CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina found Tristan Smith on 4th-and-21 with 6:44 to play to cut a 12-point SMU lead to five, but the Mustangs (5-2, 3-0 ACC) drove 13 plays and 75 yards in 5:41 to hold off the Tigers (3-4, 2-3 ACC) for a 35-24 win in Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Vizzina completed 29-of-42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. Cade Klubnik, who had made 34 consecutive starts for the Tigers, missed the game due to injury.
Wide receiver T.J. Moore led the offense with 124 receiving yards on five catches, including touchdowns of 32 and 62 yards. Linebacker Sammy Brown led the defense with 10 tackles, including two for loss. Brown also combined with Wade Woodaz to record one sack. Safety Ricardo Jones recorded one interception and cornerback Ashton Hampton broke up two SMU passes.
SMU opened the scoring when quarterback Kevin Jennings connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Hudson on the Mustangs’ third drive. The extra point made the score 7-0 with 3:52 left in the quarter. In the second quarter, Sam Keltner converted a 51-yard field goal, increasing the Mustangs’ lead 10-0 with 11:26 to play.
The Tigers capitalized on their first drive of the second quarter as Vizzina connected with Moore, finishing a six-play, 75-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass. An extra point from Nolan Hauser made it 10-7 with 8:51 remaining in the half.
On the following drive, SMU used 10 plays to get into position for Keltner to add another three points to the board. The 48-yard field goal made the score 13-7 with 4:29 on the clock. After trading possessions, Keltner completed an additional 48-yard field goal attempt with 1:09 remaining in the half to extend their lead 16-7.
The Vizzina-Moore pairing found success once again as the wide receiver found the end zone after hauling in a 62-yard touchdown pass one-handed. The play completed a four-play, 74-yard drive with 8:48 to play in the third quarter. An extra point made the score 16-14.
SMU scored on the following possession as Derrick McFall rushed for 35 yards around right end for a touchdown. An extra point made the score 23-14 with 7:29 remaining.
With 0:07 to play in the quarter, Nolan Hauser kicked a 28-yard field goal that completed a 17-play, 65-yard drive for the Tigers. The score was 23-17 heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
The Mustangs increased their lead with a 22-yard touchdown pass completion from Jennings to Matthew Hibner. An extra point attempt sailed wide right to keep the score 29-17 with 12:30 to play. Just over two minutes later, Ricardo Jones intercepted a pass at the SMU 49 to give Clemson the ball with 10:15 remaining in regulation, but Clemson was unable to capitalize on the ensuing possession.
Clemson later cut SMU’s lead down to five on Vizzina’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Tristan Smith on 4th-and-21 for Smith’s first touchdown as a Tiger. This capped an eight-play, 49-yard drive to make it 29-23 with 6:44 to play. However, SMU drove 75 yards in 13 plays to close out the scoring with a six-yard rushing touchdown from Chris Johnson Jr. to make the final score 35-24.
Clemson will be off next week amid its second scheduled open date of the 2025 regular season.
