The Tigers took care of business early and often.
In a 51-14 blowout win against The Citadel and during a packed Military Appreciation Day, the Clemson Tigers showed no mercy in front of their home crowd. They move to 9-2 on the season, with a home record of 5-1.
Clemson’s first series of the game culminated in a touchdown after just a handful of plays quickly in 1:47. From there, the games tempo was set and the Tigers continued their bludgeoning of the Bulldogs throughout the entire game. It was during the Bulldogs’ second possession that Clemson defensive tackle Payton Page intercepted the ball for a 57-yard house call, resulting in Clemson’s second touchdown.
“I looked forward and seen I had like 60 more yards to go,” said Page, who was honored in a pregame ceremony on Senior Day.
“I feel like all the work I put in shows,” said Page, who has started all 11 games this season. “I felt I read that screen pretty good and I made that play.”
“When you get a chance to see one of those plays, you better enjoy it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
The Tigers offense was cooking. The rest of Clemson’s possession in the first half, following Page’s pick, resulted in a touchdown and extra point for the Tigers. Clemson’s defense was stifling and merciless, having the Bulldogs in a straight jacket, forcing two punts and a fumble for The Citadel.
It was not until after the third quarter, when the game was already out of hand, that the Bulldogs were able to put some points on the board.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Bulldogs started to show a pulse during the second half, forcing the Tigers to settle for their first field goal of the game, making it a 38-point contest, 45-7. The Bulldogs were unable to the field goal, however, Clemson’s next ensuing drive resulted in no extra points. The Citadel’s defensive back Bradlee Jones blocked Nolan Hauser’s 46-yard field goal attempt to start things off in the 3rd quarter.
The Citadel were looking to seize on the opportunity and gain some momentum after the blocked field goal, putting up their second touchdown in just two plays, 72 yards, and 48 seconds. However, Clemson had other ideas, and put the clamps on any sort of comeback, answering with another touchdown with only 6:25 left in the fourth.
Clemson’s starting quarterback, Cade Klubnik, was an efficient 12 for 16, completing 75% of his passes, throwing for 198 yards and three touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ quarterback was a different story all together, only going 2 for 10 and 90 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Clemson controlled all three phases of the game; totaling 562 yards as opposed to the Bulldogs’ 387. While each team threw an interception, Clemson’s offense was able to outshine The Citadel by leaps and bounds.
The Bulldogs will drop to 5-7 on the season, with no hopes for a Bowl game.
Clemson needs help to make the 12-team playoff field, as the Tigers are fully dependent on a loss by the Miami Hurricanes at Syracuse. Miami and Syracuse will take the field against each other on Saturday, November 30.
Clemson remains second in the ACC behind SMU, another team that Clemson needed to lose for any hopes of a post-season. SMU pulled out a victory (33-7) against Virginia, putting Clemson in a touch-and-go position.
