Dabo Swinney and the Tigers were dominated by Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame Saturday night as No.4 Clemson fell 35-14 in South Bend, ending their undefeated season.
Everything went wrong in this matchup for the Tigers, as the team was simply outplayed from start to finish. Notre Dame kicked off the scoring with a blocked punt for a touchdown which Clemson seemingly never recovered from. Notre Dame was the better team on Saturday night.
On the offensive end, DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers failed to score their first points until the fourth quarter, when it was far too late. Uiagalelei completed 27-39 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown, throwing a game-sealing pick-six in the fourth quarter. Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik replaced him for a sole drive that resulted in a Klubnik interception.
The Tigers’ defense ended up in a few difficult situations though it doesn’t excuse their performance. Clemson’s defense got gashed for 263 yards on the ground as the rushing attack was all the Fighting Irish needed for their offense to do enough for a win.
Swinney and the Tigers are no longer in control of their destiny in the College Football Playoff race.
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