Game Notes: Clemson 34, SMU 31

WITH THE WIN…

• Clemson has now won a postseason game (conference championship, bowl game and/or national championship game) in 14 consecutive seasons, extending the longest streak on record in major college football history.
• Clemson became the first program to win 22 ACC titles. Since helping form the conference in 1953, Clemson leads the ACC with 22 titles all-time, including 21 outright.
• Clemson earned its 28th overall conference championship all-time, including four SIAA championships and two Southern Conference championships prior to the formation of the ACC. Clemson’s 28 conference titles across all conferences are the most of any current or former ACC member.
• Clemson tied Utah (28) for the 10th-most conference titles among current FBS programs.
• Clemson is expected to earn its seventh College Football Playoff berth to become only the second team to earn seven College Football Playoff berths since the institution of the postseason format in 2014 (Alabama, 8). The ACC champion is expected to be among the five highest-ranked conference champions that earn an automatic berth, but official selections and rankings will not be announced until Sunday afternoon.
• Clemson improved to 9-1 all-time in ACC Championship Games. Clemson’s .900 all-time winning percentage in conference championship games ranks second among programs who have qualified for at least four conference championship games.
• Clemson has now won each of its last nine ACC Championship Game appearances. Clemson joined Oklahoma (nine straight amid 2004-20) and Alabama (nine straight amid 2009-23) as the only teams ever to win nine consecutive conference title game appearances.
• SMU became the seventh different team defeated by Clemson in an ACC Championship Game all-time. Clemson joined Oklahoma (eight) as the only schools to earn a conference championship win against seven different opponents all-time.
• Head Coach Dabo Swinney won his ninth ACC championship. His nine ACC titles (all outright) are second only to Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (12, including 10 outright).
• Swinney won his ninth conference championship to pass College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard (eight) for sole possession of the most in Clemson history. Howard won two Southern Conference titles (1940,48) and six ACC titles (1956,58,59,65,66,67) in his 30-year run with the Tigers.
• Swinney is now 9-1 in ACC Championship Games. His nine wins are triple the wins of any other coach in the ACC’s championship game era (Jimbo Fisher and Frank Beamer, three each). Since the creation of the ACC Championship Game in 2005, 55 different full-time head coaches have coached at least one season in the ACC. Swinney has won nine ACC Championship Games in that span while the other 54 coaches have combined for 11 (four of which came prior to Swinney’s promotion to full-time head coach).
• Swinney’s nine career conference championships are more than double any other active head coach (Lincoln Riley, Rich Rodriguez and Butch Jones, four each).
• Clemson has now recorded its 20th 10-win season in program history. It is Clemson’s 13th 10-win season under Head Coach Dabo Swinney.
• Clemson became the 13th program among current power conference programs to record at least 20 seasons all-time with 10 or more wins. Prior to the season, that list included Alabama (44), Oklahoma (42), Michigan (32), Ohio State (31), Georgia (28), USC (28), Nebraska (28), Florida State (26), Penn State (26), Texas (25), Notre Dame (23) and Tennessee (20).
• Clemson’s 2023 and 2024 signing classes earned their first ACC Championship. Every Clemson recruiting class in Dabo Swinney’s tenure has won at least one ACC Championship.
• Clemson’s senior class became the 31st senior class in Clemson history to earn multiple conference championships in a four-year span.
• Clemson’s senior class (40-13 since 2021) became the 12th Clemson senior class to average at least 10 wins a year over a four-year span, joining the 1990, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 senior groups.
• Clemson earned its 31st all-time victory against an AP Top 10 opponent.
• Swinney improved to 19-13 against AP Top 10 teams. The only coaches — active or inactive — who have more wins against AP Top 10 teams since 2009 than Swinney are Nick Saban (34) and Kirby Smart (22).
• Clemson improved to 8-0 all-time in ACC Championship Games held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Clemson previously earned ACC titles in the facility in 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
• Clemson improved to 23-13 in games at NFL stadiums under Dabo Swinney. Clemson is now 20-9 at NFL stadiums since 2015.
