Klubnik's 3 TD passes, DT Page's pick-6 lead No. 17 Clemson to 51-14 win over The Citadel
Clemson defensive tackle Payton Page (55) returns an interception for a touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Citadel, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. Credit: AP/Jacob Kupferman
CLEMSON, S.C. — Cade Klubnik threw for three touchdowns, backup running back Jay Haynes scored twice on the ground and defensive tackle Payton Page had a 57-yard pick-6 score as No. 17 Clemson routed The Citadel 51-14 Saturday to move to 39-0 all-time against FCS opponents.
The Tigers (9-2) won their third straight and still held on to feint hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and the College Football Playoff.
Clemson, which finished ACC play at 7-1 with last week's 24-20 win at Pittsburgh, needs No. 11 Miami to lose at Syracuse next week to play for a league crown for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
Clemson cranked it up early in this one, looking a lot like the offense that averaged better than 48 points during a six-game win streak earlier this season instead of the one that had not surpassed 24 points in any of its past three contests.
Klubnik connected with Antonio Williams for a 30-yard TD to start the scoring and then the 315-pound Page stretched out for an interception and rumbled along the left sidelines — losing momentum with each step — for Clemson's first score from a defensive lineman in four years and a 14-0 lead.
And Page wasn't the only defender to score. Clemson's All-American linebacker Barrett Carter playing his next-to-last home game, had a 4-yard TD run on Senior Day to end the Tigers' scoring.
The Citadel (5-7), of the FCS Southern Conference, went on to its 19th straight loss to Clemson since 1932.
Clemson running back Phil Mafah (7) jumps over Citadel defensive back Cale Williams (31) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. Credit: AP/Jacob Kupferman
Klubnik completed 12 of 16 passes for 198 yards. He headed to the sidelines after his second TD pass to Williams that gave the Tigers a 42-0 lead in the third quarter.
Haynes got the bulk of the work after starter Phil Mafah achieved his 1,000-yard rushing season with three first-quarter runs. Haynes had scoring runs of 70 and 9 yards.
The takeaway
The Citadel: The Bulldogs are the leaders among FCS teams in victories over FBS opponents with nine since the college football split into Division I and Division I-AA in 1978. They couldn't stay competitive, but did roll up a season-high 288 yards rushing and scored a touchdown against Clemson for the first time in the past four games in the series.
Clemson: The Tigers reached nine wins in a season for the 14th-straight time. Only Alabama, which entered the season with 16 straight nine-win seasons, had a longer current streak.
Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams catches a pass for a touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Citadel, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. Credit: AP/Jacob Kupferman
Up next
The Citadel's season is complete.
Clemson closes the regular season with its rivalry game with South Carolina on Saturday.
