.
Most of Notre Dame’s quality offensive moments came from junior running back Audric Estimé, particularly on two first-half drives that each ended in field goals. Estimé finished with 87 yards on 17 carries, as well as a touchdown to convert Xavier Watts’s fifth interception in his last three games.
But none of that matched Mafah, turning a spot start into 186 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Notre Dame missed Mitchell Evans this second half.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) November 4, 2023
Impact receivers are a scarce commodity in college football, but they are non-existent on the Irish roster.
That'll do it.
Mafah playing so well in place of junior running back Will Shipley — usually a tandem approach, so not a complete revelation from Mafah, but certainly shining in an elevated role while a concussion sidelined Shipley — quickly meant the Irish offense would need to find its own increase in production when it was already without leading pass-catcher Mitchell Evans, out for the year with a torn ACL. And as evidenced by Hartman’s 13-of-30 showing, no receiver stepped into that void. Senior Chris Tyree saw the most targets, catching four of those seven looks for 29 yards, while freshmen Jordan Faison and Rico Flores combined for three catches for 67 yards.
The turnovers were the greatest failing, though. Without them, Notre Dame likely would have sent Clemson below .500 on the season. The Irish outgained the Tigers, 329 yards to 285, and averaged 1.3 yards more per play. Penalties and turnovers have cost Clemson all season, turnovers in particular boosting Notre Dame of late. As those flipped, so did Saturday’s result.
“That’s the way it goes,” Hartman said. “That’s the Saturdays of college football. I’m going to stick my head up at the fact that (it) happened. We’re going to bounce back.
“The only thing I can give back to this program is the last two games, give everything I have and just play better.”
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
10:36 — Notre Dame field goal. Spencer Shrader 43 yards. Notre Dame 3, Clemson 0. (7 plays, 50 yards, 4:24)
6:57 — Clemson touchdown. Phil Mafah 41-yard rush. Clemson 7, Notre Dame 3. (1 play, 41 yards, 0:07)
2:08 — Clemson field goal. Jonathan Weitz 21 yards. Clemson 10, Notre Dame 3. (7 plays, 18 yards, 2:26)
Second Quarter
13:34 — Notre Dame field goal. Shrader 30 yards. Clemson 10, Notre Dame 6. (8 plays, 63 yards, 3:34)
9:11 — Clemson touchdown. Tyler Brown 9-yard pass from Cade Klubnik. Weitz point after. Clemson 17, Notre Dame 6. (9 plays, 75 yards, 4:23)
8:33 — Clemson touchdown. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 28-yard interception return. Weitz point after. Clemson 24, Notre Dame 6.
1:32 — Notre Dame field goal. Shrader 23 yards. Clemson 24, Notre Dame 9. (12 plays, 60 yards, 7:01)
Third Quarter
13:57 — Notre Dame touchdown. Audric Estimé 2-yard rush. Shrader point after. Clemson 24, Notre Dame 16. (1 play, 2 yards, 0:04)
8:08 — Clemson touchdown. Mafah 1-yard rush. Weitz point after. Clemson 31, Notre Dame 16. (11 plays, 75 yards, 5:49)
6:05 — Notre Dame touchdown. Sam Hartman 26-yard rush. Shrader point after. Clemson 31, Notre Dame 23. (4 plays, 74 yards, 1:56)