That one’s going to sting for a while.
Clemson had the lead, had the crowd and had the game in its hands late Saturday at Memorial Stadium, but Virginia Tech walked out with a 20-16 win after the Tigers gave away a fourth-quarter advantage.
The loss drops Dabo Swinney’s team to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.
It was a night that started with Clemson fans booing their own team into halftime, and for good reason. The Tigers’ offense spent most of the first half looking stuck in place, and by the break Clemson had only 94 total yards and seven completions for 27 yards. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, had built a 10-3 cushion behind a long, stubborn 17-play, 87-yard drive that featured five third-down and fourth-down conversions.
Clemson’s defense and special teams did enough early to keep the game from getting away. The Tigers forced two three-and-outs on Virginia Tech’s first four possessions and also stopped a fake punt in Hokies territory, though the call came on fourth and 12 and looked questionable.
Still, Clemson couldn’t cash in on those breaks. One drive ended when running back Gideon Davidson was stuffed on fourth and 1, and another died after Reynolds absorbed back-to-back sacks following the fake punt stop.
All Clemson had to show for the first two quarters was a 34-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser.
Then the third quarter flipped everything. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, making his fifth career start, and the Clemson offense finally found some rhythm.
The Tigers scored on three straight drives to take control of the game. Hauser drilled field goals from 49 and 36 yards, and Reynolds punched in a 16-yard touchdown run to give Clemson its first lead at 13-10.
Hauser’s third field goal of the night pushed it to 16-10.
For a stretch, it looked like Clemson had fully seized momentum. The Tigers piled up 146 offensive yards on 20 snaps in the third quarter after managing 94 on 27 snaps before halftime.
But Virginia Tech wasn’t done. The Hokies answered with John Love’s 47-yard field goal with 11:52 left to trim the margin to 16-13, then kept hanging around until Clemson finally cracked. After the teams exchanged punts, Virginia Tech moved into Clemson territory with help from three Tigers defensive penalties and faced a fourth-and-1 at the Clemson 5 with 1:49 to play.
They converted. Veteran quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer found tight end Luke Reynolds for a five-yard touchdown, Reynolds’ second of the day, and Virginia Tech went ahead 20-16 with 1:44 remaining.
Clemson still had one last chance, and Reynolds nearly produced the kind of finish that would have flipped the whole night. He hit Bryant Wesco Jr. down the sideline for what looked like a huge gain, but officials overturned the call after ruling Wesco never had possession. On the next play, Reynolds was sacked on fourth and 9 at midfield, and that was that.
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If Burley is unable to go, Clemson will have to lean on other players to hold the line and absorb the extra burden in a critical game. The Tigers have been planning for that possibility, but the uncertainty around one of their interior defenders adds another layer of pressure to a defensive effort that is already going to be tested. [Read more 🡒]