The Clemson Tigers were on the prowl after their prey and there was literally nothing the Stanford Cardinal could do to stop them. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik put on a masterpiece throwing for four touchdowns and used his wheels to create another and the stifling Tigers’ defense forced three interceptions in a 40-14 demolition job over Stanford on Saturday night.
The victory for the 17th-ranked Tigers (3-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was the 173rd for the Hall of Fame bound coach Dabo Swinney, who tied Florida State’s late national championship coach, the legendary Bobby Bowden, for the most coaching victories with an ACC school.
Unlike the Tiger’s wins the past two games, the defense was the story and led the way.
“It’s great to see those guys do what they did,” Klubnik said.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Tigers implored the bend but don’t break defense, stopping the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) three times in the red zone, two on picks and the last when safety R.J. Mickens forced Emmett Mosley V out of bounds on fourth-and-5 at the Clemson 10-yardline, with the Tigers up by a baker’s dozen, 20-7.
Stanford’s coach Troy Taylor said the team failed to capitalize on early opportunities to keep things within striking distance.
“That’s a great football team we just played. We were able to hang with them for a while. Just too many mistakes,” he said.
Clemson’s defense stopped the Cardinal on downs three possessions despite surrendering 361 yards, 236 of that on the ground.
The Tigers held Stanford to 71 yards through the air, over the initial three quarters with signal caller Ashton Daniels struggling mightily, going just 9 of 19 before he was helped off the field in the final frame after Clemson stopped him short on fourth-and-1.
Klubnik put the game on ice moments later with a 34-yard bomb to dynamic freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. for a 33-7 commanding lead.
The game went on without a hitch, taking place a day after Hurricane Helene struck the Southeastern part of the country, including South Carolina. At its strongest, the category 4 hurricane was responsible for at least 56 deaths and left millions without power, including many areas near Clemson’s campus. It also delayed Stanford’s arrival into the area until Friday, some 25 hours prior to kickoff.
Clemson came out inspired and appeared to be off to another fast start when they forced a fumble on Stanford’s opening drive and Klubnik ran for a 34-yard touchdown.
But the Cardinal did what Appalachian State and N.C. State could not, push the Tigers’ defense to the limit when it mattered most. Clemson, however, did not fold as both drives inside the red area ended on a Daniels interception, the first in the end zone by Avieon Terrell and the other inside the Clemson 10 by Jeadyn Lukus.
The Clemson offense, which played nearly flawless football in blowout wins over the Mountaineers and Wolfpack, was not as sound against Stanford.
Klubnik threw his first interception in three games since a 34-3 loss to then-top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the opener. Still, he has accounted for 16 touchdowns in the past three games, 12 passing and four rushing. He finished 15 of 31 passing for 255 yards.
Stanford returns home to play Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Clemson travels to Florida State to take on the Seminoles on Saturday.
