Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Kathryn Tappen and Terry McAulay to Call Matchup; Jac Collinsworth, Doug Flutie and Corey Robinson to Provide Pre-Game, Halftime and Post-Game Coverage from Notre Dame Stadium
Coverage Begins with Two-Part Countdown to Kickoff: 5:30-6 p.m. ET and 7-7:30 p.m. ET, both on NBC
Game Marks 9th Time No. 1-Ranked Team Visits Notre Dame Stadium, First Since “Bush Push” Game vs. USC in 2005
New Episodes of ND on NBC Podcast with Jac Collinsworth Released Every Thursday
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 5, 2020 – The No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0) host the country’s top team, the No. 1 Clemson Tigers (7-0) this Saturday, Nov. 7, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. A two-part Countdown to Kickoff airs from 5:30-6 p.m. ET on NBC and resumes at 7 p.m. ET on NBC with Countdown to Kickoff Presented by Salesforce.com. Kickoff is set for 7:35 p.m. ET.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Super Bowl-winning head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy (lead analyst) will call the game along with Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst).
NBC Sports host and Notre Dame alum Jac Collinsworth will host pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage from Notre Dame Stadium, alongside Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie (analyst). Former Notre Dame wide receiver and NBC Sports’ Corey Robinson, who played in the 2015 game between Notre Dame and Clemson, will join pre-game to offer his perspective on the matchup and programs.
Saturday’s meeting with Clemson will mark the ninth time that a No. 1-ranked team visits South Bend, and the first since the infamous “Bush Push” game when Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and USC topped Notre Dame, 34-31, in the final seconds on Oct. 15, 2005. The Fighting Irish are 3-5 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams at Notre Dame Stadium. The last four such games have been decided by a total of 14 points.
The game will be the sixth instance in which Notre Dame faces a No. 1 team at home while also being ranked in the Top 5, with the Irish’s 31-24 win over Florida State in 1993, billed as the “Game of the Century,” the most recent such encounter.
No. 1 teams traveling to Notre Dame Stadium all-time:
| SEASON | NO. 1 OPPONENT | NOTRE DAME’S RANK | RESULT |
| 2005 | USC | No. 9 | USC, 34-31 |
| 2000 | Nebraska | No. 23 | Nebraska, 27-24 (OT) |
| 1993 | Florida State | No. 2 | Notre Dame, 31-24 |
| 1988 | Miami | No. 4 | Notre Dame, 31-30 |
| 1968 | Purdue | No. 2 | Purdue, 37-22 |
| 1967 | USC | No. 5 | USC, 24-7 |
| 1965 | Michigan State | No. 4 | Michigan State, 12-3 |
| 1936 | Northwestern | No. 11 | Notre Dame, 26-6 |
Notre Dame and Clemson, who is making its first trip to South Bend since 1979, will meet for the fifth time in their history with Clemson holding a 3-1 advantage. The two powerhouse programs last met in the 2018 Cotton Bowl, when Clemson would go on to win the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship after defeating the Irish in Texas.
Saturday’s coverage will include an all-access feature on Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, as well as a feature on Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s “Bring Your Own Guts” speech, which he made following the Tigers’ victory over the Irish in 2015.
Notre Dame enters this weekend following a 31-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday, as running back Kyren Williams rushed for two scores and quarterback Ian Book passed for 199 yards and a touchdown. The Fighting Irish defense held Georgia Tech to 238 total yards and were led by defensive lineman Daelin Hayes, who had two sacks and two forced fumbles. Notre Dame has won 22 consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, and carries the FBS’ longest active overall winning streak into this weekend with 12 straight victories.
Clemson will put its 36-game regular-season winning streak on the line in South Bend this weekend, and aims to avoid the same result as the last time a No. 1 team rode a 36-game winning streak to Notre Dame Stadium: in 1988, the Fighting Irish snapped No. 1 Miami’s 36-game regular-season winning streak with a 31-30 victory at Notre Dame Stadium.
Last weekend, Clemson came from behind to top Boston College, 34-28. Freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei made his first career start in place of Trevor Lawrence, who did not play after testing positive for COVID-19, and passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Two-time defending ACC Player of the Year Travis Etienne had 224 yards from scrimmage (140 receiving, 84 rushing) and two touchdowns as he broke the ACC career rushing record with 4,644 yards in his four-years as a Tiger.
Saturday night’s game is a highlight of NBC Sports’ “Big Event Weekend,” which features the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC), Liverpool v. Manchester City (Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock Premium), the NASCAR Cup Series Championship (Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC), and Tom Brady and the Buccaneers hosting Drew Brees and the Saints on Sunday Night Football (Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC).
On the most recent episode of the ND on NBC Podcast, host Jac Collinsworth speaks with Notre Dame QB Ian Book. Episodes are released every Thursday, you can find them here.
To stream Notre Dame games internationally, fans can click here.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream coverage of all 2020 Notre Dame home games.
| REMAINING 2020 NBC NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | |||
| DATE | TIME (ET) | OPPONENT | NETWORK |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Clemson | NBC |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 2:30 p.m. | Syracuse | NBC |
This year, NBC Sports Group and Notre Dame kicked off their 30th season. NBC Sports Group and the University of Notre Dame began their landmark Notre Dame Football relationship in 1991 and have renewed the partnership numerous times. The current agreement runs through the 2025 season.
--NBC SPORTS--
