Watch the full replay of the live show above. @Mason Plummer has provided a transcription of the first 10 minutes or so of the show if you're not able to watch. I will also be posting the audio of the postgame show on our podcast channel as well.
Opening Thoughts
“We thought maybe this was going to be an ugly game, but really, what an amazing game. What an amazing night; what an amazing sport. So many people looked great tonight. We got up early tonight when Kyren Williams busted out for a long touchdown run; that was great. Even as a fan though, you kind of got comfortable then start to think ‘Well, Notre Dame has been here before.’ It was such an up and down game. Early in the second half, Clemson took hold of the ball and finally found their rhythm and momentum. What a game, good for those guys! Good for us! Wow.”
Game-tying drive late in the 4th quarter
“Say what you want about Ian Book, but he is a winner. It’s not pretty sometimes but he has got stones; he really does. He’s got balls; he’s got moxie. It’s not pretty all the time, but on that last drive, it was the second or third time we saw Book push the ball downfield and get it to the seams. We saw a lot of bad routes in previous games, but we saw Book here find guys down the seam, like when he found McKinley and Davis a few times. It was really nice to see us pull out the whole play book. We ran the ball extremely well, Tremble got involved, and it was an amazing game. Truly an amazing game. I thought maybe at times we were throwing the ball a bit too much and I didn’t want them to forget about the run game. For Ian Book to play Clemson the way he did, so what they had some injuries. To not take a sack, just to be a custodian of the game, a custodian of the ball, it was tremendous.
“It really seemed like all the stars aligned tonight and I was thinking ‘If there was ever a time to do it, this is it.’ The defense played great; they did a great job with Etienne. They held him under 20 yards in the first half. Your playmakers made plays, and man, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Every game he makes a play, and in this one he made 1-2 plays and you’re just like ‘Man.’ “Daelin Hayes is turning into a playmaker and becoming reliable, to top up in those big moments as a captain is amazing to see there at the end. It was a great time win, a great team effort, that’s why we love the sport. There were ups, there were downs, people picked each other up, and key playing. It was awesome to see, awesome.”
On last defensive stop/defense as a whole
“I think a lot of our fans remember the ‘05 Bush Push game and I remember on Southern Cal’s last possession -- I want to say we had sacks on first and second down. Then they threw the ball up the sideline and ended up winning. It kind of reminded me of that game and I was thinking ‘Ohhh no.’ The defense on that last series, I remember thinking that either Owusu-Koramoah or Hamilton was going to come up and make a play and put an end to this damn thing. Overall, this is what great teams do. You got to soak in the moment and really this is the moment everyone dreams about when you are growing up in the backyard.
“Kyren played great. When I watched the game I was thinking ‘That guys jersey is all nicked up! What a game, good for Ian Book. He deserves it.
“I loved what Rees did with Tommy Tremble tonight. Running him out into space and displacing him to let him be a lead blocker in a lot of spots. What a humble kid too. He isn’t catching as many passes as he probably should, but he is really the motor of the offense, and I liked seeing him getting involved in the passing game.”
Game ball
“Ian Book gets the game ball for me, and man does he deserve it. He should get a gold-plated game ball. To hang in there and complete the passes he did and take some of the shots he did, man what a game. I loved the scheme tonight too. We flashed that inside running game I had been calling for, finally.”
Confidence
“Now that they finally got it done and beat Clemson, I don’t really even worry about the ACC Championship just yet. Worry about that if and when you get there. Notre Dame got it done tonight and maybe goes into that game with more swagger and a little bit of confidence knowing they did it once already. Of course, it is difficult to beat a team twice and especially with all of their weapons back, but Notre Dame will have theirs back too. Notre Dame’s weapons are not the same as Clemson’s but they are still there.”
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