Final: Clemson 24, Notre Dame 22: DeShone Kizer throws for 321 yards and two touchdowns with most of them coming in the fourth quarter. Kizer adds a team-high 55 rushing yards for Notre Dame. Wayne Gallman woke up in the rushing game for Clemson in the second half and finished with 98 yards on 22 carries. Deshaun Watson had 97 passing yards and 89 rushing yards. A game that Notre Dame will look back at and wonder what might have been while Clemson should find lucky that they won considering they couldn’t score more off Notre Dame turnovers.
4th Quarter- Clemson 24, Notre Dame 22: Kizer finds Torii Hunter Jr. from one yard out with just seven seconds left which brings the game down to a two-point conversion which is stopped by Clemson as Kizer tried to run the ball in himself. A dramatic comeback from the Fighting Irish in the final 15 minutes that will come out just short and the decision by Brian Kelly to go for two on the first touchdown of the quarter will be talked about for a long time to come.
4th Quarter- 1:13 left: Four turnovers for Notre Dame which they are likely haven’t turned into a ton more points for Clemson. They will get one final chance though after a punt.
4th Quarter- 2:09 left: Wow. Chris Brown makes the catch but fumbles the ball with Clemson recovering at the 5-yard line. Notre Dame gets so, so close and now needs a huge stop with just two timeouts left. Kizer has been a monster in the second half for the Irish with Clemson playing not to lose it would appear.
4th Quarter- 2:19 left: 12 yards away from a chance to tie the game for the Irish as they rush down the field again.
4th Quarter- 4:29 left: Huegel misses a 45-yard field goal that would have locked the game down. Notre Dame still has a chance in the coming minutes.
4th Quarter- 6:36 left: That was quick. Kizer intercepted by B.J. Goodson on the first Notre Dame play. Clemson has to score here to finish this.
4th Quarter- 6:41 left: Notre Dame gets the ball back with a chance to tie the game after Kizer has completed three passes in this final quarter for 115 yards. This one isn’t over yet.
4th Quarter- Clemson 24, Notre Dame 16: This fourth quarter has seen a completely different Kizer and Notre Dame team with the touchdown earlier and now this one to make it a one-possession game with plenty of time left as Kizer runs it in from three yards out with 9:03 to play. Clemson needs a long, time-consuming possession to stop the Irish wave of energy.
4th Quarter- Clemson 24, Notre Dame 9: A key field goal from Greg Huegel will make Notre Dame score two touchdowns and get a two-point conversion along the way with 10:56 to play. If the Irish can continue the connection between Kizer and Prosise, there is still a chance for this game to be competitive in the final few minutes.
4th Quarter- Clemson 21, Notre Dame 9: Suddenly, the Fighting Irish are back in the game on a 56-yard pass from Kizer to Prosise out of the backfield. It’s a game in Death Valley as Prosise has found his way in the pass game instead of the run game. However taking a timeout after the touchdown and before the 2-point conversion attempt which failed will likely come back to haunt Notre Dame.
End of 3rd Quarter- Clemson 21, Notre Dame 3: As the fourth quarter starts, Notre Dame needs to score on this possession. C.J. Prosise is running the ball hard and looks better suddenly. It’s going to be a tough task though down by 18 and was very heavy rain coming shortly to Death Valley. Deshaun Watson has 84 passing yards and 78 rushing yards for Clemson while Prosise has 41 yards on 15 carries. The last 15 minutes are going to be very, very interesting to see if the Irish make this a game or not.
3rd Quarter- 1:01 left: Notre Dame finally catches a break as Watson throws a key interception in the end zone. Irish needed that badly…..
3rd Quarter- 1:46 left: Wayne Gallman has shown up on this drive. Running hard and making a key reception early in the possession. Clemson is moving the ball yet again on the Irish defense.
3rd Quarter- 6:47 left: Hunter Renfrow appears to make a catch on a deflection and even with the officials looking at it; it is one of the best catches anyone will see. Clemson appears to be every break even if the play is overturned.
3rd Quarter- 8:56 left: Rain has picked up and is now coming down in buckets. Notre Dame got the stop they needed on defense but can’t get anything done on offense worthwhile. It’s going to be an uphill battle to rally in this one.
3rd Quarter- 14:03 left: Another Notre Dame fumble……this time from Prosise. Clemson can lock this down if they can score again right here.
