The Notes: No. 2 Clemson 30, No. 3 Notre Dame 3

Today’s game is the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and the 10th played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The game is the first in Classic history between two unbeaten and untied teams.

Clemson won the coin toss and elected to defer its choice to the second half. Notre Dame then chose to receive to start the 83rd Classic.

The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic kicked off at 3:11 p.m. Central time.

FIRST QUARTER

CLEMSON (8:35): Greg Huegel 40-yard FG. The Tigers drive was nine plays, 31 yards and took 3:15 after a fumble recovery by DE Clelin Ferrell at the Clemson 47. Clemson rushed twice for 11 yards and was 4-6 passing for 20 yards. KEY PLAY: 8-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to RB Travis Etienne to convert a 3rd-and-2 play from the Notre Dame 33 to the Irish 25. Etienne caught the ball in the backfield at the ND 40 and picked up 15 yards after the catch.Clemson 3, Notre Dame 0.

Clemson had 2 chunk plays (1 rush of 10+ and 1 pass of 15+ yards) during the drive. Clemson scored first for the 10th time this season.

NOTRE DAME (4:31): Justin Yoon 28-yard FG. The Fighting Irish drive was 10 plays, 66 yards and took 4:04 after the Clemson field goal. Notre Dame rushed four times for 14 yards, 4-6 passing for 37 yards and there was one penalty for 15 yards against Clemson. KEY PLAY: 16- yard pass from Ian Book to RB Dexter Williams to convert a 3rd-and-10 play at the Irish 25.Notre Dame 3, Clemson 3.

Notre Dame had 2 chunk plays (1 rush and 1 pass) during the drive.

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER: Clemson 3, Notre Dame 3

SECOND QUARTER

Clemson (12:50): Lawrence 52-yard pass to WR Justyn Ross (Huegel kick blocked by Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery). The Tigers drive took three plays, 65 yards and took 1:04 after Notre Dame did not convert on a fourth-down play. Clemson rushed once for 7 yards and was 2-2 passing for 58 yards. KEY PLAY: On first-and-10 from the Clemson 48, Lawrence threw down the right sideline. Ross caught the ball at the Notre Dame 22 and evaded two defenders after making the catch on the way to the end zone. Clemson 9, Notre Dame 7.

Clemson had one chunk play (1 pass) during the drive.

The blocked PAT was the first in Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic history since the 2012 Classic when Arkansas K Zach Hocker had a second-quarter PAT kick blocked by Kansas State’sRaphael Guidry.

Clemson (1:44): Lawrence 42-yard pass to Ross (Huegel kick). The Tigers drive took eight plays, 85 yards and took 3:12 after a Notre Dame punt. Clemson rushed four times for 16 yards, was 3-4 passing for 64 yards and there was one penalty for 10 yards against Notre Dame and one flag for five yards against the Tigers. KEY PLAY: On 3rd-and-14 from the Notre Dame 42, Lawrence threw down the middle, where Ross caught the ball at the ND 14 and raced into the end zone. Clemson 16, Notre Dame 3.

Clemson had 3 chunk plays (1 rush and 2 pass) on the drive.

Clemson’s two TD receptions of over 40 yards in the first half marked the first time a team in the Classic had at least two 40+ yard TD receptions in a game since the 2015 Classic when Baylor had three such plays (49, 53 and 74 yards).

Clemson (:02): Lawrence 19-yard pass to WR Tee Higgins (Huegel kick). The Tigers took four plays, 80 yards and took :46 after a Notre Dame punt. Clemson was 4-4 passing for 60 and Notre Dame was called for two penalties for 20 yards. KEY PLAYS: With nine seconds left, Lawrence lofted a pass toward the back right corner of the end zone, where Higgins made a one- handed catch. Replay review confirmed the call on the field of touchdown. On the previous play from the Clemson 34, Lawrence threw a 32-yard pass to WR Hunter Renfrow to the Notre Dame 34. The Irish were penalized 15 yards for roughing the passer on the play to move the ball to the ND 19. Clemson 23, Notre Dame 3.

HALFTIME SCORE: Clemson 23, Notre Dame 3

FIRST HALF NOTES

• Clemson WR Justyn Ross had 5 receptions for 137 yards in the first half which is the most reception yards in a first half in Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic history.
• Clemson QB Travis Lawrence’s 264 passing yards in the first half is the most by halftime by a quarterback in Classic history.
• The 20-point margin by Clemson at halftime is the largest in Classic history since 2005, when Tennessee led 28-0 over Texas A&M.
• Notre Dame averaged 3.8 yards per play in the first half (141 yards/37 plays), while Clemson averaged 7.5 yards per play (306 yards/41 plays).
• Notre Dame had 4 chunk plays in the first half (2 rushes of 10+ yards and 2 passes for 15+ yards), one of which went for 20 yards or longer.
• Clemson had 8 chunk plays (2 rushes of 10+ and 6 passes of 15+), four of which went for 20 yards or longer.

