Total domination except for the stupid mistakes in the first half. They played a great second half, though. Maybe the season just started 6 quarters too early! They outgained CSU 679-73. They've rushed and passed for over 200 yards in consecutive games for the first time since the 2019 ACC Championship and the first time to open the season since 2000!
Dabo, post-game interviews, highlights and notes are below!
Clemson won its 20th straight home debut. The win extended Clemson’s longest winning streak in home openers all-time, now three ahead of its 17 from 1944-60.
Clemson improved to 60-2 at Memorial Stadium in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).
Clemson continued its streak of having not lost consecutive contests at Memorial Stadium since 2008 in Tommy Bowden's final home game as head coach and Dabo Swinney's first home game as interim head coach.
Clemson improved to 38-0 against Football Championship Subdivision teams since the NCAA formed the division known previously as Division I-AA prior to the 1978 season.
Clemson improved to 37-4 against non-conference opponents at Death Valley under Dabo Swinney.
Clemson still has not lost back-to-back games in the same season since November 2011, the nation's longest such streak.
Clemson improved to 32-8 in games following a loss under Swinney, including season openers following a loss in the previous season finale.
Clemson improved to 87-9 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season. Seven of Clemson’s nine regular season losses in that span have been decided by a final margin of 10 or fewer points.
Clemson improved to 33-6 under Swinney in games in which the Tigers enter ranked lower in the AP Poll than they did in its previous contest. Clemson dropped from No. 9 to No. 25 in the latest AP Poll.
Clemson improved to 125-16 against AP-unranked teams under Dabo Swinney and improved to 102-6 in those games since the start of the 2012 season.
Clemson is now 76-5 when scoring first since 2015.
Clemson led 24-17 at halftime and has now won 107 of its last 111 games when leading at halftime.
Clemson improved to 128-3 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.
Clemson now has a 124-5 record when totaling more first downs than its opponent since 2011.
Clemson improved to 77-3 when rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney.
Clemson is now 59-1 when both passing and rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney.
Clemson is 107-1 in its last 108 games when holding teams under 23 points (dates to 2010).
Clemson improved to 64-2 since 2015 when outscoring opponents in the “Middle Eight,” defined as the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney won his 162nd career game to pull within three victories of College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard’s career record at Clemson (165).
GAME NOTES
The game was Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s 100th home game at Memorial Stadium. He is 92-8 all-time in games played at Death Valley.
Unofficially, 117 Clemson players played in the game, breaking Clemson’s record of 111 set against Charlotte in 2019.
Clemson’s 66 points were its most since a 73-7 win at Georgia Tech in 2020.
Clemson compiled 679 yards of offense, its most since gaining 702 yards against Wofford in 2019. It was Clemson’s 31st 600-yard game all-time, with 30 instances coming since 1981 and 24 of the 31 coming in Swinney’s tenure.
Overall, Clemson outgained Charleston Southern, 679-73 (+606), the second-highest yardage margin in single-game records dating to 1950, trailing only a +691 margin against South Carolina State in 2014.
Clemson held a 37-4 advantage in first downs. Clemson’s +33 margin in first downs is its largest in single-game records dating to 1950.
Defensively, Clemson held Charleston Southern to four first downs, its fewest allowed in a single game since 2009 against Boston College (four).
Offensively, Clemson’s 37 first downs were its third-most in school history, trailing its 40 against South Carolina in 2016 and its 38 against South Carolina in 2018.
Clemson held Charleston Southern to 73 total yards. It was the fifth time under Dabo Swinney that Clemson held an opponent to 100 or fewer yards, and the 73 yards were its fewest surrendered in a game since 2014 (44, South Carolina State).
Clemson has now exceeded 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2019 against South Carolina and Virginia.
Clemson has now opened the first two games of a season by reaching 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2000 (vs. The Citadel and Missouri).
Clemson has now rushed for 200 yards in each of the first two games of a season for the first time since 2010 (vs. North Texas and Presbyterian).
Clemson’s 405 passing yards represented its first 400-yard passing game since the 2020 season finale against Ohio State (400) and its most since a 439-yard passing day against Notre Dame in November 2020.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 28-of-37 passes for 315 yards with four touchdown passes and one interception. His 315 passing yards were five shy of his career high of 320 set in the 2022 Orange Bowl.
Klubnik’s four touchdown passes were a career high and Clemson’s most by a quarterback since DJ Uiagalelei’s five touchdown passes at Wake Forest in 2022.
Klubnik recorded his second career 300-yard passing game to tie current Clemson offensive player development assistant Cole Stoudt for seventh-most in Clemson history. Klubnik is now one of eight quarterbacks in Clemson history with multiple 300-yard passing games.
Wide receiver Beaux Collins led Clemson in receiving, setting a career high with seven receptions and matching his career high with 137 receiving yards, set in 2021 against Wake Forest.
Wide receiver Antonio Williams caught five passes for 64 yards with one touchdown.
Williams posted the first multi-touchdown game of his career and the first by a Clemson pass catcher since tight end Davis Allen caught two touchdown passes at Wake Forest last September.
Clemson opened the scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to Williams.
The first touchdown pass from Klubnik to Williams was the culmination of a 10-play, 68-yard opening drive on which Klubnik completed 6-of-8 passes for 64 yards.
Running back Phil Mafah rushed nine times for 59 yards with a career-high two touchdowns.
Mafah scored his first touchdown of the season — the eighth of his career — on a one-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter.
Clemson has now scored at least one rushing touchdown in a national-best 69 of its 71 games since the start of the 2018 season.
With Mafah’s first touchdown, the game was tied 14-14 after one quarter despite a 198-6 Clemson advantage in offensive yardage. Clemson also held a 12-0 advantage in first downs at the quarter break.
Williams scored Clemson’s third touchdown of the first half on a five-yard pass from Klubnik in the second quarter.
Mafah recorded his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run on Clemson’s opening possession of the second half.
Collins scored his first touchdown of the season on a career-long 69-yard pass from Klubnik in the third quarter.
The 69-yard pass from Klubnik to Collins was Clemson’s longest since Trevor Lawrence completed a 70-yard pass to Cornell Powell against Pitt in November 2020.
Tight end Josh Sapp caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik in the third quarter. The touchdown came on the Clemson legacy’s first career reception.
Sapp’s touchdown gave Clemson 28 points in the third quarter, Clemson’s highest-scoring third quarter since a 28-point third quarter against Louisville in 2018. It was Clemson’s highest-scoring quarter in any frame since a 31-point first quarter against Pitt in 2020.
Clemson’s 42-point second half was Clemson’s most in a half since a 35-point second half against Louisiana Tech last season.
