Notre Dame finally shook off ghosts of the past under Brian Kelly and won a big and significant game last week, upsetting previously unbeaten and No. 1 Clemson in two overtimes, 47-40. It was a win Kelly and quarterback Ian Book really needed.

In past games of major importance in the Kelly era, ND had come up short. Remember the national title game against Alabama and the national semifinal with Clemson, both ending in solid defeats for the Irish.

But last week ND finally got the demons off its back and was able to win the big one. Now it is important that ND does not let a potential unbeaten regular season get away. ND has to win out the remainder of its games to show the program is among the best in the country at the moment.

ND and Clemson, of course, are not done. The two will most likely meet in the ACC title game on Dec. 19 and again in the national playoffs.

Book could have let the rap on him not winning the big one come true after he fumbled the ball while going in for a touchdown last week. Instead, he became more focused and led the Irish on touchdown drives in both overtime sessions.

Although the Irish offense did a commendable job, the defense had to rise to the occasion in the overtime period. After a dominating first half, the Irish “D” slipped considerably in the second half as Clemson’s offense took control. The defense came up big after ND took a 47-40 lead in the second overtime period.

In that second overtime, rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and defensive end Adetokunbo Ogundeji combined to sack Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei on first down for a nine-yard loss, and defensive end Daelin Hayes took Uiagalelei down for a five-yard sack on second down. Shawn Crawford was able to jerk the ball lose from tight end Davis Allen on the third down try.

Book finished the game 22 of 39 for 310 yards passing and one TD. He was sacked twice and rushed for a net total of 64 yards on 14 carries. He also kept plays alive and put the team in position to make plays.

Kyren Williams had another outstanding night, getting 140 yards on 23 carries and three TDs, two of them in the overtime periods. C’Bo Flemister got just five yards on one carry and Chris Tyree lost four on two carries.

Davis’ catch of 53 yards to set up the tying score in regulation was his biggest moment so far as an Irish receiver. He finished with 78 yards on four catches. Javon McKinley had five catches for 102 yards and Michael Mayer, 67 on five. Ben Skowronek also had four grabs for 33 yards, one at a key moment in the game. Jonathan Doerer made four of five field goals from 24, 27, 45 and 44 yards.

Clemson was without some key players in the game. But, the Tigers were without many of those key players before, save QB Trevor Lawrence, and still won games without too much problem.

More later.

Today ND faces an old nemeses in Boston College. It was in 1993 that ND and Florida State met in South Bend in the latest “game of the century” edition. FSU entered No. 1 and ND as No. 2. The Irish won a thriller, 31-24, and moved to No 1. Then the following week, BC came to town and upset ND, 41-39, when David Gordon kicked a 41 yard field goal with time running out to defeat the Irish and ruin a bid for a national title. It game was the last regular season game that year and if ND had won, it was set to play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day for the national championship.

The Eagles enter today’s matchup at 5-3 and are a pretty good team, led by former ND QB Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec was Book’s backup for two seasons and then transferred after last season when Book decided to return for his final year.

Since going to BC Jurkovec has been a different player because, Kelly believes, he’s in the type of offense that suits his type of play. It was no secret in South Bend while Jurkovec was there, he was struggling with the ND offense. Since being the QB for the Eagles, Jurkovec is 172 of 277 passing for 2,083 yards and 15 touchdowns

BC also gave Clemson a run two weeks ago, losing to the Tigers, 34-28. Clemson had to come from 18 points down to win the game. That was the first game the Tigers were without QB Lawrence and it was Uiagalelei’s first start. After a shaky first half, Uiagalelei found his groove and led the Tigers back.

BC wins have been over Duke, 26-6; Texas State, 24-21; Pitt, 31-30; Georgia Tech, 48-27; and last week, Syracuse, 16-13. The other two losses have been to UNC, 26-22; and Virginia Tech, 40-14.

ND leads the overall series, 15-9, and last won in 2019, 40-7, in South Bend.

The game will be televised by ABC-TV with a 3:40 p.m. kickoff.

IRISH NOTES

: ND had 519 yards of total offense to 473 for Clemson last week, which isn’t exactly a tribute to both defenses ... Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White each had nine tackles in the game, and Kyle Hamilton eight. Owusu-Koramoah and Hayes had tackles for losses ... ND’s fans got a lot of heat from the media and school officials for rushing onto the field after the game due to COVID-19 concerns. ND officials said all students who ran onto the field must be COVID-19 tested before they return from the Christmas break. The way they are going to due that is make every student who attended the game be COVID-19 tested. They know who they are by their game ticket that is scanned when they enter the stadium ... Frankly, I didn’t blame them for enjoying the moment ... ND went 10-for-19 in third down situations while Clemson was four of 15 ... The Irish now have the longest active winning streak, 13, and second-longest home winning streak, 23. The Irish have started a season 7-0 for the third time under Kelly ... Only Alabama, with 10, has defeated The Associated Press’ No. 1 team more times than Notre Dame (nine) in history. Miami also has nine such wins. The Irish scored the most points, 47, against an AP No. 1 opponent in program history ... For the first time since 2016, Notre Dame scored an offensive touchdown on its first official play. Clemson had not yielded a touchdown on its opening play in the last 15 seasons ... Kicker Jonathan Doerer set a Notre Dame record with 18 kicking points in the game. He connected on six extra points and field goals from 24, 27, 44 and 45 yards. He missed a 57-yard field goal attempt as the clock expired to end the first half ... Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah scored Notre Dame’s first defensive touchdown this season with his 23-yard fumble return in the second quarter ... Receiver Braden Lenzy’s return to the lineup won’t happen today, as hoped. He missed the last two games with a left hamstring injury that reoccurred late in the Pittsburgh game. He also missed the season opener against Duke with a hamstring issue ... The ACC named Williams, offensive lineman Aaron Banks and Owusu-Koramoah as players of the week at their respective positions for their performances against Clemson. We noted Williams’ stats earlier. Banks blocked for an offense that totaled 518 yards. Owusu-Koramoah tallied nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery returned for a 23-yard touchdown ... Kelly was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week and the team was also recognized as the National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America ... The Irish are on a scheduled ‘off week’ next Saturday and resume the season on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, at North Carolina. ABC-TV announced the kickoff for that game will be 3:30 p.m. ... The university sent the students home a week early. This past Thursday was the last day of classes until next January ... ND is favored today by a mere 10 points. In my preseason picks I went with the Irish. I’m counting on Kelly, his staff, and of course the team, not to forget the 1993 upset and be ready today. I will stay with my pick of ND and a win.