CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Against all odds, Clemson is headed again to the College Football Playoff for the primary time since 2020. The Tigers secured a berth with a 34-31 win towards SMU within the ACC Championship Game Saturday night.
SMU made issues very attention-grabbing within the fourth quarter. The Mustangs spent the second half slowly chipping away at Clemson’s 24-7 lead and drew inside seven factors with just below seven minutes left remaining within the fourth quarter.
Then SMU obtained the ball again with all three timeouts and 4:01 left. Quarterback Kevin Jennings seemingly despatched the sport to additional time with a four-yard landing completion to huge receiver Roderick Daniels Jr.
But Clemson ripped off a protracted kick return and quarterback Cade Klubnik hit huge receiver Antonio Williams for a achieve of 17 to SMU’s 40-yard line. There, Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser booted an ACC Championship Game report 56-yard kick to offer the Tigers their first ACC title since 2022.
Clemson would be the first — and maybe the one — three-loss staff to make a playoff subject. That’s actuality in a 12-team format that enables the 5 highest-ranked convention champions to mechanically safe a spot.
Not that the Tigers did not earn their manner in. They rode a 21-point first quarter, wherein quarterback Cade Klubnik turned the primary participant to ever toss three touchdowns within the opening body of the ACC Championship Game.
Klubnik, an Austin, Texas product, dazzled towards the Dallas-based Mustangs by tossing 4 touchdowns. He had 4 touchdowns, together with one within the third quarter to tight finish Jake Briningstool that gave Clemson a cushion down the stretch.
