The 31-23 win by Clemson over Notre Dame on Saturday was the fifth by Fighting Irish quarterback Sam Hartman to the Tigers as a starter. Former Florida State QB Chris Rix was the last signal caller to lose five times to the same team as a starter. The Miami football team beat Rix five times from 2001-2004.
Rix was the only four-year starting QB at Florida State under Bobby Bowden. The Miami football program played a fifth game against Rix in his Florida State career when the Hurricanes and Seminoles played in the Orange Bowl following the 2003 season. Hartman previously played Clemson four times at Wake Forest.
Rix completed 42.75 percent of his passes for 744 yards, five touchdowns and nine interceptions in five career games versus the Miami football team. Miami held Rix to six completions in 19 attempts for one TD and one interception in the 2004 Orange Bowl game in his penultimate appearance versus the Hurricanes.
Hartman completed 54.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,048 yards, seven TDs and four interceptions in five games versus Clemson. The most notable game for Hartman versus Clemson was in 2021 with Wake Forest. Hartman was 20-29 for 337 yards, six TDs and no interceptions in a 48-27 Wake Forest loss.
After Rix left Florida State the Seminoles dominated Miami for most of the next 12 years. Florida State won three of the next four games versus Miami after Rix concluded his eligibility. Miami defeated Florida State in 2009 before losing the next seven games. The Hurricanes then won four straight from 2017-2020.
Florida State will enter the game with Miami next week with two consecutive wins versus the Hurricanes. The Clemson Rivalry with Wake Forest is far more one-sided. Clemson has a 70-17-1 record all-time versus Wake Forest. With the win today, Clemson has now won five and lost three versus Notre Dame.
Clemson has won 15 consecutive games versus Wake Forest. Hartman made Wake Forest more competitive. With Hartman as the starter in part or all of the games from 2019 through 2022, Wake Forest had a winning record in all but the 2020 season when the Demon Deacons finished 4-5.