Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Clemson Tigers Match Player Stats On Oct 03, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Oct 4, 2015

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third Saturday night as No. 12 Clemson held off No. 6 Notre Dame 24-22.

The game was in doubt until the final seconds after the Fighting Irish scored with seven seconds left to cut the Tigers' lead to two points, but Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer was stopped by Clemson defensive tackle Carlos Watkins on the 2-yard line on the two-point conversion attempt.

The Tigers then recovered an onside kick attempt to clinch the victory.

Clemson improved to 4-0 and Notre Dame fell to 4-1 after losing in its first trip to Memorial Stadium since a Joe Montana-led team downed the Tigers 21-17 after a late comeback in 1977.

Clemson led 14-3 at the half and extended that advantage to 21-3 early in the third quarter.

Tigers kicker Ammon Lakip made a hard tackle on Notre Dame return man C.J. Sanders on the second-half kickoff, causing a fumble deep in Fighting Irish territory. Three plays later, Watson dashed up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown.

But Notre Dame responded with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Kizer to running back C.J. Prosise to cut Clemson's lead to 21-9 with 14:13 left in the game.

Clemson got a 35-yard field goal from Greg Huegel on its ensuing possession, but the Fighting Irish struck again, getting a 3-yard touchdown run by Kizer to cut the Tigers' advantage to 24-16 with 9:03 remaining.

Clemson's defense came up big, however, as B.J. Goodson intercepted a Kizer pass to thwart a drive with 6:36 left. Then Goodson recovered a fumble by Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Brown receiver at the Clemson 3 with 2:09 left.

Watson threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 51 yards in the first half as the Tigers built a 14-3 halftime lead.

Despite playing in a steady drizzle in front of sold-out crowd, Clemson scored on each of its first two possessions.

On the Tigers' first play from scrimmage, Watson swept left for a 38-yard gain -- the longest of his career. Six plays later, he connected with tight end Jordan Leggett on a 6-yard touchdown pass.

After forcing a three-and-out and a 15-yard punt, Clemson took over on the Notre Dame 40 and required only four plays to score, with Watson hitting sophomore wide receiver Artavis Scott for the touchdown with 8:43 left in the first quarter.

Notre Dame (4-0) responded with a nine-play drive that culminated with a 46-yard field goal by freshman kicker Justin Yoon with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Clemson outgained the Fighting Irish 152-137 and had five tackles for loss in the first half.

NOTES: Clemson DE Shaq Lawson had 3.5 tackles for loss in the first half, giving him an ACC-leading 9.5 this season. ... Clemson P Andy Teasdall averaged 48.8 yards on four first-half punts. ... Notre Dame WR Will Fuller, who leads the team with 22 catches for 454 yards this season, had just one reception for 14 yards in the first half. ... Notre Dame RB C.J. Prosise entered the game averaging 150 yards rushing per game but was held to 4 yards on 10 carries in the first half.