Time will test the enormity of what Notre Dame pulled off Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.
But in the moment, a still offensively incomplete Irish team, at the very least, stepped onto the big stage, ended up on the right side of the scoreboard shock and reintroduced themselves to college football’s relevant storylines.
Defense, special teams and a relentless running game against the nation’s seventh-ranked run defense punctuated just the third takedown in the last 25 tries of a top 5 team by Notre Dame, this pone a 35-14 smothering of AP No. 5, CFP No,. 4 Clemson (8-1).
The one semblance this ND upending of the Tigers had in common with the 47-40 double-overtime upset of a No. 1 Clemson team in 2020 was the sheer dominance of both lines of scrimmage.
The Irish (6-3) outrushed the Tigers 208-34 in 2020, and 265-90 on Saturday night.
Coordinator Al Golden’s defense continued its surge, including two interceptions from freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison. He picked off one from each Clemson QB to appear in the game, freshman Cade Klubnik in relief and DJ Uiagalelei after being reinserted into the lineup following Klubnik’s pick.
Morrison’s second interception was a pick-6 he returned 96 yards for a 28-0 lead with 12:58 left in the game.
The Irish also blocked their sixth punt of the season, extending their modern school record,
The next step in the evolution of coach Marcus Freeman’s first Irish team is to produce the consistency that will take then into their regular-season finale at USC with an 8-3 record.
Notre Dame gained bowl eligibility, something that was hardly a foregone conclusion after starting the season 0-2. The win should push the Irish back into the top 25 in both major polls and the CFP rankings. Suddenly, a New Year’s Six bowl berth doesn’t feel quite so impossible.
Is the offensive line’s progress for real? Can QB Drew Pyne play with poise in a big game? Has Golden found a defensive rotation and formula that can perpetuate the improvements on that side of the ball? All were answered with a resounding yes.
Can the Irish get to 9-3 with a lower-octane passing game?
The Irish hit the road to play Navy (3-6) at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, next Saturday at noon EST (ABC-TV).
Eric Hansen, InsideNDSports.com
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