BOX SCORE | GAME NOTES
BRONX, N.Y. — Clemson (7-6) concluded its 2025 campaign with a 22-10 defeat at the hands of Penn State (7-6) on Saturday afternoon in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The teams were locked in a 6-3 contest until the fourth quarter, when the Nittany Lions pulled away with back-to-back 75-yard touchdown drives to snap Clemson’s four-game winning streak.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik finished the day with 22 pass completions on 39 attempts for 193 yards. On a 44-yard pass completion in the second quarter, Klubnik surpassed Tajh Boyd to become Clemson’s all-time leader in career pass completions and also became the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 10,000 yards or more in a career.
Sammy Brown finished with 14 tackles to lead Clemson defensively as the Tigers finished with six tackles for loss and five pass breakups. Ronan Hanafin and Will Heldt were each credited with eight tackles as well.
Adam Randall scored his 10th career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and T.J. Moore led Clemson with 83 receiving yards on six catches, with his longest reception being the 44-yard strike from Klubnik.
Following a miscommunicated fake punt by Clemson to open the game, Penn State started on the Tigers’ 32-yard line and took a 3-0 lead after Clemson held Penn State to a field goal with 8:32 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Clemson gained 63 yards on a 10-play drive, but the Tigers missed a 33-yard field goal attempt to keep it a 3-0 game.
Later in the quarter, Clemson put together a second-straight 40-plus-yard drive that resulted in a 48-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser, his 35th career field goal, to tie the game 3-3 with 56 seconds left in the first half. Penn State drove 42 yards in 10 plays on its ensuing drive and kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the half to take a 6-3 lead into halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, Penn State made a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend its lead 9-3. Penn State held Clemson to a three-and-out, then scored a 73-yard touchdown a few plays later to make the score 15-3 with 12:51 left in the fourth quarter.
Clemson covered 65 yards on a 10-play drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Randall, making the score 15-10.
Just under the five-minute mark, Penn State scored an 11-yard touchdown, increasing its lead to 22-10. Clemson turned the ball over on downs and Penn State picked up a first down before running out the clock.
Clemson will now begin preparations for its 2026 season, which is slated to begin with Clemson making its first trip to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. to face the LSU Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 5. Clemson’s full schedule for the 2026 season is still TBA, but in addition to the season opener against LSU, Clemson’s slate will include road games against Cal, Duke, Florida State, Syracuse and Florida State, as well as home contests at Memorial Stadium against Georgia Southern, Charleston Southern, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