• Clemson improved to 18-1 in December games since 2011. Among teams that have been at the FBS level in that entire time span, Clemson’s .947 December winning percentage is the second-highest in the nation behind Alabama (15-0, 1.000).
• Clemson improved to 30-14 all-time in games played in the month of December. 
• Clemson improved to 37-9 under Dabo Swinney in games following a loss.
• Swinney (180-46) became the seventh coach in FBS history to win 180 games within the first 20 seasons of a head coaching career. In only his 17th season (and 16th full season), Swinney (179) trails only Tom Osborne (195), Nick Saban (191), Bob Stoops (191), Joe Paterno (187), Urban Meyer (187) and LaVell Edwards (183) in that category. (Note: Stoops and Meyer are not credited on the NCAA’s official list of most wins through 20 seasons since they did not coach 20 years.)
• Swinney improved to 40-27 under Dabo Swinney against AP Top 25 teams. 
• Clemson improved to 34-19 under Swinney in games in which both teams rank in the AP Top 25.
• Clemson improved to 169-74-3 all-time (and 52-8 since 2011) when facing a coach for the first time. Clemson is 6-1 this season against head coaches facing the Tigers for the first time.
• Clemson has now won 123 of its last 128 games when leading at halftime.
• Clemson is now 88-7 when scoring first since 2015.
• Clemson is now 145-5 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.
• Clemson is now 87-5 when winning the turnover margin since 2011.
• Clemson has now won 40 of its last 52 one-possession games since 2011, the highest winning percentage in the country in one-score games in that span.

GAME NOTES

• The victory was the first walk-off win in ACC Championship Game history.
• Kicker Nolan Hauser gave the Tigers the win with a career-long 56-yard field goal as time expired. The snap and hold on the kick were provided by Holden Caspersen and Clay Swinney, respectively.
• Hauser became the first Clemson player to kick a game-winning walk-off field goal since Chandler Catanzaro hit a 37-yard field goal to beat LSU to end the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
• Hauser’s 56-yard field goal was the longest game-winning field goal as time expired in Clemson history.
• Hauser’s 56-yard field goal was the fourth-longest field goal in Clemson history but its longest away from Death Valley. It was also the longest field goal in postseason play in Clemson history.
• Hauser became the first FBS player ever to win a conference championship game by kicking a field goal of 50 or more yards as time expired.
• Hauser’s 56-yard field goal was the longest in ACC Championship Game history, surpassing a 52-yarder by B.T. Potter in 2022 against North Carolina.
• Hauser hit the game-winning field goal in his home metro area. His hometown of Cornelius, N.C. is roughly 20 miles north of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
• With 10 points in the game, Hauser (107), who already owned the Clemson record for points by a true freshman, became the first Clemson player to score 100 points in a true freshman season. He reached the century mark for the season on his third PAT of the first quarter.
• Quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 24-of-41 passes for 262 yards and four passing touchdowns, earning Most Valuable Player honors. 
• Klubnik became only the third player ever to win multiple ACC Championship Game MVP honors (Deshaun Watson and Tyrod Taylor, two each). Despite a 9-1 record in ACC Championship Games, Clemson has produced the ACC Championship Game MVP in all 10 of its title game appearances, including C.J. Spiller earning the honor in a Clemson loss in 2009.
• Klubnik engineered his fourth career game-winning drive, including his third as a starter and the second of his career in postseason play.
• Klubnik’s four passing touchdowns tied the ACC Championship Game record set by Trevor Lawrence in the 2019 ACC Championship Game against Virginia.
• With a three-touchdown first quarter, Klubnik became the first player to throw three touchdown passes in any single quarter in ACC Championship Game history.
• In two career ACC Championship Games, Klubnik has completed 44-of-65 passes for 541 yards with five passing touchdowns and six total touchdowns responsible for.
• Klubnik (33) has now recorded the eighth 30-touchdown passing season by a Clemson quarterback all-time and the first since Trevor Lawrence in 2019 (36).
• Klubnik (33) tied Tajh Boyd (33 in 2011) for sixth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for touchdown passes in a single season.
• Klubnik (40) also passed Boyd (38 in 2011) for sixth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for touchdown responsibility in a single season.
