As both teams enter the locker room for a brief respite, the score currently stands at 35-0, Clemson. Below are a few thoughts from The Tiger Sports’ staff on the first half:

Offense:
– Quarterback Cade Klubnik needed next to no time to find his groove – the Tigers’ first drive lasted just one minute and 47 seconds. After five plays and 78 yards, Klubnik connected with Antonio Williams in the end zone to open scoring.
– The Bulldogs dominated possession in the first half with 20 minutes, 17 seconds compared to the Tigers’ 9 minutes, 43 seconds. Klubnik and co. made the most of each touch, however, scoring on each possession.
– While the Citadel slightly edged out Clemson on the ground with 196 yards to 165, Klubnik’s aerial dominance defined the half. He completed 10 of 13 attempts for a 77% completion percentage and 173 yards.
– The Tigers put up 14 first downs compared to the Bulldogs 8; they also managed to go 4-for-4 on third downs compared to 4-for-10.

Defense:
– The Clemson defense was rather stingy in the first half, not allowing the Bulldogs to put any points on the board. Citadel had 220 total yards, allowing for only 24 passing yards and 196 rushing yards; quarterback Johnathan Bennett completed just one of seven passing attempts.
– Defensive tackle Payton Page scored on his first career interception, running 57 yards to give the Tigers their second trip to the end zone.
– Avieon Terrell stopped a 50-yard rush for the Bulldogs, recovering a fumble to return possession to the Tigers at the Clemson 20 yard line.
– Other standouts on defense included Peter Woods with a sack early on – overall, the Tigers had 41 tackles and only allowed 8 first downs. The Tigers scored 13 points off turnovers.