[dropcap]T[/dropcap]urnovers coupled with a pair of failed two-point conversions ultimately did the Fighting Irish in Saturday in a 24-22 loss to No. 12 Clemson.
The sixth-ranked Notre Dame team rallied late, coming within just two points with just seconds remaining in the game after quarterback DeShone Kizer connected with Torii Hunter, Jr. Much like earlier in he fourth quarter, the conversion failed and sealed the fate of the Irish.
Notre Dame opted for Kizer to keep the ball and run on the conversion, but failed to get the key blocks to force an overtime.
“After throwing the ball successfully down there, they went into their pass-coverage defense,” Head Coach Brian Kelly told press Sunday afternoon. “So, it was the right thing to do was to run the football down there, and they executed better than we did on that particular play.”
The wet weather in South Carolina didn’t help the Irish cause either, as the slickness of the field and the ball made it difficult for Kizer to complete passes, receivers to catch passes and rushers to carry. In all, Notre Dame had six fumbles and lost three of those.
Kizer also threw an interception. He finished 19-for-34 with 321 yards and two touchdowns.
Kelly believes he saw another layer to the redshirt-freshman quarterback after Kizer led his team back into the game late in the fourth quarter.
“I think we knew he was the guy that could handle the moment, he certainly was able to do that,” Kelly said. “I thought he showed great poise in the pocket and I think it just added on to the fact that we’ve got a quarterback that can help us win a championship.”
Notre Dame – falling to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 polls on Sunday – will return home Saturday to host Navy.