• Klubnik (3,303) now stands eighth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for passing yards in a single season.
• Klubnik (3,761) has now posted the ninth individual season with 3,500 yards of total offense in school history.
• During the game, Klubnik (7,623) became the sixth player in Clemson history to reach 7,500 career yards of total offense.
• With the win, Klubnik (19-8) tied DeChane Cameron (19-4-1 from 1988-91) and Woodrow Dantzler (19-11 from 1998-2001) for the 11th-most wins by a starting quarterback since World War II.
• Wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. recorded career highs in receptions (eight), receiving yards (143) and receiving touchdowns (two).
• Wesco recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of his debut campaign to join Sammy Watkins (five in 2011), Artavis Scott (four in 2014), DeAndre Hopkins (three in 2010) and Justyn Ross (three in 2018) to become the fifth Clemson true freshman with three or more 100-yard receiving games since the NCAA instituted permanent freshman eligibility in 1972.
• Wesco’s third 100-yard receiving game of the season tied Tulsa’s Joseph Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith for the most in the nation among true freshmen this year.
• The multi-touchdown game was the first of Wesco’s career and the first time a Clemson freshman had caught multiple touchdowns in a game since Tyler Brown’s two touchdowns against Florida Atlantic in September 2023.
• Wesco’s 143 receiving yards tied Danny Coale of Virginia Tech (2010 against Florida State) for the second-most in an ACC Championship Game. The performance trailed only Tee Higgins’ 182 receiving yards in the 2019 ACC Championship Game against Virginia in conference history.
• Wesco’s 143 receiving yards were the most by a freshman in ACC Championship Game history, passing the 101 posted by Clemson’s Cole Turner against North Carolina in 2022.
• Wesco became the first Clemson freshman to catch multiple touchdowns in a postseason game since Justyn Ross caught two touchdowns against Notre Dame in the 2018 Cotton Bowl.
• Wesco’s 143 receiving yards were the 10th-most by a Clemson true freshman since the NCAA instituted permanent freshman eligibility in 1972. It was the most by a Clemson true freshman in a postseason game since Justyn Ross’ 153 yards against Alabama to end the 2018 season.
• Wesco’s career day came against an SMU program whose campus is roughly 30 miles from his hometown of Midlothian, Texas.
• Clemson opened the scoring on its first possession on a 35-yard pass from Klubnik to Wesco Jr. on the Tigers’ second offensive play.
• The duo of Klubnik and Wesco connected again for a 43-yard touchdown later in the first quarter.
• Tight end Jake Briningstool caught four passes for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
• Briningstool’s two touchdowns tied his career high set last season at Miami (Fla.) and earlier this season against Appalachian State.
• Briningstool scored his sixth touchdown of the season on a five-yard pass from Klubnik, giving the Tigers a 14-0 lead fewer than five minutes into the game. 
• Briningstool recorded his second touchdown of the game on another five-yard pass from Klubnik in the third quarter.
• Briningstool (seven) broke his previous single-season career high in receiving touchdowns of five set in 2023.
• Briningstool’s seven touchdowns this season tied Bennie Cunningham (seven in 1974) and Jordan Leggett (seven in 2016) for the fourth-most in a season by a Clemson tight end all-time. He is now one shy of the school record shared by three players.
• Briningstool (17) is now also one touchdown shy of Jordan Leggett (18 from 2013-16) for the school record for career receiving touchdowns by a tight end. 
• WIth his second touchdown catch of the game, Briningstool (17) tied NC State’s George Bryan (17 from 2008-11) and Florida State’s Nick O’Leary (17 from 2011-14) for the sixth-most touchdown receptions by a tight end in ACC history. He is one touchdown shy of Clemson’s Jordan Leggett (18 from 2013-16) and Louisville’s Marshon Ford (2018-22) for fourth.
• Including his two-touchdown performance against Appalachian State in September, Briningstool became the first Clemson tight end to catch multiple touchdown passes in multiple games in a single season since Brandon Ford in 2012 (two).
• The performances by Wesco and Briningstool made Clemson the first team to have multiple players record two or more touchdown receptions in a single ACC Championship Game.