3rd Quarter- Clemson 21, Notre Dame 3: There goes Watson again. A 21-yard touchdown run on third down for his third touchdown of the night. A disaster for sure for the Fighting Irish and Watson is showing why he could be leading this Clemson team towards an ACC title this season. Notre Dame needs a huge response out of Kizer and the offense now that they are three possessions behind just 46 seconds into the second half.
3rd Quarter: This simply isn’t Notre Dame’s night. A fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and the kicker is the one who knocked the ball loose. Clemson getting every break and has a chance to put this game away early on in the second half.
Halftime- Clemson 14, Notre Dame 3: The defenses came to play in the second quarter and the offenses were stopped during those 15 minutes. Watson produced just 13 yards of offense in the second quarter for Clemson while Prosise rushed ten times for just four yards in the first half for Notre Dame. It looks like a completely different game from the first quarter. Kizer is 9-for-19 for 96 yards passing with 33 rushing yards and looked better in the second quarter. If the weather continues to go downhill, there may not be much more scoring in this game. It will be key for Notre Dame and Kizer to find his best receiver in Will Fuller more in the second half. For Clemson, Watson has to find the same running lanes he did in the opening minutes of the game. With many upsets in the top ten already on Saturday, this is a chance for both teams to make a big move up the rankings with a win.
2nd Quarter- 4:06 left: Notre Dame is being dominated by the Clemson front seven and the crowd is really changing things on the Irish, who can’t seem to get anything going. C.J. Prosise has been stopped each and every time he has tried to rush it. The Tigers look very good late in the first half with an 11-point lead.
2nd Quarter- 7:31 left: The Irish commit three straight penalties with two delay of games and a false start. That must be driving Brian Kelly nuts on the sidelines. Then Clemson nearly fumbles away the punt. Mistakes galore in the last few minutes from both sides as the game begins to turn sloppy.
End of 1st Quarter- Clemson 14, Notre Dame 3: The Irish pinned the Tigers back on a punt late in the quarter but Clemson is driving again as the second quarter starts. Watson has 52 yards passing and 50 yards rushing after one quarter of play. Prosise has rushed six times for Notre Dame but has -5 yards on those carries. If the Irish are going to win this game, they need Prosise to get going and have some long runs. It can’t all fall on Kizer on the road. Clemson looks like the dominant team so far at home in Death Valley with a confident Watson under center.
1st Quarter- 2:12 left: Kizer looking better with the offense, going off for a 26-yard run to get Notre Dame into position where they can get this back to a one-possession game. Kizer has thrown 28 yards and rushed for 28 more so far.
1st Quarter- Clemson 14, Notre Dame 3: Justin Yoon hits a long 46-yard field goal to get the Irish on the board but the possession was kept alive by a pass interference call on third down. Notre Dame’s offense looks stuck in the mud during Kizer’s first road start. If he can’t find his receivers and doesn’t continue throwing the ball 90-95 MPH at them, it could be a long night.
1st Quarter- Clemson 14, Notre Dame 0: Another solid possession from Watson and the Tigers offense against an Irish defense that has been getting off the field quickly. Watson hits Artavis Scott for a 13-yard touchdown and it is a quick two-touchdown lead for Clemson with the heavy weather coming. Watson is 4-for-5 passing for 52 yards and two touchdowns to go with 41 rushing yards on two carries.
1st Quarter- 10:20 left: An awful first possession for Notre Dame with two running plays that go nowhere and then Kizer having to run for his life to gain just five yards before a bad punt gives Clemson great field position to start their second possession. This has the potential to get out of hand for the Fighting Irish very quickly if the Tigers go down the field again just like they did on their opening possession.
1st Quarter- Clemson 7, Notre Dame 0: With the rainy weather, the run game was going to be the most important thing. Watson’s opening 38-yard run put Clemson into scoring territory and once again Watson gets the job done on third down to keep the drive going. Watson finds his man in Jordan Leggett to convert another third down and the Tigers take the early 7-0 lead just 2:41 into the game.
Pregame: The weather is going to be a major factor tonight as the two top-15 ranked teams get together. Heavy rain is expected all game long which will make any sort of offense be a challenge in itself. Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer is still learning on the job after taking over for the injured Malik Zaire. Kizer is completing 67.7% of his passes this season but will be challenged to continue that pace in this one.
C.J. Prosise has 600 rushing yards and six touchdowns for the Fighting Irish as well to lead the team. On the Clemson side, Deshaun Watson has been effective under center with seven touchdowns and three interceptions while completing nearly 75% of his passes. With the rain, it will be up to Wayne Gallman to run effectively and has been averaging nearly six yards per rush. Two hours until kickoff and the heavy rain is still on the horizon.