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In yesterday’s “Showdown” between the Clemson Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Tigers prevailed with a clear result of 34-10. With that, the Tigers won the sixth ACC Championship title and made it into the College Football Playoffs for the sixth time in a row.
For Notre Dame, the result from the night means the first defeat of the season in the last game of the season. With a second win over the Clemson Tigers, the Fighting Irish would undoubtedly have been a sure candidate for the College Football Playoffs. Due to the clear defeat, one has to hope for a positive decision from the selection committee in Notre Dame.
After a hard-fought first quarter, the Clemson Tigers quickly gained the upper hand and left no doubt about the outcome of the top game.
The Fighting Irish started the game with the first drive, from which they did not get past a field goal with 11 plays and 46 yards. Immediately afterwards, the highly gifted quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, opened a pass-heavy drive for the Tigers. Against a strong Notre Dame Defense, the potential No.1 pick of the upcoming NFL draft also had a hard time at the beginning. The Clemson Tigers’ tough start came to an end in a pass attempt, which was intercepted by Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton.
However, the Fighting Irish offense could not take advantage of the interception. Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and his offense also struggled against the powerful and physical defense of the Tigers. Instead of a strong start from Notre Dame, the rally even ended in a missed 24 yard field goal from kicker Jonathan Doerer.
In direct return, Dabo Swinney’s team found their way back to their dominant game and ended the last drive of the first quarter with a 67 yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Amari Rodgers.
In the further course of the game you never had the feeling that Notre Dame could recover from the course of the first quarter. The Tigers, however, were not unsettled by the early interception and built on their strengths.
Strong Tigers Defense paves the way
The game was characterized by two strong defensive ranks and Trevor Lawrence, a quarterback who brought the game to a safe and flawless end after his first interception. The Notre Dame Offense found its rhythm at no point in the game. A strong run defense prevented the development of the running game, so Notre Dame’s running back Kyren Williams was not a factor in the course of the game. Due to the lack of running game, head coach Brian Kelly’s offense became enormously one-dimensional.
The recurring and relentless pressure of a dominant Clemson defense ultimately quickly turned the game in the Tigers’ favor. The Notre Dame offensive line was not up to the pressure and collapsed in rows. Quarterback Ian Book is certainly considered a quarterback who can buy outside pocket time and generate big plays. Compared to the excellent execution of the Pass Rush, however, he could not oppose anything either. Book was simply on the run for over three quarters of the game. In the end, the young quarterback didn’t have enough time to scan the field for a pass.
In the end, a dominant defense with a total of six sacks and 10 tackles, which led to the opposing yard loss, paved the safe victory for the Clemson Tigers.
The German defensive end Alexander Ehrensberger was not used in the clear defeat for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
imago images / ZUMA Wire
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