Inside key late plays that sent Clemson to the College Football Playoff

Nolan Hauser's kick will live long in Clemson football lore.

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Monday, December 09 2024

CHARLOTTE - For the second time in three years, the Tigers are ACC Champions. It ultimately came down to the leg of true freshman kicker Nolan Hauser, who made the game-winning 56-yard field goal, the longest field goal in ACC Championship history.

“Coach Swinney said, ‘Put the ball through,’ and I went, ‘You know it,’ and I kind of got it going with that confidence,” Hauser said. “That’s a huge thing in one of those kicks, just being able to go in there confidently.”

Growing up less than 20 miles from Charlotte, Hauser had numerous friends and family members in the stands to watch him send Clemson to the playoffs. It was a moment every player dreams of and an opportunity Hauser will treasure for the rest of his football career.

“Doing it in the city is a dream come true,” Hauser said. “You dream about these moments and (just) doing it (in front of) plenty of friends and family, coaches here, and people on staff that I played against in high school, it’s just an awesome opportunity to just see all those faces again and just put on a show.”

Hauser’s kick was an improbable one. With under 20 seconds left in the game, SMU tied the game at 31-31. It seemed the game was destined for overtime until junior wide receiver Adam Randall returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to give Clemson the ball at their own 45-yard line with nine seconds left to get in field goal range. Junior quarterback Cade Klubnik threw a strike to redshirt sophomore Antonio Williams to set up the field goal. True freshman receiver Bryant Wesco Jr described watching those plays unfold.

“Adam Randall on that kickoff return, I feel like he really set the tone for that drive. He was crazy on that kickoff return, stepping up when we needed him the most and then just being there and then Nolan just making a great kick,” Wesco Jr said. “Nolan’s going to be one of the best kickers in the nation. I can call that right now. I believe in him and thought he was going to make it from the start.”

Wesco went from having one reception in the season opener against Georgia to having a career-high eight receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the first multi-touchdown game of his young collegiate career. His 143 receiving yards broke the ACC Championship record for receiving yards by a rookie, previously held by Cole Turner from his 102-yard performance in Clemson’s last ACC Championship victory in 2022.

“Everybody’s made improvements all the way down the line from the o-line, they made improvements from last year, crazy. And then Cade just growing up more than he had from the first game. The receivers growing up too and the defense, they just balled out this game and they held us for a little bit during that second half,” Hauser said. “I never doubted us, and it’s just been a great journey, see where we end up.”