Clemson Uses 21-0 Third Quarter to Pull Away From Virginia, 48-31
CLEMSON, S.C. - No. 10/9 Clemson (6-1, 5-0 ACC) reached the 40-point mark for the fifth time in 2024 to secure a 48-31 win against Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Clemson has started 5-0 in ACC play for the eighth time under Head Coach Dabo Swinney and the 16th time since joining the ACC in 1953.
Junior quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 23-of-35 for 308 yards with three passing touchdowns and added six carries for 29 yards. Sophomore tight end Olsen Patt-Henry caught two passes, scoring on both, for 51 yards, while senior Phil Mafah ran for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Clemson tied its season high with four sacks and added six tackles for loss. Linebacker Wade Woodaz was credited with a team-high seven tackles including one sack and a forced fumble.
After forcing a three-and-out on Virginia’s opening drive, Clemson moved 74 yards in 11 plays to take a 3-0 lead on a 29-yard Nolan Hauser field goal. Virginia got on the board in the following drive with a 20-yard field goal by Will Bettridge with 53 seconds remaining in the first quarter to even the score at 3-3.
Virginia took a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Colandrea to Dakota Twitty. Clemson evened the score at 10-10 on its next drive though, finishing an 11-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Mafah.
After Clemson’s defense forced a three-and-out on Virginia’s next possession, Clemson extended its lead to 17-10, as Mafah found the end zone on a three-yard rush up the middle. Clemson led at halftime, 17-10.
Clemson took control of the game with a 21-0 third quarter. The Tigers scored on their opening drive as Klubnik connected with Patt-Henry on an 11-yard touchdown pass that extended Clemson’s lead to 24-10.
Later in the quarter, a 36-yard rush by Antonio Williams completed an eight-play scoring drive to push the Tigers’ lead to 31-10. On Virginia’s next drive, Woodaz sacked Virginia’s Anthony Colandrea for a 17-yard loss and forced a fumble that defensive tackle Tre Williams recovered at the Virginia 49-yard line.
The fumble recovery set up a four-play drive that concluded with Klubnik’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Patt-Henry on fourth down, extending Clemson’s lead to 38-10 with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Virginia used the remaining 1:30 in the third to move the ball to Clemson’s 44 and proceeded to cut into Clemson’s lead by opening the fourth quarter with a touchdown on the first play when Colandrea connected with Malachi Fields to make it 38-17 with 14:53 remaining in the game.
Clemson responded with a 22-yard field goal from Hauser to make the score 41-17 with 8:33 left in the quarter. Virginia narrowed the gap to 41-25 after a nine-play drive and successful two-point conversion.
Clemson recovered Virginia’s attempted onside kick with 2:08 remaining in the fourth. Keith Adams Jr. rushed for five yards to set up a 34-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to T.J. Moore that briefly extended Clemson’s lead back to 48-25. Virginia added the final points of the game on a 65-yard touchdown pass with 1:37 remaining.
The day included recognition of one of Clemson’s legends and the return of one of its native sons. Prior to the game, former running back C.J. Spiller was formally inducted in the Clemson Ring of Honor. Meanwhile, Virginia was led by Head Coach Tony Elliott, who played at Clemson from 1999-2003 and served as a national-championship-winning assistant coach for the Tigers from 2011-21.
Clemson will have an open date next week before returning to action against Louisville at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2. The kickoff time and network television designation for that game are still TBA.