ARLINGTON, Texas — Dabo Swinney needs to amend his ROY — Rest of Y’all — shtick.
It’s not Alabama and everybody else. Not anymore. Certainly not now. Clemson belongs in the same category as Nick Saban’s juggernaut.
The 30-3 Cotton Bowl destruction of No. 3 Notre Dame at the pro-Irish AT&T Stadium was just the latest example. After outclassing previously undefeated Notre Dame, the second-ranked Tigers move on to their third national championship appearance in four years, where they will meet Orange Bowl winner Alabama on Jan. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
“It’s like they should be part of our regular schedule,” Clemson tackle Christian Wilkins said of facing Alabama in the playoff for the fourth straight year. “We get used to playing them every year. It’s almost like they’re in our conference.”
Earlier this season, Swinney joked when he was a player there were two buses: The big-time bus and the ROY bus — Rest of Y’all. Only Alabama belongs on the first bus, he has said. But it’s becoming harder and harder to consider Clemson as anything but a big-time program.
“Our daily structure prepares us for this moment,” Swinney said. “I always tell them, we’re built for this. I mean, we’re built for this by how we train, how we run our program from January to this point. It doesn’t start in August.”
In the days leading up to the showdown, Clemson (14-0) lost one of its best defensive players, projected NFL first-round draft pick Dexter Lawrence, to a failed drug test, and the Tigers’ defense still held the Irish’s 28th-ranked offense to a single first-quarter field goal, sacking Ian Book six times. True-freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence made the pressure and intensity of his playoff debut look like a walk-through, completing 27-of-39 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Deshaun Watson wasn’t nearly as efficient in his first playoff game. Nearly was Baker Mayfield.
“I’ve been saying it all along. The young man plays his best on the biggest stage,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “He did it in high school throughout his career. He lives for moments like this.”
Clemson’s most potent weapon was Justyn Ross, a true freshman who was fourth on the team in receptions during the regular season. He torched the Irish, which were missing All-American cornerback Julian Love (concussion) for most of the first half, for six catches, a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Back in the national spotlight for the first time since it was hammered by Alabama in the 2012 BCS Championship Game, Notre Dame (12-1) didn’t fare well. Book committed two turnovers, threw for a season-low 160 yards and the defense was gashed for 533 yards. The outclassed Irish didn’t deserve to share the same field after the first quarter. The only important statistic that was close was time of possession, and that was because Clemson scored so quickly.
Notre Dame actually looked more comfortable than Clemson over the first 15 minutes, out-gaining the Tigers, 85-45, and putting together the best drive, a 10-play, 66-yard possession that led to a 28-yard Justin Yoon field goal. The positives ended there.
The game swung on the next Notre Dame drive. The Irish drove to the Clemson 34-yard-line and faced a fourth down. Needing three yards, coach Brian Kelly went for it. Under a heavy rush, Book had to throw into double coverage for Miles Boykin, and it was broken up.
Three plays later, Clemson had the lead for good. Lawrence found Ross on a 52-yard touchdown score, the first of three second-quarter touchdown drives for the Tigers. The two freshmen connected again later in the quarter, on a third-and-14 when Lawrence hit Ross in stride up the seam on a 42-yard score.
“Justyn made a great play. That was kind of like a spark,” defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said. “It lit the match and there was no looking back from there.”
Clemson went for the kill in the final seconds of the half, going 80 yards in four plays. Lawrence capped it by finding Tee Higgins on a back shoulder fade into the right corner of the end zone from 19 yards out. Donte Vaughn had impeccable coverage, and broke the pass up initially. But Higgins stayed with it, catching the deflection and getting his right foot down before his backside landed out of bounds.
In the second quarter alone, Lawrence completed 13-of-15 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Notre Dame had allowed seven touchdowns in its first 49 quarters as a defense this year.
“He has been dialed in since he’s been the starter,” Higgins said, referring to Lawrence becoming Clemson’s quarterback after the first four games.
The rest of the game was a formality. Most of it, in fact, was. Notre Dame looked like it belonged on the ROY bus. Everyone Clemson faces outside of Alabama does, too.