PREVIEW
After meeting twice in South Bend and twice in postseason play in the previous five years, Clemson will welcome the Notre Dame Fighting Irish back to Death Valley for the first time since 2015 when the teams square off this Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., is scheduled for noon ET.
Notre Dame has visited Memorial Stadium only twice, first in 1977 and again in 2015. The Irish’s 2015 visit ranks among the most memorable contests in the facility’s history, as 12th-ranked Clemson defeated sixth-ranked Notre Dame in ESPN College GameDay’s featured contest. Amid a torrential downpour from the remnants of Hurricane Joaquin, Clemson jumped out to a 21-3 third-quarter lead. The Tigers withstood a furious Notre Dame rally and snuffed out a Notre Dame two-point conversion attempt with seven seconds remaining to hold on to a 24-22 victory that spawned Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s famous “Bring Your Own Guts” postgame comments.
This Saturday, Swinney will again attempt to pass College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard for sole possession of Clemson’s all-time head coaching wins record. Swinney tied Howard with his 165th career victory in a 17-12 win against Wake Forest on Oct. 7.
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
- Memorial Stadium – Clemson, S.C.
- 6 a.m.: Lots Open
- 8 a.m. – TigerTown Tailgate Area Opens at Littlejohn Coliseum
- 9 a.m.: Ingles Tiger Tailgate Show presented by Upcountry Fiber, Live from TigerTown Tailgate
- 9 a.m.: Clemson Athletic Ticket Office and IPTAY Offices open
- 9:55 a.m.: Tiger Walk Driven by Chevrolet
- 10 a.m.: Gates Open
- 12:00 p.m.: Kickoff
- Watch via ABC or ESPN App (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, and Molly McGrath )
- Live Stats
- Listen: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret & Reggie Merriweather)
Zach Lentz: Maybe I am a glutton for punishment. Maybe I have a sadistic streak, or maybe I am just plain stupid, but I think this week has been a game-changer for the Tigers. This week every one was put on notice, practice has been the chippiest it has all season and I know that may not mean a lot once the ball is placed, but I believe this team is out to prove something. The Tigers have an opportunity to right the wrongs of a disappointing season at noon against the Fighting Irish, and it could be my orange tinted glasses, but I think you get sweatshirt wearing, fire-breathing, hyped-up, BYOG spitting Dabo Swinney and they take down the Irish.
Clemson 31, Notre Dame 21
Brad Senkiw: Clemson is too banged up on the offensive line and at receiver to have a bounce-back game on that side of the ball. And quite frankly, the last few games have been a disaster. The Tigers haven't scored more than 17 points in each of the last three regulations. Don't expect that trend to stop against a Notre Dame team that will out-physical Clemson up front. The Tiger defense will hold its own, but Irish QB Sam Hartman finally gets the win in Death Valley he's always dreamed about since he was at Wake Forest. "Tyler from Spartanburg" won't be happy, and changes are coming to Clemson in the offseason.
Notre Dame 23, Clemson 17
Jason Priester: Nothing we've seen in recent weeks leads one to believe Clemson can pull this off. And now, injuries are starting to accumulate, particularly along that offensive line. An offensive line that hasn't been very good the last four games. However, we saw scorched-earth Dabo Swinney make an appearance on his call-in show Monday night, and it sounds like that has carried over to the practice field this week. I might be way off but I think we see an inspired effort from that defense looking to atone for what happened last year in South Bend, and the offense does just enough. Add in a little Death Valley magic, and the Tigers squeak one out.
Clemson 24, Notre Dame 20
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