Clemson blows out Appalachian State in record-setting night

Bryant Wesco celebrates his catch in the first quarter.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Saturday, September 07 2024

CLEMSON – Appalachian State drove down from the mountains and straight into an orange-colored buzzsaw.

Clemson rolled up a program-record 525 yards of total offense in the first half and quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for career-highs of 378 yards and seven total touchdowns in that half as No. 25 Clemson defeated Appalachian St. 66-20 in Death Valley Saturday night.

Freshman receiver Bryant Wesco had three catches for 130 yards and the first touchdown of his career. Running back Phil Mafah had ten carries for 118 yards. Clemson’s 712 yards of total offense are the sixth-most in program history.

The 66 points given up by Appalachian St. ties for the second-most points in program history, tying the 66 given up in a 66-13 loss to Virginia Tech to open the 2012 season. The 56 points scored in the first half is the most in any half under Dabo Swinney.

Clemson improves to 1-1 with the win, and Appalachian St. falls to 1-1 with the loss.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff, and the first two plays netted a loss of one yard. Facing 3rd-and-11, Klubnik dropped back and hit Wesco in stride for a 76-yard touchdown, the longest play from scrimmage for the Tigers since 2020.

Clemson didn’t stop there. On the ensuing possession, Klubnik hit Wesco again, this time for 51 yards to the Mountaineers two-yard line. Klubnik did the honors on the next play, carrying it in from two yards out for a 14-0 lead just over five minutes into the game.

The third play of the next drive was all Mafah. He took a handoff, bounced off a defender, and broke clear for an 83-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career. At the 7:08 mark of the first quarter, Clemson led 21-0.

Klubnik and the passing game weren’t done yet, with Klubnik hitting tight end Jake Briningstool on a 41-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline for a 28-0 lead. The Tigers capped off the quarter with Klubnik throwing a 29-yard post to Antonio Williams for a 35-0 lead with just over a minute to play.

The Tigers had 350 yards of total offense in the quarter, and the 35 points marked the largest first-quarter scoring output in program history. Wesco had three catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in the first half. His touchdown came on his first ever catch in a Clemson uniform. The last Tiger to accomplish that feat was Justyn Ross in 2018. Wesco tied Artavis Scott, Ross and Cole Turner for the fewest games needed to record a 100-yard receiving game (2).

In the second quarter, Klubnik added a three-yard run, a 33-yard scoring pass to T.J. Moore, and a 17-yarder to Briningstool to account for the 56 points. App St. scored 13 in the half after finding some offensive consistency and gashing the Tigers in the outside run game.

Clemson’s 525 yards in the first half are a program record, eclipsing the 487 yards in the first half at Duke back in 2012, a 56-20 Clemson victory. Klubnik set career-highs with 378 yards and seven touchdowns in his two quarters.

The Mountaineers scored an early touchdown in the second half, but backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina engineered a seven-play, 61-yard touchdown drive. The Tigers had the ball 4th-and-goal at the App St. five-yard line, and Vizzina kept it and scored easily for a 63-20 lead.

Nolan Hauser kicked a 36-yard field goal late in the third quarter to make it 66-20.

Clemson is off next week and returns to action in two weeks, hosting NC State.