The Clemson football program needed a win on Saturday, and it was to be no easy task with a tough Notre Dame team coming to Death Valley. A win is exactly what the Tigers got, as they played great football and took down the Fighting Irish 31-23 in front of their home crowd.
For a guy like Xavier Thomas, who returned for another year with the Tigers, a win like this had to feel good. Following the game, Thomas shared how head coach Dabo Swinney challenged not just the players but the entire program.
“Coach challenged the whole team on Monday. Everyone, all the way down to the people who cut the grass. He’s challenged everybody in the building, so that’s what this team needed,” Thomas said. “It was really if you’re all in or you’re all out. That’s what it came down to…guys who were in the building, he just challenged them to be inside-out, and if you wanted to be here and you wanted to fight and compete, then come bring it every day.”
It looks like that challenge paid off, as the Tigers looked arguably the best they have all season. It wasn’t a perfect win, but it showed that this team is still capable of winning big games.
Thomas was a huge part of the Tigers’ success, as the defensive line had a tough task against the Notre Dame offensive line. He, along with his teammates, stepped up and made the plays they needed to.
“We had different personnel packages. We wanted to try to mix it up and confuse them a little bit, throwing some different things at them. We executed our plan very well,” Thomas said.
This defense has been strong all season, and this win was one they deserved.