Clemson Shocks Notre Dame, Game Ball Should Go To 'Tyler From Spartanburg' After Massive Win For Dabo Swinney

After a week of off-field talk concerning Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program, the Tigers took their frustrations out on Notre Dame. Obviously, the game ball should go to 'Tyler from Spartanburg' for Sparking the 31-23 win over the Fighting Irish.

We should've seen this coming, after the pro-wrestling like rant Dabo Swinney gave during his coaches show this past week. After being questioned on whether or not he was worth the amount of money being spent on his contract, Swinney threw it back in the face of the haters.

Obviously this season has been a mess, with Clemson entering the game 4-4 on the season. But there's no doubt that this squad was tired of hearing they weren't good enough. Whether it was Dabo Swinney's 5-minute rant during his radio show, or Clemson players finally stepping up for the challenge, message received.

Now, Notre Dame helped Clemson in the process, with Sam Hartman doing his best to give the Tigers a few extra points. But make no mistake, Clemson was agitated and the home crowd was fired up by the comments made by Dabo.

After rushing out to a double-digit lead, the Tigers felt the pressure from Notre Dame. But as we've seen in past games, Clemson didn't fold.

“Let me tell you something, we won eleven games last year, and you’re part of the problem to be honest with you, because that is part of the problem," Dabo Swinney said this week. "It’s people like you. The expectation is greater than the appreciation and that’s the problem."

Well, Clemson fans are very appreciative of the upset win over Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon in Death Valley.

Clemson, Dabo Swinney Grabs Much Needed Win Over Notre Dame

The noise has been loud this week around Clemson, with fans wondering if the football program was falling behind the times. While other teams are flourishing, Clemson has been more of a head scratcher for the entire 2023 season so far. But on Saturday, they silenced the critics, at least for now.

For Notre Dame, this was a loss that will sting. After losses to Ohio State and Louisville, Marcus Freeman was trying to keep this offense performing at a high level, but three turnovers against Clemson brought the Irish to a screeching halt.

As for Dabo Swinney, his team rallied for him this week. I promise you the players have heard the outside noise regarding the program, and Saturday was a statement, even if they're only 5-4 on the season.

"I know everybody is down on us, but if Clemson was a stock, you better buy high on us now," Dabo said postgame.

Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

But make no mistake about this one, wherever 'Tyler from Spartanburg' was watching this game, I'm sure he had a big smile on his face. After baiting the Clemson coach into a full blown rant about the program's spot in college football, they found a way to win on Saturday.

At the end of the day, it was the Clemson defense that made the final stop to prevent a collapse. Just like we witnessed earlier in the week, Dabo Swinney's defense of the program provided enough juice to pull off the upset.

Hopefully Swinney invites 'Tyler from Spartanburg' to the coaches show on Monday. If not for his wild question, who know's if Clemson would've had the extra motivation to shock the college football world.

Game ball certainly goes to Tyler.