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I can't wait until we play Clemson at home and show the world we can beat one of the the Big Boys. I know until that happens, it will always be the "elephant in the room".

Oh, wait... that already happened! We beat the "big boys". The truth is...nothing will satisfy some until ND wins a Natty. Only a National Championship will do for them. But that is the same place Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, USC, etc. fans are at, as well.

Personally, I look at what Kelly & Swarbrick have done with what they have been given and I think they have done a great job. Will they be able to win a Natty, maybe not, but only a few coaches in football could (and they ain't coming to ND). To be honest, there are only a few head coaches in college football that could do what Kelly has done at ND, so I give the guy props.

Is it disappointing to be embarrassed by Alabama? Definitely, and it was a rough few weeks getting over it; but in a sober state I am able to be a realist and realize the "state of ND football" is STRONG and we are the model and envy of most of the football world not named Alabama, Clemson, or OSU.

as Clemson subsequently proved beyond the shadow of a doubt.

What happened in the rematch has zero to do with the first game.

I would think the dichotomy between the two games would comfortably lay that suggestion to rest

If you want to talk about all the defensive starters that Clemson was missing, you would have a valid point. I honestly don't think Lawrence was the difference, mostly b/c his 5 star backup played even better than he did in the rematch.

Yeah, their QB play really suffered that game, Clemson’s sub looked terrible that night, that really decided the game

Oh wait.....

Etienne <100yds @ 1 ypc
ND 208 yds rushing @ 5 ypc
Clemson QB ~500 yds

Notre Dame had a great plan on 11/7, played out of their asses, and caught Clemson off guard with our defensive physicality, Book’s running ability, and our running backs.

In the ACC championship game, Dabo and Venebles adjusted and played pissed. ND didn’t have a passing answer with Clemson throwing everything to bottle up the run and spying Book.

It’s really that simple.

So we played them twice. Barely beat them the first time and got humiliated the second time.

Is that better? Does that make you feel better?

Then we got humiliated by Alabama?

What is your excuse for that?

"Notre Dame had a great plan on 11/7, played out of their asses, and caught Clemson off guard with our defensive physicality, Book’s running ability, and our running backs [speed].

In the ACC championship game, Dabo and Venebles adjusted and played pissed. ND didn’t have a passing answer with Clemson [defense] throwing everything to bottle up the run and spying Book."

Think that's a pretty clear explanation, no "excuses" really necessary. November - we had a better game plan...December, they did and we didn't have the talent to overcome because we couldn't open up the passing game.. As for Alabama, wasn't really the main part of the discussion, but yes, they were clearly better than ND and pretty much most of the country, including OSU.

Is that easier to comprehend?

We barely beat them and they then killed us.

Obviously we played better the first time. You got me there

You have no idea what would have happened if we had played at the level we did in the first game. You can pretend that you do but, you don't.

And nobody is saying we were better than Clemson. If we were capable of winning 2 out of 8 games against them, those 2 wins are still legitimate and count.

Per your own logic, you don't know what would've happened.

ND fans elevating the first win over Clemson to mythical "signature win" status is, however, illegitimate. And deep down, they know it. They know it because they already saw what a fully-loaded Clemson team can do against ND in the second game. No playing games in one's head -- just facts.

It’s just typical UHND homerism at work. Nothing new here.

Nobody ever said we were better than Clemson (or even as good as). Lighten up Francis.

The answer is almost certainly yes. And with the changes in game plans and attitude, would they still have beat us in the ACC Championship? Most likely yes. Would they still have lost in the CFP? Yes.

It was a signature win. Period.

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Link: https://www.journalreview.com/stories/clemson-swinney-face-major-offensive-changes-this-spring,146638

We all know we are not at the level of Clemson, OSU, Alabama... but we are the only team to beat Clemson in the regular season since 2017. I think that says something for how far we have come since losing to Navy in 2016.

It took ND two OTs to beat them as it was. It's still a W, I understand that and the record books will have no asterisk next to the win. But, the talking heads will all have their say on the game until the end of the world.

when they played ND? The answer is yes.

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A lot goes into winning games and accomplishing an undefeated season. Are we planning to go back and analyze all of our wins over #1 teams the last 100+ years to see if any key players were out or there were any questionable calls that went in our favor? Are other teams doing that? I hope not.

The losses later on to Clemson and Bama put the win into perspective IMHO. Do we think for two seconds that the 4 contributing starters would not have made a difference in South Bend? It's just my opinion and speculation anyways. Take Ian and three defensive starters out of the ND line up in any game last season and it could have had the potential of a real disaster. Just for good measure and under the circumstances, I was totally against rushing the field. Then again, I'm against doing it at any time.

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