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Clemson Tigers eliminate Stanford Cardinal to remain undefeated in ACC Play

Clemson Tigers eliminate Stanford Cardinal to remain undefeated in ACC Play

Vaseline 2 months ago

The Clemson Tigers put together an opportunistic performance from their defense and a solid performance from quarterback Cade Klubnik to beat the Stanford Cardinal 40-14 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 in ACC) forced the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) into three turnovers and forced them out on three other drives.

Klubnik was not immediately as explosively productive as in his last two games. But he finished with 255 yards passing with four touchdowns and an interception, along with 48 rushing yards and a tone-setting touchdown run on Clemson’s first drive.

That touchdown run, a 34-yarder, saw Klubnik practically walk into the end zone after Stanford safety Jay Green suffered an injury that took him out of the game.

Klubnik threw touchdown passes to Jake Briningstool (three yards), Cole Turner (43 yards), Bryant Wesco Jr. (34 yards) and Olsen Patt-Henry (two yards), the latter of which was an exclamation point on the game.

The Cardinal defense, one of the best units in the country, held Phil Mafah to 58 yards rushing.

On defense, Wade Woodaz, Jeadyn Lukas and Avieon Terrell each had an interception as the Clemson defense made life difficult for Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels all night. Woodaz also forced a fumble. Defensive end Barrett Carter had a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Stanford’s only response in a situation where the game was still competitive was Daniels’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor with 39 seconds left in the second quarter to make it a 10-point game.

Daniels left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. He played his prep football in nearby Buford, Georgia, and had at least 50 family members at the game. He was 9 of 19 for 71 yards with the touchdown and the three interceptions before Justin Lamson replaced him and later threw a touchdown.

The one area where the Tigers struggled, especially in the first half, was on defense. Stanford’s Micah Ford rushed for 122 yards and Daniels added 87 yards. As a team, the Cardinal rushed for 236 yards.

Hurricane Helene caused major damage to both teams in the run-up to the match. Stanford was unable to leave as planned on Thursday due to the storm that swept through the South. The cardinal didn’t arrive in South Carolina until Friday evening.

Meanwhile, many Clemson players remained in their dorms Friday evening after their team hotel lost power. There was also enough cleanup in the area to make the area around Memorial Stadium usable for the game.

Clemson heads to Florida State next Saturday to take on last year’s ACC champions in Tallahassee. Stanford will host Virginia Tech in the ACC home opener.