The Clemson Tigers upset Notre Dame by a score of 31-23 last Saturday. Here are a few key takeaways from the game:
Paws up: Phil Mafah
Filling in for Will Shipley, who was in concussion protocol, Phil Mafah was given the keys to the Tigers’ backfield, and he delivered. The junior tailback took 36 carries for a career-high 186 yards, finding the end zone twice to ignite the Clemson offense. His first score came when he took a rush on the first play of the Tigers’ second drive for 41 yards to score his seventh touchdown of the season.
Mafah’s 186 rushing yards were also the most rushing yards by a Clemson running back since Kobe Pace in 2021 when Pace had 196 yards against Wake Forest.
“I just think he knew what his role was going to have to be today,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “I challenged him all week. He was awesome.”
With Shipley’s status still being day-to-day, Mafah’s busy stretch of games might not be over just yet.
Paws down: Run defense
Despite the success that the Clemson offense found in the running game, the Clemson defense struggled against the Irish’s rushing attack, especially early in the game.
On the opening drive, the Tigers allowed Notre Dame running back Audric Estime to erupt for two 20-plus rushing plays, allowing the Irish to strike first with a field goal.
Not only that, but Clemson struggled to contain Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman in the backfield, as he used his legs to create huge plays for the Irish that turned into points. One of these plays was a touchdown, where he rolled out and scrambled for a 26-yard score in the middle of the third quarter. Hartman finished with 68 rushing yards, averaging 9.7 yards per carry.
Despite the Tigers having success against defending the run over this past season, the Irish were able to take advantage and stay in the game because of it.
Paws up: First-half performance
Clemson put up such a performance in the first half that by the time they were walking off the field at halftime, the Memorial Stadium crowd was giving them a standing ovation.
Through the first two quarters, the Clemson offense was able to have a plethora of opportunities, mostly thanks to Mafah’s incredible game on the ground and the defense being able to stop the Notre Dame offense at crucial moments.
Clemson’s defense was able to get points of its own as well when linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. recorded a pick six in the second quarter. The junior read a Hartman pass and took it back 28 yards to extend Clemson’s lead to 24-6.
By the time head coach Dabo Swinney and his team were going to the locker room, the lead was comfortable enough for them to hold on to a one-score win at the end of it.
Paws down: Close calls on turnovers
Clemson had two turnovers in the game: an interception from quarterback Cade Klubnik and a fumble at the end of the game by Mafah. However, there could have been many more, and the Tigers could have been in a much more unfortunate situation if that happened.
There were two instances where Clemson was driving in the second half in a close game that spelled trouble for the team. The first happened at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the Tigers were driving into Notre Dame territory. On a 3rd-and-4, a wild snap sent the ball all the way back into midfield. Klubnik was able to hop onto the football and keep possession, but the wild snap took any chance of putting the game away and forced Clemson to punt.
A drive later, Klubnik tried to pitch the ball to Mafah on what looked like an option play, but the sophomore signal-caller and the tailback weren’t on the same page, and Mafah had to jump on a fumble.
Despite the Clemson defense making up for the offensive mistakes, these miscues have been the story of the Tigers’ season.
Paws up: Pass defense
Despite missing Sheridan Jones and R.J. Mickens, Clemson’s banged-up secondary played perhaps one of its best games in terms of pass defense this season.
The Tigers held Hartman to the bare minimum in his passing attack, holding the former Wake Forest signal-caller to only 13 of 30 completions, allowing 146 yards and two interceptions. Both interceptions were incredibly valuable, with the first being Trotter’s pick six and the other being thrown at the 1:58 mark in the fourth quarter when freshman Kylon Griffin caught Hartman’s pass to return possession for the Tigers late.
The secondary connected and caught fire at the perfect time, as Clemson has to play pass-heavy offenses in Georgia Tech, North Carolina and South Carolina in the upcoming weeks.
