Notre Dame coming off a win, hoping to upset Clemson
SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Notre Dame beat two 16th ranked teams over a four-week span after the recent win over Syracuse.
The win over the Orange couldn’t have come at a better time for the Irish they hope to use the momentum to overcome their home game struggles against the undefeated Clemson tiger.
“I was really pleased at certain areas of all three phases, you know, it wasn't perfect. And that's the game of football,” said Head Coach Marcus Freeman.
Similar to the win over previously 16th ranked BYU, Notre Dame started the game with a pick six.
“Defensively to player the game was Brandon Joseph had the big pick six to start the game,” Freeman added.
From there, Irish took off and never looked back.
A big reason why, is productivity in the run game.
Notre dame scored three of their five touchdowns on the ground, controlling the clock for nearly 40.
“Our offensive line did a great job. The ability to run the rush the ball for I think 240 something yards,” Freeman said.
Now it’s time to turn focus to Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.
“I don't know him never talked to Dabo Swinney but have really paid attention from afar. And you know, you only hear great things from his players about the type of leadership the results speak for itself, you know, and he's done great things for that football program and college football period,” Freeman added.
The last time these two teams met, Notre Dame pulled off 47-40 upset in double overtime at home and Freeman remembers watching the game one year before joining Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator.
“I remember Ian Book thrown at long pass I think the Avery Davis right there's a couple plays just stick out my mind,” Freeman mentioned.
This time, Freeman is in the driver’s seat and looking for his first win over a top 5 national program.
“Would a win versus Clemson, help me build confidence in the thing we do the things we do? Absolutely," Freeman added.
The two teams will meet under the lights on Saturday night Notre Dame looking to make Clemson an 8-1 team and advance to 6-3.