THIRD QUARTER

Clemson (2:04): Etienne 62-yard run (Huegel kick). The Tigers took three plays, 71 yards andtook 1:01 after a Tigers’ interception by S Nolan Turner. Clemson rushed three times for 71yards. KEY PLAY: Etienne took a handoff on a 3rd-and-1 play from the Clemson 38, and raced down the left sideline for the touchdown. Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3.

Etienne’s 62-yard TD run was the eighth-longest in Classic history, and he became the 56thplayer in Classic history to rush for 100 or more yards. The TD run put him over the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth time this season, and he also set the Clemson single-season rushing yard record on the TD carry.

Clemson’s three touchdowns of 40 yards or more (52, 42 yards passing; 62 yards rushing) wasthe first time a team in the Classic had at least three TDs of 40 or more yards of any type in a game since the 2015 Classic when Baylor had three (49, 53 and 74 yards – all passing TDs).

END OF THE THIRD QUARTER: Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3

FOURTH QUARTER

NO SCORING

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3

SECOND HALF NOTES

• The fourth quarter was only the fourth scoreless quarter in the Classic since 2010 (Third and fourth quarters of last year’s Classic – USC vs. Ohio State and the first quarter of the 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic – Michigan State vs. Alabama).
• Notre Dame averaged 3.3 yards per play in the second half (107 yards/32 plays), while Clemson averaged 6.3 yards per play (232 yards/37 plays).
• Notre Dame had 4 chunk plays in the second half (2 rushes of 10+ yards and 2 passes for 15+ yards), one of which went for 20 yards or longer. Clemson had 6 chunk plays (5 rushes of 10+ and 1 pass of 15+), four of which went for 20 yards or longer.

POSTGAME NOTES

RECORDS: Clemson (14-0 overall; 8-0 ACC), Notre Dame (12-1).

83RD GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC AWARDS

SANFORD TROPHY (Outstanding Offensive Player)

• Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence (27-39 passing, 327 yards; 7 rushes, 6 yards, 3 TD).

McKNIGHT TROPHY (Outstanding Defensive Player)

• Clemson DE Austin Bryant (6 total tackles, 4 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFLs).

ATTENDANCE: 72,183; TIME OF GAME: 3:31

Clemson advances to the College Football National Championship for the third time in four years. The Tigers will play either Alabama or Oklahoma on Monday, January 7th at Levi’sStadium in Santa Clara, California. The Tigers are 1-1 in previous appearances, losing to Alabama in January, 2016, 45-40, and defeating Alabama, in January, 2017, 35-31. Clemson will be seeing its third National Championship (2016, 1981 seasons).

• In its three CFP semifinal victories, Clemson has out-scored its opponents, 98-20. The Tigers have allowed a total of 3 points in its last two semifinal wins.
• Clemson had 14 chunk plays in the game (7 rushes of 10+ yards and 7 passes of 15+ yards), 8 of which went for 20 yards or longer. Notre Dame had 8 chunk plays (4 rushes of 10+ and 4 passes of 15+), 2 of which went for 20 yards or longer.
• Clemson’s victory means that 10 different programs have won the Goodyear Cotton BowlClassic in the 10 games played at AT&T Stadium.
• Clemson moves to 2-0 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic all-time, while Notre Dame drops to 5-3 in the Classic.
• The ACC is now 6-5 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Independents have recorded a mark of 13-9-3 in the Classic.
• Since 1999, 16 of the last 17 teams to lead at halftime have gone on to win the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (2015 Baylor the lone exception).
• Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence finished the game 27-of-39 for 327 yards and three touchdown passes. In just the second quarter, he was 13-of-15 for 229 yards and 3 TDs.
• Lawrence became the second player to pass for at least 300 yards and 3 TDs in a College Football Playoff game. The other was former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, who did so twice against Alabama. Lawrence also became the 7th player in Classic history to pass for 300 or more yards (5th all-time in Classic history).
• Clemson WR Justyn Ross had touchdown receptions of 52 and 42 yards in the first half. Notre Dame entered the game as one of four FBS teams that had not allowed a 40-yard passing TD all season. Entering today, the Irish had not allowed a scoring pass longer than 27 yards this season.
• Ross finished with six receptions for 148 yards. He became the 10th player in Classic history to have 140 or more receiving yards (7th all-time in Classic history).
• Clemson had two 50-yard plus scoring plays – a 52-yard scoring reception and a 62-yard scoring run. Entering today, Notre Dame hadn't allowed a 50-yard TD in either of the last two seasons.
• Today’s 30-3 win marked the ninth consecutive victory for Clemson by 20 points or more (12 of 14 this season). The Tigers have outscored their opponents 430-97 during that nine-game stretch, an average of 47.8-10.8.
• Clemson allowed just three points, the fewest scored by Notre Dame in its 38 all-time bowl appearances (36 officially recognized by the NCAA).
• Clemson has won three straight games against Notre Dame, improving to 3-1 all-time against the Fighting Irish.
• Clemson scored first for the 10th time this season. The Tigers are 37-0 when scoring first over the past four seasons.
• Notre Dame FS Alohi Gilman set a new CFP record with 18 total tackles (8 solo), breaking the previous record of 15. He registered 13 of his stops in the first half. Notre Dame LB Te’vonConey added 16 tackles (4 solo), now the second-highest total in CFP history.