SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Despite Saturday’s 35-14 loss to Notre Dame, No. 4 Clemson clinched the ACC’s Atlantic Division title by virtue of Pitt’s victory over Syracuse earlier in the day.
Clemson is now guaranteed a spot in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3.
The Tigers (8-1) have now won the Atlantic Division for a ninth time, including shared titles in 2012 and 2016. Clemson also earned a spot in the ACC Championship Game in 2020, when there were no divisions.
Clemson beat Notre Dame that year to win its seventh ACC Championship under Dabo Swinney.
Here are a few notes from the Tigers’ loss to the Irish:
- Clemson’s winning streak concluded at 14 games, the fourth-longest winning streak in school history.
- Running back Will Shipley rushed 12 times for 63 yards with a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 17 yards.
- Shipley scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The rushing touchdown was his 11th of the season, matching his 11 from his freshman campaign in 2021 to tie his single-season career high.
- Clemson has now scored at least one rushing touchdown in 63 of its 64 games since the start of the 2018 season, the most in the country.
- Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 27-of-39 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and an interception. With 191 passing yards in the game, Uiagalelei (5,165) became the eighth player in Clemson history to throw for 5,000 career passing yards.
- On his 14th completion of the game, Uiagalelei (463) became the eighth player in Clemson history to record 450 career pass completions.
- Uiagalelei tied Kyle Parker (32 from 2009-10) for eighth-most career touchdown passes in Clemson history. He is three shy of tying Nealon Greene (35 from 1994-97) for seventh.
- On the PAT following Joseph Ngata’s touchdown catch in the fourth quarer, placekicker B.T. Potter (218) broke Greg Huegel’s Clemson and ACC record for career extra points made (217 from 2015-18).
- Clemson held Notre Dame to 85 passing yards and has now held consecutive opponents below 200 passing yards for the first time this season.
- Punter Aidan Swanson recorded a career-long 67-yard punt in the first quarter, shattering his career long by 13 yards. In the third quarter, Clemson downed a 50-yard Swanson punt at the Notre Dame five-yard line.
- Clemson surrendered a touchdown on a blocked punt in the first quarter. FBS teams entered Saturday having won 35.6 percent of games in which they surrendered a special teams touchdown since 2008. Clemson dropped to 8-4 when allowing a special teams touchdown in that span.
- The game marked Clemson’s first time allowing touchdowns via offense, defense and special teams since 2007 against Virginia Tech.
- Clemson played a sixth night game in the first nine games of a season for the first time since 1949. Clemson’s six-night games this season (including Saturday) are already tied for fourth-most in a full season in Clemson history.
- Clemson’s streak of consecutive games without being shutout extended to 262 games, dating to 2003, adding to the 20th-longest streak of consecutive games scoring a point in FBS history.
- Clemson dropped to 4-3 all-time against Notre Dame. Clemson remains one of only five FBS programs with an all-time winning record against the Irish (minimum five games) along with Florida State (6-5), Michigan (25-17-1), Nebraska (8-7-1) and Ohio State (5-2).
- The game was Clemson’s first loss to an FBS independent since losing to Florida State in 1988 in the “Puntrooskie” game. Clemson had won 13 straight against FBS independents prior to Saturday (Note: Clemson’s loss to Notre Dame in 2020 came during Notre Dame’s lone year of ACC membership.)
- Clemson dropped to 41-5 since 2011 (and 1-1 this season) when facing an opposing head coach for the first time.
- Captains for the contest were linebacker Keith Maguire, defensive end Justin Mascoll, offensive tackle Walker Parks and Uiagalelei.
–Clemson Athletic Communications Contributed to this story