Clemson 29-13 Florida State (Oct. 5, 2024) Game Recap

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Cade Klubnik had 235 passing yards and threw touchdown passes to Antonio Williams and TJ Moore as No. 15 Clemson took an early lead and cruised past Florida State 29-13 on Saturday night.

“I thought Cade played great,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Grabbly. Made a few plays with his legs. With his recognition he simply made the difference for us. He was much more opportunistic. Really made some big plays.”

Klubnik completed 19 of 33 passes and ran for 62 yards on 11 carries. He threw a 57-yard touchdown to Williams and a 23-yard touchdown to Moore as Clemson built a 17-0 lead after one quarter.

“Really proud of the guys,” Klubnik said. “Obviously I want to convert some of those field goals into touchdowns. I feel like we played an A-minus, B-plus game overall offensively and still had 500 yards of offense.”

Klubnik now has 14 touchdown passes in five games.

Phil Mafah ran for 154 yards on 20 carries while Clemson (4-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished with 265 rushing yards, an average of 6.6 yards per carry. The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage and won their first road game of 2024.

Coach Dabo Swinney celebrated his 174th win at Clemson, breaking the record for wins at an ACC school – a mark held by Florida State's Bobby Bowden from the school's entry into the league in 1992 until his retirement won 173 games in 2009.

“It’s a blessing,” Swinney said. “And I honestly think Coach Bowden is probably smiling. Someone has to break it. Someday someone will break this record. It’s never something I’ve ever dreamed of or cared about or thought about doing.”

While Florida State won the 2023 matchup in Death Valley, Clemson has won four straight games in Tallahassee.

Brock Glenn, making his third career start, completed 23 of 41 passes for 228 yards and touchdowns to Amaree Williams and Ja'Khi Douglas for Florida State (1-5, 1-4). He completed more passes than in his previous two starts plus cleanup time.

“I appreciated his energy,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “He showed strength throughout the game. Made some really good plays.”

QB FRIENDSHIP

Klubnik met with Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei after the game. The two were teammates at Clemson in 2022, Klubnik's first year and Uiagalelei's final year, before transferring to Oregon State for the 2023 season. Uiagalelei did not play for the Seminoles on Saturday due to injury.

“We text every now and then,” Klubnik said. “I told him I was praying for his hand in marriage. But most of all, I told him that I was grateful for him and grateful for the time we had together. It was great to see him.”

IMPLICATIONS ON THE SURVEY

Clemson is poised for a climb, especially on a day when so many top-10 teams have lost.

souvenir

Clemson: The Tigers racked up 500 offensive yards and controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the game.

Florida State: The Seminoles had no rushing yards in three quarters, finished the game with 22 yards on 23 carries and had no balance to support a redshirt freshman quarterback.

NEXT

Clemson plays at Wake Forest next Saturday.

Florida State has a bye and will next play at Duke on Oct. 18.

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