SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nearly two years ago to the day, Clemson walked off the field at Notre Dame Stadium after losing to the Fighting Irish. Tigers players filed past a jubilant onrushing group of Notre Dame fans who had spilled over the brick sidewalls to storm the field.
That night, there appeared to be a hopeful future for the program. A young QB named DJ Uiagalelei had made his first start due to a positive COVID-19 test for Trevor Lawrence, and he played brilliantly in a double-overtime loss. You could be forgiven if you thought then that Clemson would keep going at quarterback—from Deshaun Watson to Lawrence to Uiagalelei—and that the orange machine would continue churning out playoff berths.
Now, the QB situation is spinning its wheels. Two years after Uiagalelei’s debut, the Tigers hit a brick wall in an embarrassing 35–14 loss to Notre Dame that wasn’t even as close as the scoreboard indicated. The Irish didn’t just beat Clemson in their 2022 reunion—they broke the Tigers and the nation-leading 14-game winning streak they rode in on.
