NBC's Mike Tirico on Clemson: The Tigers are an "SEC school outside of the SEC"
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On the significance of the No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup tonight:
"Well, I think it's huge. I think it's big nationally as for the obvious ranked reasons, but also the historical, Clemson and Alabama will really be the teams that when we look back in 10-15 years that defined this stretch of college football. This is the co-ultimate measuring stick, with Alabama, in college football right now. And Notre Dame has been a presence in the standard for generations with the Heisman winners in the national championships. Everyone, who we talked to, when we're covering Notre Dame, will always say from the opposing team, I mean, they've got their own movie in Rudy. So it has this mythical history to it. But at the same time, it also stands for a lot of things that are great. And a lot of the history of college football is written in South Bend, Indiana. It's good to have one of these kind of matchups, and it's got everybody excited, not just the Notre Dame folks, not just us at NBC, but I think the entire country, college football fans and sports fans in general.
On the job Dabo Swinney has done at Clemson:
“Well, it's great. I mean, and I say this as somebody who was old enough to remember the Danny Ford teams and has made more than one trip to the Esso Club down there to Clemson. I always felt like Clemson was an SEC school outside of the SEC, that football meant a lot-- there was a legacy, there was great recruiting in the area, it was just a really special program. But I've also always felt it was a special place. Maybe it's the intimacy of the town, the calm of the lakes, the beauty of the campus, how the stadium just jumps out at you, whatever it is, I've always felt like it was one of those unique places in college sports and college campuses period. To see it grow to this? I can't say that anybody would say, they expected it. But you can understand and see how it works and it just needed the right mix and Dabo's the right mix."
On the tough names to call tonight:
"Good job-- only topped by Uiagalelei tackled by Owusu-Koramoah and Tagovailoa-Amosa. Right? By the time we call the play fully, it'll be 3rd-and-5. It's cool. It's fun. It's one of those things that you get from time to time where you jump in and you have one of those names, that does not roll off the tip of your tongue, but you work on it during the week, and you're ready to roll."
On Trevor Lawrence not playing:
"It's crushing for all of us that Trevor is not playing. Let's start with Trevor himself. Let's start with the history of college football. I mean, we had a chance to see a potential Heisman winner, a potential No. 1 overall pick, a national championship quarterback play at Notre Dame Stadium. That's always great. It's something that Trevor-- it would have just added to one of those things. Why do guys come back? It's for opportunities like that. So when Trevor is 45 or 50 years old, he can tell his family about playing, 'Oh, you see this movie, Rudy, I played in that stadium. It was No. 1 against No. 4.' Like, I feel bad for the kid.”
On D.J. Uiagalelei playing in a game like this:
"D.J.'s got the size, the speed, the arm and all that, but he also has the makeup. Just listening to him talk the other day, in his media availability. Talking to Dabo (Swinney) about him. Talking to Tony (Elliott) and his teammates, what they had to say about the young man, and the way he carries himself is just great. Those are the fun things to see. There are not many teams in college football, who if D.J. showed up on their campus, they wouldn't say, 'your our starting quarterback tomorrow.' So for Clemson to be able to go to somebody like this when you're missing the best quarterback in the sport, that says everything about the program, the recruiting and the place as well."
On Clemson playing in Notre Dame Stadium:
"It's gonna be fun to see the Tigers run out at Notre Dame Stadium. The House that Rockne Built, you know they've got all those great statues. Dabo's taking the kids over there on Friday when they arrived to check it out. Everybody kind of checks it out-- takes a picture with Touchdown Jesus in the background. Which endzone is where the Reggie Bush push happened. It's great. It's one of the few stadiums that's part of the history of college football and to see a team that's this good come in there? It's gonna be great.”
