November 4, 2023 – Death Valley, Clemson, SC
“If Clemson’s a stock, you better buy all you freaking can right now!” said Dabo Swinney after the Tigers handed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish their fifth defeat in the eight games in which the two teams have met. It’s a pretty safe bet there were some pretty anxious Clemson fans going into the game Saturday in light of all the negative comments swirling around the team and head coach Swinney. I dare say that “Tyler” was pretty anxious as well considering all the national attention he brought with his phone call to Dabo on Monday evening. But, this attention might have been just the catalyst the Tigers needed to fuel their fire and handily come out with a solid win over the Irish.
Dabo Swinney now has 166 career wins, making him the winningest coach in Clemson’s football history – one more than legendary Coach Frank Howard who ended his career with 165 wins.
One of the most notable mentions of the game is that Clemson finished with ZERO penalties for the day. This is a first for the Tigers since 1952. There was also only ONE turnover during the game; Mafah says, “I should have been holding the ball with two hands.”
Among the key players for the Tigers in the matchup are Cade Klubnik, Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., and most notably Phil Mafah. With the absence of Will Shipley, Mafah stepped up and ran for a career-high 186 yards (more than half the total offensive yards) and 2 touchdowns in the Tigers’ biggest win of the 2023 season. Klubnik’s passing yards were 109 (13 for 26 and 50%); he had 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. contributed 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and a pick-six interception during the third drive of the game that fired up the Clemson fans in a big way.
All in all, Saturday’s win against Notre Dame proved many things to the Clemson faithful – first and foremost, that ANYTHING is possible if you just believe. Additionally, we have solid confidence that Dabo is not finished in Clemson. In a post-game broadcast, Swinney stated, “We ain’t had a lot go our way this year, but the one thing that has shown up every week is the heart and fight of Clemson. And I know we’re down and everybody’s throwing dirt on us, but if Clemson’s a stock, you better buy all you freaking can buy right now. Let’s go!”
Next week, Georgia Tech arrives in Death Valley to take on the Tigers. Will they be the cause for Clemson becoming bowl eligible? Why, yes… yes, I believe they will.
As always, GO TIGERS!!
Written by:
Carol Anderson, First Lady of IBO
