Hope some of you Clemson fans have been able to catch your breath a bit after that one. Once up 29-10, the Tigers saw that lead shrink to 29-24 midway through the fourth quarter, but thankfully a collapse of daunting proportions never came in. Indeed, a 36-24 victory was posted, and Dabo Swinney has got to be loving life right now.
The same can't be said for Mike Norvell, who only has more and more Florida State supporters calling for him to get fired. That's nothing for Swinney and Co. to worry about, though, as Clemson is now 5-3 on the year. It's time to five some flowers to five Tigers in particular, while two fellas in the FSU locker room have got to be in the dumps right now.
Tait Reynolds (winner) saved the day for Clemson with his stellar performance
It was the Tait Reynolds show in Tallahassee. Reynolds tossed two touchdown passes on the night, but his 79-yard running score quite literally saved things for the Tigers. Florida State had all the momentum in the 4th quarter, but on 3rd and long, Reynolds delivered when his number was called.
This was his best performance of the year, no question. While there were still some freshman mistakes on display, the three-TD night was tremendous to see. Good for him.
Chad Morris (winner) called his best game of the season with Clemson needing a win
We'll be first to admit that we've been pretty hard on Chad Morris this year. At times, it has been made clear that bringing him back to Clemson was a mistake. However, that narrative was totally changed on Saturday night at FSU.
Morris called his best game of the season, period. He mixed things up in a great way to throw off the FSU defense, while putting Reynolds in a fantastic position to succeed. The Clemson offense looked totally different against the Seminoles, and in a good way.
Clemson QB Tait Reynolds tells ACCN that OC Chad Morris called him one night and said he'd been watching Reynolds' HS film. Morris asked: "Why don't you run like that?" After his 79-yard TD vs. FSU, Reynolds says he got on the headset and told Morris: "Hey man! That's the run!"
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 1, 2026
Ashton Daniels (loser) is having a year to forget for Florida State
While Norvell (more on him below) is getting ripped by the FSU fanbase, quarterback Ashton Daniels deserves plenty of blame as well. Against Clemson's stout defense, Daniels had four turnovers: three interceptions and a fumble.
His third interception came with Florida State in full desperation mode, as Elliot Washington II nabbed his second pick of the night. Daniels' fumble came on a 4th-down run where he actually got the first down, but he coughed up the ball in brutal fashion. His play simply has not been strong enough.
Jerome Carter III and Elliot Washington II (winners) came up huge for the Tigers
We're going to cheat a little bit and split things here between Washington and Jerome Carter III, but for good reason. They were both STUDS in helping the Clemson defense make Daniels look like an average signal-caller. Washington had his two INTs, including the one late to turn the lights off for FSU.
As for Carter, he came up with a timely interception in the first half. Not long after that turnover, Clemson took full advantage, with Reynolds finding Olsen Patt-Henry for a score. This defense looked a bit off late in the action, but that wasn't the case for most of the game. Carter and Washington were a big reason for that.
Mike Norvell (loser) is getting ripped by FSU fans yet again
It feels like no more than two hours can go by without calls coming in for Mike Norvell to get fired, because Florida State supporters are rightfully out of patience. The Seminoles were favored in this game, but Clemson was dominant from start to finish. It looked like Norvell's guys weren't ready to rock once the opening kickoff arrived.
While FSU's administration has essentially said that Norvell is going to be given more time, the results on the field just are not there. Norvell is facing a ton of pressure, and his team looking sluggish against Clemson has only made things worse for him.
Nolan Hauser (winner) has a golden right leg for Clemson and Dabo Swinney
Obviously Dabo Swinney is a winner for Clemson recording the remarkable win, but our last spot on the list goes to kicker Nolan Hauser. Kickers need love, too! In the double-digit win, Hauser was a perfect 5-for-5 with his field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder.
There was never a doubt that Hauser was going to come through for Clemson whenever he jogged out onto the field. He was a true star in the Week 9 victory, kicking the pigskin with the kind of confidence that's needed in a road environment. A heck of a performance by Hauser.
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