Tigers start fast, dominate Florida Atlantic

Tyler Brown celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter. (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sat Sep 16 23:41:50 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Clemson roared out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and 34-0 at the half and never surrendered the lead in a 48-14 victory over FAU in Death Valley Saturday night.

Sophomore receiver Adam Randall led the team in receiving with 51 yards. True freshman receiver Tyler Brown also had a really good night with two touchdowns.

Before the offense even got a chance to take the field, the Tigers had points on the board. The Owls struggled right from the beginning, with fifth-year quarterback Casey Thompson throwing an interception that junior cornerback Nate Wiggins returned 46 yards for a touchdown. That was the second touchdown of his career; his first came last season in the ACC Championship against North Carolina.

When the Tiger offense did get the ball, sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik led a nine-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off by Brown’s first career collegiate touchdown.

"We've already unleashed him. He's been doing an amazing job. It's been awesome to see No. 6 take what he's done on the practice field to game day. I don't want to put it on him, but he looks like a young Jacoby Ford running around out there," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said to ACCN.

Clemson’s defense stepped up once again when they forced the Owls into a three-and-out. However, Florida Atlantic chose to try a fake punt but they came up short, giving the Tigers the ball at the Owls’ 34-yard line. They would end up attempting a 31-yard field goal, which Gunn also missed.

Still in the first quarter, the Tiger defense stepped up once again when Thompson threw his second interception of the night. True freshman cornerback Khalil Barnes stepped in front of the ball, allowing Clemson to take over at Florida Atlantic’s 26 yard line. This time, they were able to capitalize on their field position when Klubnik threw his second touchdown of the night, this time to junior tight end Jake Briningstool, giving him his first touchdown reception of the season. The score was now 20-0.

For the Owls, Thompson was injured shortly after and remained out for the rest of the game shortly after. Fifth-year Daniel Richardson came in and finished out the effort.

Less than three minutes into the second quarter, the Tigers got in the end zone once again. This time, it was a 19-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Phil Mafah, giving Clemson a 27-0 lead.

Before the conclusion of the half, Klubnik would get his first rushing touchdown of the season to give the Tigers a 34-0 lead going into halftime. It was also the first time this season that Clemson did not have a turnover in the first half. That would not last.

The third quarter started with two consecutive three-and-outs on offense. Then, about to begin their third drive of the quarter, Brown muffs the punt and the Owls recover. This would be the only turnover of the game for Clemson. Florida Atlantic was not able to take advantage of this opportunity. In fact, Richardson would end up throwing an interception, which sophomore Wade Woodaz returned 51 yards.

Tyler Brown notched his second receiving touchdown of the night later in the quarter to give Clemson a 41-0 lead.

It was not until the fourth quarter that the Tigers finally allowed the Owls to score any points. On a 15-play, 75-yard drive by Florida Atlantic, they were finally able to get into the end zone on a two-yard rushing touchdown.

Clemson responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Redshirt junior quarterback Hunter Helms led this drive. He completed four out of five passes for 35 yards and the drive was finished with a two-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt junior running back Domonique Thomas. That was his first touchdown of the season as well.

The Tiger defense decided to get one more turnover in before the game’s end, which was a forced fumble by redshirt freshman Kobe McCloud. Redshirt sophomore Zaire Patterson recovered the fumble to give Clemson the ball at their own 20-yard line. Patterson had only played in two previous games in his career and just recorded his first collegiate tackle last week against Charleston Southern.

"I thought one area we needed to get better was red zone defense as far as no touchdowns. We held them to a kick and they missed a kick. I thought our defense was awesome all night. They were flying around. They dominated the line of scrimmage. That’s Clemson football," Swinney told ACCN.

With 3:45 left in the game and a 41-point lead, this gave the transfer from Alabama, redshirt graduate quarterback Paul Tyson, a chance to lead a drive for the second game in a row. However this time, it did not result in a touchdown. Following a botched punt by redshirt freshman Jack Smith that went 18 yards, the Owls would score on a 33-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior receiver Javion Posey to junior receiver Devin Price. This resulted in a final score of 48-14, with the Tigers on top.

Clemson hosts Florida State in an ACC showdown next week in Death Valley (ABC/noon).

48-14 win over FAU ✅

Big game next week vs. FSU 👀

Dabo stays ready 😤 @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/uDUhCQRxyy
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 17, 2023