CLEMSON, S.C. – Dabo Swinney might need to share a game ball from Saturday’s upset-win inside Death Valley against Notre Dame, which entered the matinee affair ranked 15th in the inaugural College Football Playoff Top 25 for the 2023 season.
But Clemson, which Swinney said already had been counted out, overwhelmed the Fighting Irish in virtually every facet.
Including, perhaps most importantly, courtesy the weeklong motivation the Tigers’s program garnered from Swinney’s fiery rant after a disrespectful call from now-infamous Clemson fan, “Tyler From Spartanburg.”
There were plenty of jokes floating around that Tyler – last name unknown – deserved partial credit for Clemson’s 31-23 win – a game in which the Tigers raced to an 24-6 edge in the first half.
As Swinney spoke on the field postgame to the TV broadcast, he regained some swagger – and vowed Clemson had recharted its heading in college football.
Likewise, Swinney became Clemson’s all-time winningest head coach with his 166th triumph.
“I know we’re down, and everybody is throwing dirt on us,” Swinney said after Clemson snapped a two-game losing skid and moved to 5-4 on the season. “But if Clemson’s a stock, you better buy all you can freaking buy right now.”
That the Tigers upset the Irish was impressive enough; bolstered by Clemson forced to play without star tailback Will Shipley and multiple other key contributors who either missed this game or already had been lost for the season.
Swinney praised the heart and pride and effort of his team.
“We had 10 or 11 starters (out),” Swinney said. “They battled their asses off.”
Notre Dame now has lost three of its last six games -- and a season that began with earnest CFP aspirations for the Irish has unraveled beyond the prospect of a New Year's Six bowl bid.
The Irish have two games left after next week's bye; they play their home finale against Wake Forest Nov. 18 and close the season a week later at Stanford.