The Clemson Tigers had another dominant Death Valley performance, defeating The Citadel Bulldogs 51-14 on Saturday. Here are some key takeaways from the matchup:
Paws up: Explosive first half
Clemson wasted no time, as the team asserted control right out of the gate. The Tigers’ opening drive spanned just a minute and 47 seconds, ending in a 30-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Cade Klubnik to Antonio Williams. The dominant offense set the tone early.
The defense got in on the scoring action as well. Defensive tackle Payton Page grabbed his first career interception and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown, giving Clemson a 14-0 lead.
“He’s probably been our most steady guy all year,” head coach Dabo Swinney said about Page.
Jay Haynes was also a force on offense, with a 70-yard touchdown run that pushed Clemson’s lead to 28-0. Haynes added a second touchdown later in the half, helping the Tigers head into halftime with a 35-0 lead.
The defense was stingy early on, with Avieon Terrell halting what could have been a 50-yard gain by The Citadel’s Johnny Crawford III. Terrell forced and recovered the fumble at the Clemson 20-yard line, ending the Bulldogs’ promising drive.
Paws down: Sloppy rushing defense
While the Tigers dominated the scoreboard, the defense showed some vulnerabilities. The Bulldogs found some success using their legs, as they managed to record 196 rushing yards by halftime compared to Clemson’s 165.
Three players from The Citadel had 60 rushing yards or more, a sign of some of the cracks in Clemson’s defensive line. While the Tigers tightened up in the second half, the Bulldogs still finished with 288 rushing yards.
Linebacker Barrett Carter acknowledged the need for improvement, emphasizing the challenges posed by Citadel’s rushing attack.
“It challenges your eye discipline and your gap discipline, and we failed to do that as a defense,” Carter said. “We have to hone in on the little things … our eyes weren’t in the right places for the majority of the game, and that is where that went wrong tonight, so we just gotta fix that for tomorrow.”
Swinney echoed Carter’s sentiment, noting that while the defense stepped up later in the game, the early lapses needed to be cleaned up heading into tougher matchups.
Paws up: Offensive powerhouse
Despite missing multiple key players due to injuries, Clemson’s offense looked unstoppable. The Tigers totaled 562 yards and converted five of nine third downs, showing their efficiency.
Klubnik was dialed in, throwing 198 yards and two touchdowns while only playing two full quarters. Some highlights included a 55-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco Jr. and connecting a 9-yard strike with Williams for his second touchdown.
Despite being down key personnel, the offensive line provided enough assistance to Klubnik as he completed 12 of his 16 passes for a 75% completion rate.
With his performance, Klubnik recorded his 50th career passing touchdown, becoming only the fourth quarterback in Clemson history to reach this milestone.
Freshman running back Jay Haynes carried the rushing attack for the offense, racking up two touchdowns and 118 yards on just five carries, averaging 23.6 yards per carry.
Williams had five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Another standout Tiger was Carter, who contributed to the scoring late in the fourth quarter, rushing into the end zone to cap off the game.
Paws down: Penalties
Clemson struggled with penalties, racking up five infractions for 48 yards. While the flags did not prove detrimental to the Tigers’ win against The Citadel, they could prove costly against South Carolina next Saturday.
The Tigers are back in action this weekend, where they will face the No. 16-ranked Gamecocks in Death Valley at noon.
