As advertised, the ACC Championship did not disappoint. Unless you’re a Notre Dame fan, in that case it definitely did disappoint. The heated rematch of the two top ranked squads didn’t exactly go to plan for the Fighting Irish. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, Clemson had their superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence back in their lineup. The Tigers and their supporters wrote the first game off as a fluke because they didn’t have their leader under center. After this performance it was clear that the first game was most definitely a fluke.
While it was fun to watch, this was not a “good” game by any means. Clemson embarrassed the Fighting Irish on national television. However, it wasn’t a rout from the jump. Notre Dame received the ball on the opening kickoff and got in to Clemson territory settling for a 51-yard field goal. The ensuing possession Trevor Lawrence looked out of character as he threw an interception on just his 2nd snap. But things would quickly change for the Tigers.
After, the interception the Clemson defense came out and got a stop handing the ball right back to Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence decided to quickly make up for his uncharacteristic interception by throwing a 67-yard dot to Amari Rodgers on the first snap of the drive. This is where the blowout began.
Lawrence would go on to complete 25 out of his 36 passing attempts racking up 322 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence also had a great day on the ground taking off 14 times amassing 90 yards including a 34-yard touchdown. Travis Etienne looked like his old self rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. This Clemson offense looked unstoppable.
What won the Tigers the game however, was their defense. If you watched this game you knew just how impactful their front 7 was. They pressured Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book on almost every single play. I almost felt bad for the guy because every time he snapped the ball it looked like he was running for his life. The Tigers sacked Book six times and made it impossible for him to move the ball down the field. Despite the consistent pressure, Book threw for 219 yards on 20 attempts.
This game determined the College Football Playoff which had four teams selected on Sunday, December 20th. The first semi-final will feature No. 1 Alabama up against No. 4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl. In the second semi-final, No. 2 Clemson will take on No. 3 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Both of those games will go down on New Year’s Day setting up the National Championship game. Can Notre Dame keep their dreams alive against a dominate Crimson Tide?
