No. 3 Florida State Takes Down Clemson in Overtime, 31-24

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CLEMSON, S.C. – Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 283 yards and Clemson ran for 146 more, but the Tigers’ upset bid fell short in overtime against No. 3 Florida State, 31-24, at Memorial Stadium. The Seminoles scored on the second play of overtime and held Clemson on the ensuing possession to seal the win. 

Clemson (2-2, 0-2 ACC) piled up 429 yards of offense and held No. 3 Florida State (4-0, 2-0 ACC) to just 22 rushing yards and 311 total yards. Clemson also recorded 25 first downs to Florida State’s 16. 

Klubnik completed 25-of-38 passes for 283 yards and one touchdown. Phil Mafah led Clemson in rushing, averaging 6.9 yards per carry and totaling 69 yards, 46 of which came on one play. Freshman Tyler Brown recorded a career-high 84 receiving yards to lead Clemson. On defense, Clemson limited Florida State to just 22 yards rushing on 20 carries, forced four three-and-outs and registered five tackles for a loss, including two sacks. 

Clemson opened the scoring on its second possession, driving 79 yards in 15 plays, including a critical fourth-and-one conversion by Mafah. Kicker Jonathan Weitz capped the drive with a 30-yard field goal on his first career field goal attempt less than a week after he came out of retirement to rejoin the team.

Clemson’s defense then produced its second straight stop with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. wrapping up Jordan Travis for a seven-yard loss. On the third play of Clemson’s ensuing drive, a 28-yard pass over the middle to Tyler Brown put Clemson inside the 10-yard line and set up Klubnik to find the end zone on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 11:33 left in the first half for a 10-0 lead.

Florida State scored its first touchdown of the day on a seven-yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 10-7 with 5:10 left to play in the first half. Clemson responded with a touchdown drive of its own, as Klubnik found tight end Jake Briningstool down the field for a 33-yard completion and then connected with Will Shipley for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Klubnik was 4-for-4 for 64 yards on the drive.

Travis capped off a quick 1:50 drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown for Florida State to make the score 17-14 at the half. The Seminoles tied the game at 17 with a 48-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half.

Klubnik led Clemson on a 77-yard scoring drive in the third quarter with Shipley punching the ball one yard into the end zone to give Clemson a 24-17 lead with 3:32 left in the frame. Florida State tied the game after Klubnik was hit by Kalen DeLoach, who then recovered a Klubnik fumble and returned it 56 yards to tie the game, 24-24, with 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter.  

Late in the fourth quarter, Clemson’s defense came up with a critical stop at Florida State’s own seven-yard line as Xavier Thomas tackled Travis for the sack on third down. With good field positioning and 6:56 left on the clock, Klubnik and company took Clemson 43 yards down the field but were unable to come away with points following a missed 30-yard field goal attempt. The Tigers’ defense forced a Florida State turnover on downs on the ensuing possession to force overtime.

On Florida State’s second play of the opening possession of overtime, Travis found Keon Coleman for a 24-yard touchdown pass. An incomplete pass from Klubnik on fourth down on Clemson’s overtime possession sealed the 31-24 victory for Florida State. 

After completing its recent three-game homestand, Clemson will finish September on the road when the Tigers face the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, Sept. 30. Kickoff for that contest in Syracuse, N.Y., is scheduled for noon ET on ABC. The Tigers’ next home game will be on Saturday, Oct. 7, when Clemson hosts the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Memorial Stadium; tickets for that contest are available here.