Game Notes: Clemson 40, Stanford 14

WITH THE WIN…

• Clemson (801-473-45) earned its 801st victory all-time and tied Auburn (801) for the 13th-most wins in FBS history.
• Head Coach Dabo Swinney earned his 173rd head coaching victory to tie Bobby Bowden (173 during Florida State’s tenure in the ACC) for the most career head coaching victories leading an ACC program. 
• Swinney (173) passed the career win total of College Football Hall of Famer Dan Devine (172-57-9) and matched the career win totals of College Football Hall of Famers Robert Neyland (173-31-12) and Frank Solich (173-101).
• Swinney (100-9) earned his 100th career home victory to become the first coach in Clemson history to win 100 career home games. Frank Howard ranks second in school history with 81.
• Swinney (100) joined Mack Brown (156), Kirk Ferentz (121) and Brian Kelly (104) as the only active FBS coaches to win 100 career home games, according to Stats Perform.
• Clemson improved to 68-3 at Death Valley in the College Football Playoff era. With identical home records, Clemson and Alabama are tied for the nation’s best home record in that time frame.
• Clemson improved to 100-15 against ACC opponents, including postseason play, since 2011. Clemson became the third team in the country to win 100 games against conference opponents in that span (Alabama and Ohio State).
• Clemson improved to 2-0 all-time against Stanford.
• Clemson made Stanford the 25th different power conference program to be defeated by the Tigers at least once since 2013. Clemson’s 111 wins against power conference opponents in that span lead the nation.
• In defeating Stanford Head Coach Troy Taylor, Clemson improved to 165-73-3 all-time (and 48-7 since 2011) when facing a coach for the first time.
• Clemson hosted its 100th Homecoming game on record since its first official Homecoming game in 1922 and improved to 78-19-3 on Homecoming. The Tigers are now 47-4-2 on Homecoming since 1971.
• Clemson won its 13th consecutive Homecoming game to take sole possession of the school record for its longest Homecoming winning streak (12 from 1977-88).
• Clemson improved to 30-8 in night games since the start of the 2018 season. Clemson is also 51-11 at night since 2015.
• Clemson won its 22nd consecutive night game in Death Valley, a streak that dates to the middle of the 2013 season. Clemson’s 22-game home winning streak in night games is the second-longest active streak in the country.
• Clemson improved to 25-3 under Dabo Swinney in night games in Death Valley.
• Clemson improved to 134-18 against AP-unranked teams under Dabo Swinney and is now 111-8 in those games since the start of the 2012 season.
• Clemson improved to 97-13 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season. 
• Clemson improved to 83-6 when scoring first since 2015.
• Clemson is now 40-1 since 2015 when intercepting multiple passes in a game.
• Clemson has now won 117 of its last 122 games when leading at halftime.
• Clemson is now 138-4 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.
• Clemson now has a 81-4 record when winning the turnover margin since 2011.
• Clemson has won 115 of its last 116 games when holding teams under 23 points (dates to 2010).

GAME NOTES

• With the 26-point win, Clemson has now won three consecutive games by 24 or more points for the first time since the 2020 season against Pitt, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. That stretch also marked the last time Clemson won consecutive ACC games by 24-plus points.
• Clemson has now scored 40 points in three consecutive games for the first time since the final three games of the 2020 regular season against Notre Dame, Pitt and Virginia Tech.
• Clemson has scored 165 points in its last three games, its most in a three-game span since 2019 when it scored 166 against Wofford, NC State and Wake Forest. It is the sixth three-game stretch of 165 or more points in program history.
• Clemson held Stanford without a point on three of the four possessions that entered the Clemson red zone. In doing so, Clemson held an opponent pointless on at least three red zone possessions in a single game for the first time since the 2022 ACC Championship Game (North Carolina, 2-for-5).
