Chicago Sun-Times

RALLY FALLS TWO SHORT

Failed conversion in waning seconds foils Irish comeback bid

- BYPETE IACOBELLI

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney learned plenty about his 12th-ranked Tigers on Saturday night, qualities he believes make them hard to beat.

Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes, ran for a third score and 12th-ranked Clemson withstood No. 6 Notre Dame’s second-half rally for a 24-22 victory.

“This is what it’s all about,” Swinney said. “It ain’t always perfect. I told them, ‘Listen, we give you scholarshi­ps, we give you stipends and meals, we give you nice uniforms and a place to live. I can’t give you guts. I can’t give you heart.’ … Tonight it was BYOG, bring your own guts. They brought some guts and some heart and they never quit.”

It took until almost the final play to secure the win, defensive tackle Carlos Watkins stopping Irish quarterbac­k DeShone Kizer on what would’ve been a tying 2-point conversion with 7 seconds left.

“It’s was man versus man, heart versus heart. And he got there. I didn’t lower my shoulder the way I should,” said Kizer, who threw two touchdowns passes and had a scoring run in Notre Dame’s secondhalf rally.

The Irish (4-1) had four turnovers, all in the second half. Linebacker B.J. Goodson had an intercepti­on and a fumble recovery to choke off two Notre Dame chances in the last 7minutes. Still, the Irish were a play away from overtime.

“They say the luck of the Irish,” Clemson defensive coordinato­r Brent Venables said. “We had some luck, too.”

Like kicker Ammon Lakip getting a helmet on the ball on the second-half kickoff, forcing C.J. Sanders to fumble. Moments later, Watson was in the end zone after a 21-yard run for a 21-3 lead. Watson accounted for 190 yards, 93 of those coming on the ground.

On Notre Dame’s next series, sure-handed runner C.J. Prosise fumbled with the ball bouncing out to where only Clemson safety Jayron Kearse could recover.

“If you told me we were going to turn the ball over four times, I was going to tell you we would lose,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “It doesn’t take a genius [to know] we turned the ball over four times and lost.’’

Kizer rallied Notre Dame from 21-3 down in the second half with two touchdown passes, the last a 1-yard toss to Torii Hunter Jr.

Clemson secured the Notre Dame’s onside kick and closed out the victory, moving to 4-0 for the fourth time in five years.

Clemson struck quickly in Notre Dame’s first visit to Death Valley since 1977, with Watson running for 38 yards on the game’s first play. Watson found Jordan Leggett moments later for a 6-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.

Clemson kept the pressure on its next series. Watson connected with Hunter Renfrow for a 24-yard pass inside Notre Dame’s 20, before finding Artavis Scott for a 13-yard TD and a 14-0 lead.

The Irish’s only points of the half came on a 46-yard field goal by Justin Yoon.

 ?? | STREETER LECKA/GETTY IMAGES ?? Irish quarterbac­k DeShone Kizer (on back with ball) lies on the turf after being stopped on a two-point conversion with seven seconds remaining.
| STREETER LECKA/GETTY IMAGES Irish quarterbac­k DeShone Kizer (on back with ball) lies on the turf after being stopped on a two-point conversion with seven seconds remaining.

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