Ups and Downs: Clemson Drops First Game in 2022

A look at the few things that went right for Clemson with an emphasis on what didn't work out well in a 35-14 loss at Notre Dame.

No. 4 Clemson lost for the first time in 2022 on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium. 

The Fighting Irish (6-3) trounced the Tigers (8-1) in an easy 35-14 non-conference game. Clemson will undoubtedly fall in the rankings after falling hard in South Bend, Indiana.

Here's a look at the few things that went right with an emphasis on what didn't work out well for the Tigers in their first loss since October 2021:

Ups

Will Shipley: Clemson didn't do much offensively and needed to get the star running back the ball more because he produce when he touched it. Shipley averaged over 5 yards per carry, finishing with 63 yards on 12 carries and scoring Clemson's only touchdown. He also caught five passes for 17 yards. 

Tight ends: Clemson's Davis Allen led the team with 70 yards on six receptions. He was targeted nine times and had a long of 22 yards. Jake Briningstool didn't catch a pass but he drew a pass interference call on a scoring drive late in the game. 

No shutout: For much of this game, it looked like Clemson might not score a touchdown. It would've matched last year's season opener against Georgia, but the Tigers finally broke through after Shipley punched one in from the 1-yard line with 10:14 to play. Clemson got another score on a 4-yard TD catch by Joseph Ngata with 1:35 remaining.

Downs

Punt block: Clemson knew coming into the game that Notre Dame had blocked five punts this season, so the Tigers had to have worked on making sure they didn't give up a sixth. Well, that didn't work out so well. The Irish broke through the line on an Aidan Swanson punt in the first quarter and got a hand on it. The ball popped up in the air and ended up in the hands of Prince Kollie, who rumbled 17 yards for the first touchdown of the game. It was a back-breaker for the Tigers. 

Quarterbacks: DJ Uiagalelei got benched in the second half for the second consecutive game because of performance. Backup freshman Cade Klubnik then threw an interception on his first pass deep in Irish territory that ND scored on. Uiagalelei came back in and threw a pick-6 in the fourth quarter. It was a disastrous day for a duo that gave the Irish 14 points in a 21-point loss. 

Run defense: There was nothing tricky about Notre Dame's rushing attack. The Irish offensive line just beat Clemson's defensive front into a pulp and created gaping holes over and over. Notre Dame finished with 263 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. It's the second time this season Clemson has given up over 200 rushing yards in a game, and this one was demoralizing as they just consistently got out-played physically. 

Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!

Get your Tiger tickets from SI Tickets HERE

Do us a HUGE favor and like, subscribe and follow us on social media:
►LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allclemson
►SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/AllClemson
►FOLLOW All Clemson on Twitter:https://twitter.com/All_Clemson

More on All Clemson: https://www.si.com/college/clemson/