How about them Tigers?! Let's be real here for a second. Throughout the week, there wasn't a ton of confidence in Clemson to head on the road and take down Florida State in a primetime Week 9 showdown. The locker room clearly did not listen to any of the outside noise, with the Tigers recording a thrilling 36-24 win. And with that, it's time to tip our cap to Tait Reynolds.
Throughout the season, the true freshman quarterback has had his fair share of struggles, which even had plenty of people wondering if he was the right man for the job of leading the offense against the Seminoles. Behind his strong play, the Tigers offense looked like a totally different unit, with head coach Dabo Swinney understandably loving what he was seeing. The 79-yard touchdown to seal the victory on 3rd-and-long... GOLD!
As you might have been able to guess, Swinney was fired up after the Tigers took down the Seminoles in Tallahassee to improve to 5-3 on the season, needing one more win to lock in bowl eligibility. On top of that, you could tell just how much this moment meant to Reynolds, but he was quick to give credit to his teammates right after the final whistle.
Tait Reynolds had Dabo Swinney all smiles after Clemson embarrassed Florida State in Week 9
"My o-line just did an amazing job," Reynold said of his unreal TD run. "Really, tonight, I just want to thank my heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. Just an amazing opportunity to be out here today. There's been ups and downs, but just happy to get a win tonight."
While Reynolds certainly was not perfect in this contest, he did more than enough with both his arm and legs to put Clemson in a position to be victorious. Not only that, but he completely outplayed Florida State transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels, who continues to struggle during a nightmare season with the Noles.
On the evening, Daniels had four total turnovers: three interceptions and a fumble on a 4th-down run. On the other side of the field, Reynolds was balling out, throwing for 189 yards, plus touchdown passes to Olsen Patt-Henry and Christian Bentancur, respectively. The 79-yard score late in the fourth quarter should be replayed on campus probably a million times over the next week, and understandably so.
TAIT REYNOLDS GOES THE DISTANCE ⏩
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 1, 2026
79 yards for the house call 🏠@ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/Ryyjz34azs
A ton of credit has to go to offensive coordinator Chad Morris, too. He's gotten his fair share of criticism this year, but Morris' play-calling was fully spot on against Florida State. He put Reynolds in a strong position to succeed, which is what the fanbase has been pleading for throughout the fall.
Next up for Clemson is a contest with Syracuse on Nov. 7, which is coming off a thrilling win itself against No. 19 SMU. Both squads will enter that showdown with confidence, but the same can also be said for Reynolds. He was tremendous in the victory over FSU, no doubt about it. We all just saw the youngster mature in a major way in this one.
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