Just like Clemson did in its comeback win two weeks ago, the Tigers switched things up at quarterback on Saturday night in hopes of an offensive spark.
While the quarterback switch against Syracuse worked out as Clemson rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Orange back on Oct. 22, things didn’t go so well when the fourth-ranked Tigers made a change at quarterback against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in a 35-14 loss on Saturday night.
With Clemson (8-1) trailing 14-0 with 1:20 left in the third quarter, Dabo Swinney made the decision to insert true freshman Cade Klubnik in place of starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei on the Tigers’ third possession of the second half.
The move backfired, though, when Klubnik’s first pass resulted in an interception inside Clemson’s own 20-yard line. Three plays later, Notre Dame running back Audric Estime ran for a 2-yard score that extended the Irish lead to 21-0 at the 14:37 mark of the fourth quarter.
Things continued to go downhill for the Tigers from there.
Uiagalelei came back in for Klubnik on Clemson’s first possession of the final period, but after Clemson drove inside the Notre Dame 20-yard line, Uiagalelei too had a pass picked off.
Notre Dame freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison intercepted Uiagalelei on a second-and-10 play from the Notre Dame 19-yard line and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown that pushed the Irish advantage to 28-0 with 12:58 left in the game.
Clemson finally got on the board on its ensuing possession after the pick-six, driving 75 yards on 11 plays, the last of which was a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Will Shipley that made the score 28-7 at the 10:14 mark of the fourth quarter.
It was too little, too late on a night when the Irish (6-3) and the turnovers crushed Clemson and its hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff.
Following Shipley’s score, Notre Dame responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive of its own to put the nail in the Tigers’ coffin. Irish quarterback Drew Pyne capped off the long march with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer that extended Notre Dame’s lead back to four touchdowns at 35-7 with 4:16 remaining.
Uiagalelei connected with wide receiver Joseph Ngata for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:35 remaining to provide the final score. Clemson attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by Notre Dame, and the Irish ran out the clock.
The Tigers trailed 14-0 after a first half that featured minimal offense on both sides, but a big play by the Irish on special teams proved to be the difference early.
Notre Dame blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown less than six minutes into the first quarter, then added a touchdown on offense late in the second quarter to take a two-score lead into the locker rooms.
After a pair of holding calls against wide receiver Beaux Collins derailed Clemson’s opening possession, the Tigers were forced to punt. Notre Dame then proceeded to block that punt – its sixth blocked kick of the season in eight games – and Prince Kollie returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to give the Irish a 7-0 lead at the 9:08 mark of the first quarter.
Late in the first half, Notre Dame took over at its own 22-yard line and marched right down the field, running the ball nine straight times before an 11-yard pass from Pyne to Mayer gave Notre Dame a first-and-goal from the 5.
Pyne used his legs to punch it in on the next play, running for a 5-yard score that extended Notre Dame’s lead to 14-0 with 38 seconds left in the half, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive.
Notre Dame finished with 348 total yards, including a whopping 263 yards on the ground, while Clemson had only 90 rushing yards and 281 overall.
Uiagalelei went 27-of-39 passing for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Klubnik went 0-for-1 with the interception on the lone drive he played in.
With the loss, Clemson 14-game winning streak — what was the nation’s longest active winning streak — came to an end.
The Tigers, who clinched the ACC’s Atlantic Division on Saturday with Syracuse’s loss to Pittsburgh, will wrap up the regular season with a three-game homestand against Louisville, Miami and South Carolina at Death Valley.
Kickoff of Saturday’s game against Louisville is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
