No. 3 Clemson has likely punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff for a sixth-straight season after winning its sixth-straight ACC Championship, taking down No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 in the conference title game on Saturday in Charlotte.
The rematch of the double-overtime thriller from early November packed all of the intrigue and high stakes you could ask for in the first ACC Championship Game between top-five opponents, but the result was hardly in doubt after a 24-0 run to close the first half put Clemson in the driver's seat. Notre Dame came out of the gate strong as its first three drives all got inside the Clemson 40-yard line, and the defense picked off Trevor Lawrence on Clemson's first offensive possession. But the Fighting Irish had only three points to show for that impressive start due to a missed chip-shot field goal and a turnover on downs in scoring position.
Clemson's defense flipped the script on Ian Book and the Fighting Irish offensive line with relentless pressure and terrific execution in key situations, holding Notre Dame to just 3 of 12 on third down while totaling six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
But the story of the game was Lawrence and his value to Clemson's success. After sitting out the loss in South Bend, Lawrence threw for 322 yards on 25-of-36 passing with two touchdowns and added 90 rushing yards and another score on 14 attempts. Lawrence makes excellence look easy, so it can be discombobulating when he's effortlessly throwing 67-yard or 33-yard touchdown passes to take over in one of the biggest games of the year.
At one point in the second quarter, Lawrence accounted for all but 10 of Clemson's offensive yards. When Notre Dame adjusted, that's when it had the counter punch of Travis Etienne. The Fighting Irish defense held Etienne under 30 yards rushing in the first meeting but could not limit the big play from the two-time ACC Player of the Year on Saturday. Etienne finished with 124 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries, including an impressive 44-yard touchdown run just before halftime that turned a competitive game between national championship contenders into a foregone conclusion for the team that has run the ACC in the College Football Playoff era.
Lawrence wasn't the only player who missed the first game between these two, as defensive starters James Skalski, Mike Jones Jr. and Tyler Davis all made their impact felt in their first crack at Notre Dame this season. Skalski had five tackles, a sack and tackle for a loss. Davis had four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. While Jones finished with just one tackle in the box score, his presence was felt as he helped set the edge to limit Notre Dame's rushing attack -- something he said he was screaming at the television for as he watched the game in November.
While Clemson seems destined for the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame's future now becomes the biggest discussion topic in all of college football. The Fighting Irish were undefeated heading into the game, but now enter a debate with Texas A&M as the next-best one-loss team in the country. Jimbo Fisher tried to argue the Aggies' case after their win against Tennessee, and Brian Kelly will no doubt spend all of the time available lobbying for his team's inclusion in the top four of the final rankings.
But while the 2020 season has provided all kinds of unexpected twists and turns, there was something familiar about seeing Clemson hoist the trophy in Charlotte as the ACC Champions. Its playoff opponent will be determined on Sunday, but its playoff worthiness is without question after showing up, again, as the most championship-worthy team when it comes time to crown champions at the end of the season.
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