• Clemson won the turnover margin, 2-0, marking Clemson’s fifth straight game winning the turnover margin. Clemson has produced three five-game streaks of winning the turnover margin in its last 18 games dating to early November of 2023.
• Clemson finished even or better in the turnover margin in a 12th straight game, Clemson’s longest streak since a 17-game streak across the 1989-90 seasons. Dating to last season, Clemson has lost the turnover margin only once in its last 18 games.
• Clemson did not have a giveaway and has now played five games without a giveaway in a single season for the first time since 2019 (six).
• Clemson has now recorded multiple takeaways in five straight games for the first time since ending the 2023 season on a five-game streak.
• On the game’s third play from scrimmage, defensive end T.J. Parker recorded a strip-sack that he recovered for the game’s first takeaway.
• The fumble was Parker’s sixth forced fumble of the season, giving him sole possession of the school record for caused fumbles in a single season, breaking the previous mark of five set by Brandon Maye in 2009. 
• Parker (career-high 11.0) entered the Top 10 in sacks in a season in school history and now stands in ninth place in that category.
• The fumble recovery was Parker’s second of the season and the third of his career. He has now recorded a fumble recovery in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
• Parker became the first Clemson player to recover a fumble in back-to-back games since Ben Boulware accomplished the feat in the final two games of the 2014 season.
• Parker finished the contest with a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss, pushing his career high this season to 19.0.
• Parker became the seventh player nationally to record multiple games with 3.5 or more tackles for loss this season.
• Safety Khalil Barnes recorded Clemson’s second takeaway of the first quarter. 
• The interception was Barnes’ career-high fourth of the season and the seventh of his career.
• Barnes became the first Clemson player to record four or more interceptions in a season since Tanner Muse (four) in 2019.
• Barnes has now recorded an interception in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
• Defensive end Cade Denhoff recorded his second sack of the season and the second of his career in the second quarter when he forced SMU’s Kevin Jennings out of bounds shy of the line of scrimmage.
• Linebacker Sammy Brown led the team with 14 tackles.
• Brown (11.0) has now tied Anthony Simmons (11.0 in 1995) for the third-most tackles for loss by a Clemson true freshman all-time. He now trails only T.J. Parker (12.5 in 2023) and Myles Murphy (12.0 in 2020).
• Adam Randall set up the game-winning drive with a career-long 41-yard kickoff return on the second kickoff return of his career. It was Clemson’s longest kickoff return of the season.
• Clemson committed zero accepted penalties in the game for the first time since committing no penalties in a win against Notre Dame in 2023. 
• Clemson became the second team in ACC Championship Game history to not commit a penalty (Virginia Tech, 2010).
• With the performance, Clemson (5,914) entered the Top 10 in school history for yards in a single season. 
• Clemson (3,563) entered the Top 10 in school history for passing yards in a single season.
• Clemson made its 10th all-time ACC Championship Game appearance, adding to the Tigers’ ACC record (2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022).
• Clemson became the fifth program ever to appear in 10 conference title games all-time, joining Alabama (15), Florida (13), Oklahoma (12) and Georgia (12).
• Clemson faced its eighth different opponent in 10 all-time ACC Championship Games. Clemson had previously faced North Carolina (2015 and 2022), Virginia Tech (2011 and 2016), Georgia Tech (2009), Miami (2017), Pitt (2018), Virginia (2019) and Notre Dame (2020) prior to facing SMU in 2024.
• Clemson faced SMU for the first time in history.
• Clemson faced a new opponent for the first time since facing Charleston Southern in the second game of the 2023 season. It was Clemson’s first time making its debut against an opponent in a postseason game since facing Iowa State for the first time in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl.
• Clemson faced its 109th different opponent in program history. With the win, Clemson is 67-38-4 all-time in its first meeting with its 109 opponents, including an 18-1 mark in first meetings since 2003. Clemson has won 20 of its last 22 games when making its all-time debut against a new opponent.
• Captains for the contest were quarterback Cade Klubnik, safety R.J. Mickens, offensive tackle Tristan Leigh and defensive end T.J. Parker.