• Clemson forced three turnovers on downs, as Stanford finished the game 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions. It marked Clemson’s first time forcing at least three turnovers on downs since last November against North Carolina (2-for-5).
• Clemson rushed for 150 yards on 30 carries (5.0 yards per carry). Stanford entered the week ranked third in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game (51.67) and fifth in the nation in yards allowed per carry (2.18).
• Clemson averaged 6.64 yards per play. Clemson has now averaged 6.6 yards per play in three consecutive games for the first time since the first three games of the 2020 season.
• Quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 15-of-31 passes for 255 yards with four passing touchdowns and added seven carries for 48 yards with a rushing touchdown. 
• Klubnik’s four touchdown passes tied for the second-most of his career and represented the fourth four-touchdown passing game of his career.
• Klubnik became the first Clemson quarterback to throw three or more touchdown passes in three straight games since Trevor Lawrence’s four-game streak in 2020.
• Including his rushing touchdown, Klubnik was responsible for five total touchdowns, the second-most of his career and his second such game of 2024 (seven vs. Appalachian State).
• Klubnik has now rushed for a touchdown in three straight games for the first time in his career.
• On his fourth touchdown pass of the game, Klubnik (33) passed Kyle Parker (32) for the ninth-most career passing touchdowns in Clemson history.
• Klubnik opened the scoring on a 34-yard touchdown run on Clemson’s opening possession. It marked the second straight game that Klubnik rushed for a touchdown on Clemson’s opening possession.
• Clemson has now scored a touchdown on its opening possession of three consecutive games in a single season for the first time since 2019 against Wofford, NC State and Wake Forest.
• Klubnik became the first Clemson quarterback to rush for a touchdown in three straight games since DJ Uiagalelei in November 2022.
• The rushing touchdown was Klubnik’s career-high-tying fourth of the season and the 10th of his career.
• Clemson has now scored at least one rushing touchdown in a national-best 81 of its 86 games since the start of the 2018 season.
• Clemson has now rushed for a touchdown in 56 consecutive home games, the nation’s longest active streak. The last team to hold Clemson without a rushing touchdown in Death Valley was Troy in 2016.
• Tight end Jake Briningstool recorded his third touchdown reception of the season on a three-yard pass from Klubnik late in the second quarter.
• On his second-quarter touchdown reception, Briningstool (13) moved past John McMakin (1969-71), Dwayne Allen (2009-11), Brandon Ford (2009-12) and Davis Allen (2019-22) for sole possession of the second-most career touchdown receptions by a tight end in school history (12 each).
• On the second-quarter touchdown pass to Briningstool, Klubnik (33) became the 10th player in Clemson history to throw 30 career touchdown passes.
• Wide receiver Cole Turner recorded the first receiving touchdown of his career on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik in the third quarter.
• Including an 18-yard rushing touchdown a week earlier against NC State, Turner has now scored in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
• Wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. caught two passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. 
• The game was the second 100-yard receiving game of Wesco’s career. Wesco joined Sammy Watkins as the only players in Clemson history to record multiple 100-yard receiving games in the first four games of a collegiate career.
• Wesco caught a 70-yard pass from Klubnik in the first quarter. It was six yards shy of the duo’s career long, a 76-yard connection earlier this season against Appalachian State.
• Clemson has now recorded multiple passes of 70-plus yards in a season for the first time since 2020 (Trevor Lawrence, passes of 83 and 70 yards to Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell, respectively).
• Wesco became the first Clemson receiver with multiple receptions of 70 or more yards in a single season since Sammy Watkins in 2013 (three).
• Wesco added the second touchdown reception of his freshman season on a 34-yard pass from Klubnik in the fourth quarter.
• Wesco’s touchdown reception came on the first play following a Stanford turnover on downs. Clemson has now recorded a one-play touchdown drive in three consecutive games for the first time since a four-game streak in 2017.
• Tight end Olsen Patt-Henry recorded his first career touchdown reception on a two-yard pass from Klubnik in the fourth quarter.
