Clemson put on a great performance on senior night, getting the 45-10 win over Furman. It was a great way to close the 2025 home slate after some abysmal showings earlier in the year.
While it was against an FCS opponent, it was by far the best this group has played at home all season. The Tigers looked explosive early on, which allowed the seniors to have some great final moments for their last game in Memorial Stadium.
This game provided emotional send offs, and a glimpse into a bright future for Clemson.
Cade Klubnik and Antonio Williams shine in send off
It seemed the offensive gameplan to start the game was to let Cade Klubnik and Antonio Williams put on a show. Both players have had many ups and downs in their Clemson careers, but were rewarded for their love and commitment to the program on senior night.
Klubnik started out the game letting the football fly all over the field, likely knowing he was not playing many snaps. He threw fifteen passes and completed nine of them for 159 yards and two touchdowns in one quarter of play. Both of Klubnik’s touchdown passes were caught by Williams.
Those were Williams’ only two catches on the day. It was all he needed to make an impact on the game, and put his name in the Clemson record books. Willams’ first reception of the game, was the 200th of his career as a Tiger. He is the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone.
Sammy Brown and Will Heldt Dominate
While Klubnik and Williams made plays on the offensive side of the ball, Sammy Brown and Will Heldt did the same for the defense.
Overall, the Clemson defense put on its best performance of the season. Brown and Heldt stood out though as they each were responsible for the Tigers’ two takeaways.
Brown picked off one of Trey Hedden’s passes in Furman territory late in the first half. That added to Brown's spectacular night which he finished with four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack as well.
Heldt forced his takeaway with a strip sack on Hedden earlier in half. The standout defensive end was also disruptive with his minimal amount of snaps ending the night with two tackles, and two tackles for loss along with his sack and forced fumble.
These two players showing how they can dominate a game is huge for the future of this team. They will likely be the two stars on the Tigers’ defense next season.
Brown is a true sophomore, so he’s not yet eligible for the NFL draft. He’s also shown no signs of wanting to leave Clemson for another school. Heldt is eligible for the draft as a redshirt junior, but many believe he will stay with the program for one more season. Brown and Heldt being the leaders of the defense could give that unit the jolt needed to get back to the dominance we’ve seen in the past.
Chris Denson shows he’s the future
The best sight of senior night actually came from a freshman’s performance. Clemson fans have been waiting to see what 2025 quarterback commit Chris Denson can do in a live game. We got our first look against Furman, and it was electrifying.
Denson showed all of his dual-threat ability, using both his arm and legs to extend Clemson’s lead late. He completed all four of his passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. Also, he was the leading rusher on the night with six carries for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Denson brought some much needed energy at a dead point in the game.
After the avalanche of scoring in the first half, the Tigers began struggling to do much on offense with Christopher Vizzina and Trent Pearman. The true freshman entered the game and he immediately marched the offense down the field on two straight scoring drives. Denson proved why this offseason, he deserves a shot to compete to be the starter for the 2026 season.
Ian Scheffelin makes a play
Of all the great things Denson did with his first meaningful snaps of his college career, one completion might stand over all of it. Denson threw former basketball star Ian Scheffelin his first reception for positive yards.
Scheffelin made the switch to football after a conversation with Dabo Swinney at the end of the 2024-25 basketball season. The former power forward decided to try playing tight end this season, and it hasn’t exactly gone as planned.
Swinney was hoping to turn Scheffelin into a jump ball threat. But, getting the ball to the former hooper has been a tough task all season. Scheffelin’s only other reception on the year was against North Carolina for -1 yard.
Catching a down field pass for positive yardage had to feel good for Scheffelin and Swinney. It sure got the fans in Memorial Stadium excited.