CFP Bound! Tigers walk off Mustangs with Hauser's record kick to win ACC

David Hood - Senior Writer - Sunday, December 08 2024

CHARLOTTE, NC – Clemson’s special teams were special at the biggest moment, sending Clemson to the College Football Playoff.

Nolan Hauser kicked an ACC Championship Game record 56-yard field goal as time expired, lifting No. 17 Clemson to a 34-31 victory over No. 8 SMU at Bank of America Stadium Saturday night.

The Mustangs had tied the score at 31-31 with just 16 seconds remaining and it looked like overtime was inevitable. However, Adam Randall returned the kick 41 yards to the Clemson 45, and the Tigers called timeout with nine seconds remaining. Klubnik stepped up and delivered a dart to Antonio Williams, who was downed at the SMU 38 after the 17-yard pass. The Tigers called a timeout to set up Hauser’s kick.

Hauser stepped up and calmly delivered the kick, the ball clearing the crossbar by more than enough.

With the victory, the Tigers improve to 10-3 and head to the College Football Playoff. SMU will await its fate after falling to 11-2.

Cade Klubnik was 24-41 for 262 yards and four touchdowns, while Bryant Wesco had a career-high eight catches for 143 yards and two scores.

The Tigers couldn’t have asked for a better start. SMU picked up a quick first down, but on the third play T.J. Parker sacked Mustang quarterback Kevin Jennings and stripped the football in the process. The ball was recovered by Parker at the SMU 33.

On the Tigers’ second play, Klubnik took the snap, and it looked like a run to the left. But as Klubnik neared the line of scrimmage he pulled up and hit a wide open Bryant Wesco at the 12. Wesco strolled the final 12 yards to complete the 35-yard touchdown and the Tigers led 7-0.

The Mustangs were forced into a 3-and-out and Antonio Williams returned it 21 yards to the SMU 43. A personal foul penalty on SMU moved it to the 28, and quick passes to Wesco and T.J. Moore picked up 23 yards. On the fourth play of the drive, Klubnik threw a quick screen to Jake Briningstool, who bowled in from five yards out for the 14-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

The Mustangs didn’t fold and put together a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Jennings racing 24 yards for the score to make it 14-7.

The Tigers responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive of their own. Clemson mixed in the run and the pass, but Klubnik’s deep slant throw to Wesco was on the money, and Wesco bounced off of a defender and waltzed into the endzone for a 21-7 lead with just over three minutes left to play in the first quarter.

The teams traded punts through the early part of the second quarter, but the Tigers put more points on the board with just over five minutes remaining with a 44-yard Nolan Hauser field goal. Clemson took that 24-7 lead into the half.

Tragedy struck on the opening kickoff of the second half. Running back Jay Haynes returned the kick and suffered a leg injury, putting a damper on what had been a solid performance from the redshirt freshman. The Tigers were unable to sustain the drive, and the Mustangs made short work of the Clemson defense.

SMU drove down the field and Jennings hit a wide open Brashard Smith on a wheel route for the score, and the Mustangs were back in the game at 24-14. The Tigers were unable to sustain the ensuing drive, and after a punt pinned the Mustangs deep, the defense rose to the occasion and forced a three-and-out.

A 32-yard pass to Williams set the Tigers in plus territory, and Klubnik ended the 10-play, 58-yard drive with a five-yard bullet to Briningstool for the touchdown. With just a little over 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Tigers held a three-score lead at 31-14.

The Mustangs responded in a hurry, taking just seven plays and a second over two minutes to drive 75 yards for the score. Jennings hit tight end Matthew Hibner twice on the drive for big plays, the second a 20-yard touchdown that pulled the Mustangs back to within 10 at 31-21.

With no running game, Clemson’s offense remained stuck in neutral and another short punt led to another 46-yard field goal from SMU. With 6:56 to play, Clemson led 31-24.

Following another Clemson punt, SMU put together what was, to that point, the drive of the night. The Mustangs drove 79 yards in a whopping 16 plays and scored on a four-yard pass to Roderick Daniels with 16 seconds remaining, tying the score at 31-31.

Adam Randall returned the kick 41 yards to the Clemson 45, and the Tigers called timeout with nine seconds remaining. Klubnik stepped up and delivered a dart to Williams, who was downed at the SMU 38 after the 17-yard pass. The Tigers called a timeout to set up Hauser’s kick.

Nolan Hauser wins it for #Clemson.

The Tigers are going to the College Football Playoff.

Here’s the scene in Charlotte:@ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/k8hWk1KbO7
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) December 8, 2024

#Clemson AD Graham Neff reacts to the Tigers heading to the College Football Playoff:

“How about Nolan Hauser?” @ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/TqV62tFx9S
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) December 8, 2024

#Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on Hauser sending the Tigers to the College Football Playoff:

“THANK YOU JESUS!”@ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/qPZ4JOUjXd
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) December 8, 2024