The Clemson Tigers got a desperately needed win on Saturday night, leaning on a ferocious defensive performance and an efficient night from quarterback Cade Klubnik to defeat the Florida State Seminoles 24-10 at Memorial Stadium.
After a brutal 46-45 loss to Duke last week, Clemson's defense responded with its most dominant outing of the season, terrorizing FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos all night. The Tigers registered six sacks and nine tackles for loss, holding the Seminoles to just 10 points and 5-of-15 on third down.
Cade Klubnik set the tone on Clemson's opening drive, marching the Tigers 75 yards on 13 plays and capping it with a 4-yard touchdown run. A successful two-point conversion gave Clemson an 8-0 lead it would never surrender.
Klubnik struck again in the second quarter, hitting Antonio Williams for a 34-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 15-0. Kicker Nolan Hauser added a 40-yard field goal to make it 18-0 before Florida State finally got on the board with a 7-yard touchdown pass just before halftime.
From there, it was all about defense and Nolan Hauser. The Clemson kicker was perfect, adding field goals from 23 and 43 yards in the second half to put the game on ice.
Florida State's offense, which was so explosive last week, was stifled. Castellanos finished 20-of-38 for 203 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, which was snagged by Ricardo Jones late in the fourth quarter to seal the game. The Tigers' defense also forced a key fumble in the first quarter, recovered by Jeremiah Alexander.
Klubnik finished his night 19-of-26 for 221 yards and a touchdown, adding another score on the ground. The win snaps a two-game skid for Clemson, moving them to 4-5 on the season, while Florida State also falls to 4-5.
Statistical Breakdown
Key Performers
- Cade Klubnik (CLEM): 19/26, 221 YDS, 1 TD; 1 RUSH TD
- Nolan Hauser (CLEM): 3/3 FG (Long 43 YDS)
- Clemson Defense: 6 Sacks, 9 TFL, 1 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery
- Antonio Williams (CLEM): 5 REC, 62 YDS, 1 TD
- Tommy Castellanos (FSU): 20/38, 203 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Duce Robinson (FSU): 6 REC, 77 YDS