BOX SCORE | GAME NOTES
CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 8 Clemson scored the final 27 points of the game, including two touchdowns in a span of 58 seconds to take the lead, en route to a 27-16 win against Troy at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. With the win, Clemson improved to 1-1 on the season, and Troy dropped to 1-1.
Running back Adam Randall led Clemson with 165 all-purpose yards, rushing for a career-high 112 yards and one touchdown in addition to adding four catches. Sophomore wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. caught two touchdowns, leading all receivers with seven catches for 118 yards. Quarterback Cade Klubnik went 18-for-24 for 196 yards and two touchdown passes.
Clemson intercepted three passes and sacked Troy four times. Linebacker Wade Woodaz led the team with 11 tackles and defensive end Will Heldt finished with a team-high two tackles for loss.
Troy opened scoring on its first drive, securing the first points of the game on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Goose Crowder to Tray Taylor. With 10:43 remaining in the opening quarter, both teams cleared the field for a lightning delay that ultimately lasted one hour and 32 minutes.
The Tigers’ defense held the Trojans deep in their own territory that included a nine-yard sack by DeMonte Capehart with 8:15 left in the first. Later that quarter, Ashton Hampton recorded Clemson’s first interception with 2:06 remaining.
The Trojans took a 10-0 lead with 12:38 remaining in the second quarter when Scott Taylor Renfroe converted a 37-yard field goal attempt. Troy extended its lead to 16-0 after TJ Thompson intercepted a pass on Clemson’s four-yard line and pushed into the end zone with 6:58 remaining.
Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser made a 25-yard field goal to put Clemson on the scoreboard with 4:11 remaining in the half. Troy led 16-3 at halftime.
Less than four minutes into the second half, Randall completed an eight-play drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown. The 75-yard drive featured Randall rushing for 59 yards on six carries. Hauser tacked on the extra point to make it 16-10 with 11:05 on the clock.
The Clemson defense matched the offense’s second-half momentum, needing only two plays for safety Ricardo Jones to intercept the ball at the Troy 26-yard line. Klubnik converted the takeaway into a 26-yard touchdown pass to Wesco on the next snap, and Hauser’s second extra point of the game gave Clemson its first lead of the game, 17-16.
On Troy’s next offensive drive, safety Ronan Hanafin recorded Clemson’s third interception of the day and returned it 13 yards to set up Clemson’s offense at the Troy 28-yard line. The Tigers added another three points off of a Hauser 30-yard field goal to make it 20-16 with 5:54 remaining in the third.
Troy got the ball back with 5:54 remaining in the third and drove down to Clemson’s 22-yard line with 12:41 left in the fourth, but Clemson’s defense forced Troy to turn it over on downs after Avieon Terrell’s sack for a 12-yard loss on a fake field goal attempt gave Clemson the ball back at its own 34.
Klubnik then finished a 66-yard drive with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Wesco in the end zone. The seven-play drive took 2:32 off the clock to give Clemson the 27-16 lead.
Sacks by T.J. Parker and Will Heldt aided Clemson holding off the Trojan offense to force them to punt which gave Clemson the ball back with 4:24 remaining. The Tigers ran seven plays to conclude the victory.After opening the season with two non-conference games at Memorial Stadium, Clemson will make its road debut next week when the Tigers open conference play against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. That game is slated for a noon kickoff on either ABC or ESPN. Clemson’s next home game will be on Saturday, Sept. 20 when the Tigers host Syracuse; ticket information for that game is available here.
