Clemson made a defensive stop on a two-point conversion at the end of the game to secure a 24-22 home win over Notre Dame Saturday in a battle of ranked, unbeaten teams.
Notre Dame capped a furious comeback from a 24-9 fourth-quarter deficit with a touchdown pass by DeShone Kizer on a fade route to the corner of the end zone with seven seconds remaining. That score pulled Notre Dame within 24-22, but on the two-point try that would have forced overtime, Kizer was gang tackled on a quarterback sweep to the right.
"It was B.Y.O.G., bring your own guts," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told ESPN after the game.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson completed just 11 of 22 passes for 97 yards, but added 93 yards on 16 carries as a rusher. Clemson's defense forced four turnovers, recovering three fumbles, to help secure the win and keep the Tigers (4-0) undefeated. With the win over the No. 6 team in The AP Poll, No. 12 Clemson should move into the top 10.
In front of scouts from five NFL clubs, Clemson junior defensive end Shaq Lawson had a very impressive showing. Working against one of the top left tackles in college football in the Fighting Irish's Ronnie Stanley, Lawson had seven tackles, 3.5 of them for losses, and drew a holding penalty with an impressive spin move.
Notre Dame joined three other teams in the top 10 to lose their first game of the season, joining Ole Miss, Georgia and UCLA.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
