Clemson’s trip to Tallahassee ended with its biggest win of the season, a 36-24 victory over Florida State that gave the Tigers plenty to feel good about beyond the final score. The late Seminole push made things interesting for a while, but Clemson slammed the door with a 76-yard touchdown and then an interception that finished the job.
The night belonged to Reynolds, who turned in the best performance of his young career. The freshman threw two touchdown passes, then delivered the biggest run of his life with a 76-yard rushing score that stretched the lead to two touchdowns.
He entered the game with just one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown on the season, and after a first half that included two scoring throws, he answered the criticism that had followed him after the Virginia Tech loss. He finished with 189 passing yards, 80 rushing yards and three total scores.
Not everyone in the backfield had the same kind of night. The sophomore tailback who had been challenged by Dabo Swinney in last week’s press conferences could not match Reynolds’ response, finishing with 12 carries for 36 yards.
Clemson’s run game as a whole was quieter than it had been in previous weeks, totaling 162 yards, with most of that coming on Reynolds’ long touchdown to ice the game. Davidson had scored in four straight games through September and October, but he has now gone two games without finding the end zone.
Jarvis Green was more productive in the game, and the Tigers’ running back picture looks even more crowded heading into Syracuse.
Carter also made a major impact in a game that carried extra meaning for him, since it came against his father’s alma mater. He picked off a pass and added a sack, giving him his first of each as a Tiger.
Carter also piled up five tackles and broke up two passes, and he matched his father’s total from his lone game at Doak Campbell Stadium by recording a sack and an interception. With Clemson trying to clean up the busted coverages and missed assignments that showed up in last season’s safety room, Carter and Corey Myrick have been part of the answer, and Carter’s night against Florida State backed that up.
Johnson remains a dangerous return man, but his offensive role still hasn’t taken off. The SMU transfer is one of the conference’s best kick returners, yet when Clemson has handed him the ball in the backfield, the results have been limited.
Against Florida State, he managed just one total yard on five carries and a reception. His only real offensive breakthrough came against Charleston Southern, when he scored twice.
For now, Clemson’s running back competition keeps rolling, and Johnson hasn’t made a strong push for the top spot.
Hauser kept doing what he’s been doing all season, and then some. The junior drilled five field goals, including one from 50 yards, and also punted twice in the win.
One of those punts traveled more than 50 yards, giving him another strong special teams showing after doing the same thing the week before. It was Hauser’s second game with at least five field goals, and he looks like the clear frontrunner for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best placekicker in college football each season.
In Other News...
Florida States Coaching Search Just Took A Notable Turn
Florida States coaching search has already become one of the more closely watched storylines in the sport after the Seminoles moved on from Mike Norvell following seven seasons. Rick Stockstill has been handed the interim job, and the timing of the change says plenty about how quickly the school wants to reset after a tenure that ended with a 41-39 record and just 10 wins over the past three years.
One name that surfaced almost immediately was Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, but he quickly shut that down and said his attention is on the Tigers upcoming game against Texas. For Clemson fans, it is another reminder that the ACCs power structure could be shifting again, with Florida State now trying to chart its next move while the search begins to take shape around the country. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Is Saying Goodbye To Armon Mason Under Tough Circumstances
Armon Masons Clemson career is ending the hard way, with the veteran defensive end announcing his medical retirement from football after a run of injuries that kept interrupting what had once looked like a promising path. A sixth-year player and the son of late NBA standout Anthony Mason, he had already missed two of the past three seasons, a frustrating stretch that made it increasingly difficult to get any real momentum on the field.
Mason still plans to stay with the Tigers through Senior Day before stepping away from the sport for good, giving Clemson one more chance to recognize a player who battled through far more than most. For a program that has watched him fight to keep coming back, his exit is as much about resilience as it is about the injuries that ultimately forced the decision. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Syracuse Test Just Got Tougher Than Fans Expected
Clemsons trip to Syracuse was already shaping up as a tricky ACC road test, and Dabo Swinneys latest injury update only adds to the challenge. The Tigers are dealing with several key absences up front and on defense, with guard Elyjah Thurmon and center Harris Sewell both set to miss time, the latter needing minor surgery. True freshman Grant Wise is now in line to start at center, a significant adjustment for a unit trying to hold together in a tough spot on the schedule.
The changes do not stop there. Starting running back Gideon Davidson is expected to sit out the upcoming game, which pushes Jarvis Green into the lead role in the backfield, while linebacker Kobe McCloud is also unavailable and will open more snaps for Fletcher Cothran. For Clemson, the concern is not just who is out, but how quickly the replacements can settle in against a Syracuse team that figures to test the Tigers depth in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]