ARLINGTON, TX – Dabo Swinney didn’t want to ruin Brent Venables’ Christmas, so he didn’t tell Venables about the Dexter Lawrence until the Tigers got on the plane to Dallas last Sunday. None of that mattered.
Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl and loss of Lawrence – suspended for two others after traces of a banned substance showed up in a urine sample – didn’t matter.
“No, we had six sacks, which I believe is a bowl record. And we held them to 88 yards rushing. So the big thing for us was, if you can't stop the run, you ain't winning these games,” Swinney said.