SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Clemson was seconds away from a win in regulation and an overtime stop away from securing victory once again.
But the program that has seemed to always find a way to win close games, get the late stop or make the big play came up just short Saturday night at Notre Dame.
The fourth-ranked Irish rallied for a 47-40 double-overtime victory over No. 1 Clemson Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium, keeping Clemson from earning its first ever win over an AP top 5 team on the road.
"That's an instant classic, that's for sure," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "That was an unbelievable college football game, and both teams just displayed incredible competitiveness, incredible hearts, incredible will to win. It was unbelievable to watch."
The Irish scored in double-OT on a 3-yard run by Kyren Williams, before Clemson's drive went backward. The Tigers were facing a fourth-and-24 in double OT, needing a first down to extend the game and a touchdown to win it. But D.J. Uiagalelei's pass to Braden Galloway went for only 13 yards.
Galloway tried to lateral the ball to extend the play, but Notre Dame's Nick McCloud eventually pounced on it to seal the game and the win.
"We had our chance to win the game. We had every opportunity to win the game in regulation and we didn't get it done," Swinney said.
Uiagalelei was 29-of-44 passing for 439 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The freshman QB filled in for the second straight week after Trevor Lawrence's positive COVID-19 test that came just days before the Tigers' Oct. 31 game against Boston College. Lawrence, who was cleared from his quarantine period, traveled with the Tigers and was on the sideline Saturday.
Clemson will now enter its second open week before resuming with a Nov. 21 game at Florida State.
Notre Dame is a football member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2020 season only as teams navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Most believe the Irish and Tigers will meet again for the conference crown Dec. 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Saturday's game was played in front of a pandemic-reduced crowd of 11,011. At least a few thousand of them — most likely students — stormed the field afterward, jamming together and making it hard for both teams to get to their respective locker rooms.