• Clemson allowed only one sack and has now surrendered one sack or fewer in three straight games for the first time since a four-game streak to end the 2021 season.
• Clemson matched its season high (set twice previously) by recording three takeaways.
• Clemson has now forced three or more takeaways in three consecutive games for the first time since last year’s Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and North Carolina games.
• Clemson recorded three interceptions for the first time since picking off four passes against Georgia Tech last November.
• Clemson finished +2 in the turnover margin to win the turnover margin for the third time this season and the 101st time in Dabo Swinney’s tenure. Clemson is now 95-6 in Swinney’s tenure when it wins the turnover margin.
• Clemson won the turnover margin for the eighth time in a nine-game span, including a five-game stretch to end the 2023 season.
• Clemson has now finished +2 or better in the turnover margin in three straight games for the first time since a four-game streak in 2013.
• Linebacker Wade Woodaz recorded his first forced fumble of the season, the second of his career, on a Clemson fourth-down stop to force a turnover on downs on the game’s opening possession.
• In the third quarter, Woodaz recorded his first interception of the season, the third of his career.
• Cornerback Avieon Terrell snuffed out a Stanford red zone drive on the Cardinal’s second possession, recording his second career interception, his first of the season.
• Terrell’s interception was his first since last November against Georgia Tech.
• Cornerback Jeadyn Lukus made Clemson’s second red zone stop of the first quarter on Stanford’s third possession, recording his second career interception. 
• Lukus’ interception was the second of his career and his first since the 2022 ACC Championship Game against North Carolina.
• Clemson recorded a season-high four sacks and a season-high 10 tackles for loss.
• Defensive end T.J. Parker recorded his third sack of the last two games with a third-down sack in the first quarter. 
• Parker has now recorded a sack in back-to-back games for the first time since last season against Syracuse and Wake Forest.
• Linebacker Sammy Brown recorded his first career sack in the third quarter.
• Brown added a second sack in the fourth quarter to give him the first multi-sack game of his career.
• Linebacker Barrett Carter tied his career high with 3.5 tackles for loss, matching his total against Louisville in 2022.
• Carter added a sack in the fourth quarter, pushing his career total to 10.0.
• Carter finished with 3.5 tackles for loss.
• Kicker Nolan Hauser converted a 20-yard field goal on Clemson’s second possession and later opened the second half with a 33-yard field goal, marking the first multi-field-goal game of his career. 
• Hauser had a PAT attempt blocked on Clemson’s fourth touchdown of the game. It snapped a streak of 25 consecutive made kicks to open his collegiate career (five field goals & 20 PATs).
• Hauser is now five-for-five on field goals and 21-of-22 on PATs in his true freshman campaign.
• Linebacker Jamal Anderson recorded a partial punt block in the fourth quarter, Clemson’s first blocked punt since blocking two punts in the 2022 season opener against Georgia Tech.
• Clemson scored in a 284th consecutive game to pass the 1997-2019 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for sole possession of the 15th-longest streak of games without being shutout in FBS history.
• Clemson held a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and has now outscored opponents 73-0 in first quarters this season. The 2024 season marks Clemson’s first time holding its first four opponents of the season without any first-quarter points since 2020 (59-0).
• Clemson hosted Stanford for the first time and faced Stanford in any location for the second time in school history, joining Clemson’s win in the 1986 Gator Bowl.
• Stanford became only the second team from California ever to play in Death Valley, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer George Allen’s Long Beach State squad that lost to Clemson, 59-0, in the 1990 season opener.
• Stanford traveled roughly 2,200 miles as the crow flies, the farthest distance an opponent has traveled to face the Tigers in Clemson all-time, surpassing the roughly 2,000 miles traveled by Long Beach State in 1990.
• Captains for the contest were offensive lineman Trent Howard, center Ryan Linthicum, punter Aidan Swanson and safety Tyler Venables.