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Reese’s Piece: Clemson Football’s victory over Notre Dame

By Tyreese Ingram

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Hurricane Joaquin dumped a lot of rain on the state of South Carolina, and Clemson was pounded with rain from the onset of ESPN’s Gameday until the end of the Tigers 24-22 upset of the #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The rain was expected but no one knew how it would affect the attendance of the highly anticipated matchup of the two ranked teams. How about 82,415 fans. Yes, over 82,000 fans sat in a football stadium and got drenched in a monsoon like rainstorm.

I think ESPN should have given a Helmet sticker to the Clemson football fans for their dedication and perseverance during the torrential rain. Coach Dabo Swinney definitely took notice and had these words to say at the end of the game, “Rain, sleet, or snow. Tiger nation, they show and they were here tonight. Great, great job!”

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Among the rain soaked crowd were three of our Fans of the Month, Debby Laidlaw(June) and the Ewalds, Layla and Dustin(August). Layla, Dustin, and one of their tailgating friends, Jennifer Shore(Clemson ’97) also shared some pics from the day too.

Layla and Dustin Ewald cheering for their Tigers.

Debby didn’t take any pics because she was keeping her phone away from the elements. We will forgive Debby especially since she made the trip from Southport, NC and wasn’t able to get back home safely until Monday. She was delayed because she couldn’t pass through flooded areas of Columbia. We applaud each and everyone of our RubbingtheRock fans and keep the game pics coming.

Doubters. Clemson football came into the game against Notre Dame as underdogs, but they were the number 10 team in the country playing at home. So you would think that the Tigers had a chance to upset the Irish. Not according to Randy Cross of the CBS Inside College Football sports crew, Cross stated, “They(Clemson) are not ready to face a team like Notre Dame…I think this is a road game where Notre Dame goes on and dominates, I don’t think Clemson is ready.” But it didn’t stop there. Each analyst gave a statement on why Clemson would lose and Aaron Taylor a former Notre Dame All American even used the “L” word. No, not Ludicrous,  the word that Mike Tyson uttered repeatedly but Lugubrious. Never heard of it? Most people hadn’t until Taylor said that the Clemson fans would leave the game on Saturday lugubrious. By the way, lugubrious means to look or sound sad.

Well, now we know what lugubrious means and which fans left the game in a lugubrious state. Next time, Taylor should spend less time in the dictionary and more time in the Clemson and Notre Dame media guides. Clemson came into the game with an 11 game home winning streak and the Irish were 1-5 in there last six road games. So facts would say that picking Notre Dame over Clemson at home was ludicrous. Watch as Dabo gets to meet Mr.Lugubrious himself aka Aaron Taylor.

Lines of scrimmage. Notre Dame had experienced offensive and defensive lines while Clemson had new players on both fronts. The Irish were suppose to dominate the Tigers but I guess the young Tiger cubs ignored the hype.

The Clemson offensive line has all new starters and they went up against a Notre Dame defensive line that is one of the best in the country. The line protected Deshaun Watson well(no sacks) and paved the way for 199 rushing yards. RB Wayne Gallman rushed for 98 yards and Watson had 93 yards.

The defensive line was projected to have their hands full with the best offensive line in the country. Judging by the stats, I don’t think the Tigers had a problem. C.J. Prosise came into the night averaging over 150 yards a game but managed only 50 yards on 15 carries and his longest run was 10 yards. Clemson didn’t just stop Prosise but they also sacked QB Deshone Kizer four times. Defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd led the way with seven of the team’s nine tackles for loss and Dodd also had two sacks.

Layla Ewald, Dustin Ewald, and Jennifer Shore tailgating with friends.

Slippery when wet. WR Artavis Scott is known as an elusive and quick playmaker for the Tigers and he looked the part on Saturday night. He seemed to be even more difficult to tackle in the rainy conditions and it was evident on his 13 yard touchdown reception where he bounced off two defenders before he leaped into the endzone. Scott finished with 5 receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 4 kickoffs for 128 yards and was close to breaking one for a touchdown. Scott leads the Tigers in receptions and is tied with RB Wayne Gallman for the most touchdowns with three.

So I guess Notre Dame would have won the game if they hadn’t turned the ball over?

Notre Dame had four turnovers in a game where it rained from beginning to end. I would think both coaches and players knew that in those conditions turnovers are more likely to occur and could help determine the outcome. But turnovers can do that in any game, right?

Clemson only scored 7 points off of the four turnovers and only the fumble inside the Clemson  5 yard by WR Chris Brown stopped a probable scoring opportunity for the Irish. Make no mistake about it, the Tigers forced each of the three fumbles with hits. Even kicker Ammon Lakip laid a form tackle on Notre Dame freshman C.J. Sanders to cause a fumble.

Here is some of what Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had to say about his team’s turnovers and a few other things:

"I was disappointed for them that they did not seize the opportunity that they had. And that was to come down here and play a very good team, in a very difficult atmosphere, very difficult conditions, and very easily if they take care of the football and start fast they are going to win the football game-in my estimation. But started slow and turn the ball over 4 times and final score, you lose by 2…..I thought they(Clemson) had a good plan….they had the week off to prepare. I thought they did some good things against us, forced us to make some adjustments, but again if we go back it, the story is take care of the football."

Watch the entire Brian Kelly post game interview here

Regardless of the weather or all the prognosticators thinking that Clemson football wasn’t capable of beating Notre Dame. They did it. And Coach Kelly and the Irish fans can make all the excuses they want to but the better team won. There is a possibility of the two teams meeting again this season but it’s highly unlikely. So the Irish might have to wait until 2020, when the Tigers travel to South Bend to exact revenge on Clemson and Clemson alum, Nancy O’Dell who delivered a message on ET.

Next up is Ga. Tech. The Jackets have lost three in a row and desperately need a win in Death Valley tomorrow. And wouldn’t you know it, Clemson is on ESPN’s upset alert for the second time this season. The first time was for the matchup against Louisville.

Louisville was winless and at home but Ga. Tech is coming to Clemson, so I don’t get this one. If anyone should be on upset alert, then it should be Notre Dame. The Irish have a 4-0 Navy team coming to South Bend. Did ESPN forget that Navy beat Notre Dame in 2007, 2009, and 2010? Plus the Irish just lost a crucial game that could have possibly dashed their national title hopes. I’m not saying that the Midshipmen will win but why pick Clemson to lose.

There should be another BYOG party at Clemson tomorrow and don’t forget your rain gear.

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