Clemson’s defense made Saturday in Memorial Stadium look like a lockup from the opening whistle. The Tigers blanked Charleston Southern 37-0, giving up only 76 total yards, piling up 13 tackles for loss and forcing the Buccaneers into an 0-for-11 day on third down.
The shutout came on Military Appreciation Day, and Clemson’s offense did plenty of damage behind a balanced attack that produced 438 total yards. The Tigers ran for 231 yards and threw for 207, with Chris Johnson Jr. leading the way on the ground with two touchdowns and Gideon Davidson adding another. Tight end Christian Bentancur paced Clemson’s receivers with 74 yards, while freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds finished with 127 passing yards and 40 rushing yards.
Nolan Hauser was a major factor too, connecting on three field goals and scoring 12 points. His 59-yarder in the second quarter was the second-longest field goal in program history.
Clemson’s first score came after Johnson set the tone on the opening kickoff return, taking it 43 yards to give the Tigers the ball at the Charleston Southern 44. Hauser cashed in with a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12:51 left in the first quarter.
The defense then slammed the door on Charleston Southern’s first opportunity, forcing a missed 50-yard field goal. Clemson answered with a nine-play, 68-yard drive capped by Johnson’s six-yard touchdown run, his first score as a Tiger, and the lead quickly grew to 10-0.
That was just the start of a second quarter that belonged entirely to Clemson. A 12-play, 40-yard drive ended with Davidson’s seven-yard touchdown run after Reynolds broke free for a 10-yard scramble to set it up.
On the next possession, Johnson powered in from two yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the day and a career high. Nine seconds later, Clemson struck again when Tristan Smith forced a fumble on the kickoff and Kylon Griffin took it 17 yards for a touchdown.
Hauser then added his 59-yard kick before halftime, sending Clemson to the locker room up 34-0. By that point, the Tigers had held Charleston Southern to 70 total yards on five first-half possessions, with the Buccaneers managing two punts and a turnover on downs.
Clemson tacked on one more field goal in the second half, a 44-yarder from Hauser, to make it 37-0.
Defensively, Vic Burley, Caden Story, London Merritt and C.J. Kubah-Taylor all had a hand in sacks. Story finished with a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss, and he and cornerback Ashton Hampton led Clemson with four tackles apiece.
Charleston Southern’s best chance to spoil the shutout came in the fourth quarter after Mylan Bowen returned an interception 45 yards to set the Buccaneers up at the Clemson 30. But the Tigers tightened up again, with Burley and Story delivering back-to-back sacks on third and fourth down to end the threat.
Clemson returns home next week to face Virginia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Kickoff is set for either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ESPN2, with the time and network expected to be confirmed Saturday.
In Other News...
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Clemson Players Think This Shutout Could Mean More Than One Win
A 37-0 win over Charleston Southern gave Clemson its first shutout of the season, and for a team still trying to sharpen its identity, the manner of victory mattered as much as the margin. At Memorial Stadium, the Tigers handled business the way a favorite should, then spent the postgame talking less about the opponent and more about what the performance said about where they are headed.
Several Clemson players met with the media afterward to break down their own outings, note personal milestones and look ahead to what the group can build from here. A shutout against an overmatched opponent does not answer every question, but it can reinforce the kind of discipline and cohesion this team wants to carry forward, and the next stretch will show whether it was just a clean Saturday or something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Finally Got The Reset Win Fans Have Been Waiting For
After a rough stretch, Clemson finally got the kind of clean reset game it had been looking for, rolling past Charleston Southern 37-0 at Memorial Stadium in a noon kickoff. The Tigers were sharp from the start, putting up 34 first-half points and delivering their biggest win and highest point total of the season in the process.
The tone was set early with three rushing touchdowns and a special teams score off a forced fumble recovery, the sort of all-around effort a team wants when it needs to settle things down. Backup quarterback Trent Pearman handled the second half, and kicker Nolan Hauser added another bright spot with a career-long 59-yard field goal, giving Clemson plenty to build on as the schedule turns back to stiffer competition. [Read more 🡒]