CLEMSON, S.C. — Cade Klubnik showcased his skills by throwing three touchdown passes, while backup running back Jay Haynes found the end zone twice, leading No. 17 Clemson to a dominant 51-14 victory over The Citadel on Saturday. This win marks the Tigers’ perfect 39-0 record against FCS teams throughout history.
Improving their record to 9-2, Clemson secured its third consecutive victory and continues to harbor slim aspirations of competing in both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title game and the College Football Playoff. With a strong ending to their ACC play at 7-1 after last week’s narrow win over Pittsburgh, they need No. 11 Miami to lose to Syracuse in the upcoming week to have a shot at the league championship for the eighth time in ten years.
From the onset, Clemson displayed the offensive prowess reminiscent of their earlier six-game winning streak when they averaged over 48 points per game, as opposed to their recent struggles to break the 24-point mark in any of the previous three games. Klubnik initiated the scoring by finding Antonio Williams for a 30-yard touchdown. In an unusual but exciting play, defensive tackle Payton Page intercepted a pass and sprinted down the left sideline for a 57-yard return, marking the first time in four years a defensive lineman has scored for the Tigers and extending their lead to 14-0.
Not to be outdone, Clemson’s All-American linebacker Barrett Carter scored on a 4-yard rush on Senior Day, contributing to the Tigers’ total points. Meanwhile, The Citadel faced its 19th consecutive loss to Clemson, a streak dating back to 1932.
Klubnik had a solid outing, completing 12 of 16 throws for 198 yards before exiting the game after tossing his second touchdown to Williams in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 42-0. Haynes stepped up in the offensive backfield, earning most of the carries following starter Phil Mafah reaching the milestone of 1,000 rushing yards this season with three carries in the first quarter. Haynes scored with impressive runs of 70 and 9 yards.
For The Citadel, the Bulldogs, members of the FCS Southern Conference, have the most victories over FBS teams among FCS squads, totaling nine since the division split in 1978. Although they struggled to compete against Clemson, they managed to produce a season-high 288 rushing yards and scored against the Tigers for the first time in four games of their series.
Clemson’s triumph guarantees them a ninth win of the season, extending their streak of achieving at least nine wins to 14 consecutive seasons, second only to Alabama, which holds a current streak of 16.
Looking ahead, The Citadel has wrapped up its season, while Clemson prepares for its final regular-season game, a rivalry match against South Carolina set for next Saturday.