CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson (6-5) raced out to a 31-0 lead in the middle of the second quarter and honored its seniors in style with a 45-10 win over Furman (6-6). Clemson compiled 237 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 219 yards and two scores on the ground (7.1 yards per carry) offensively and added nine tackles for loss and forced a pair of turnovers defensively.
With the victory, Clemson earned bowl eligibility for a 27th consecutive season, including the 2004 season in which Clemson opted against postseason participation. Clemson will appear in a bowl for the 21st consecutive season, the nation’s fourth-longest active streak.
Clemson used a balanced offensive attack to tally 456 total yards. Nine players recorded a carry for 219 rushing yards, while 17 Tigers caught a pass for 237 receiving yards. Wide receiver Antonio Williams scored two touchdowns including one on his 200th career reception, and quarterback Chris Denson had a 50-yard rush in the fourth quarter to contribute to his team-high 106 yards on six carries.
The Tigers were led in tackles by Wade Woodaz and Kylon Griffin, who recorded five tackles each. Linebacker Sammy Brown and defensive end Will Heldt finished with one sack each, and Brown added his first career interception.
Clemson received the opening kickoff and struck first, finishing a seven-play, 49-yard drive with a 45-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser. After Clemson’s defense forced Furman to punt on its opening drive, Williams returned a punt 30 yards to position the Tigers at the Paladins’ 41-yard line. Williams would cap the six-play drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cade Klubnik. Hauser made the extra point to put Clemson up, 10-0, with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers finished the opening quarter with a 17-0 lead after Tyler Brown rushed for a 21-yard touchdown with 4:43 remaining. The drive was highlighted by a career-long 28-yard rush by Gideon Davidson for a first down to set up the touchdown. Furman’s only scoring chance came when the Paladins sent out Ian Williams to attempt a 52-yard field goal, but he missed it wide to the left with two minutes on the clock.
Only 45 seconds into the second quarter, Klubnik threw his final touchdown pass in Memorial Stadium, a 35-yard strike to Williams that completed a two-play drive to give the Tigers the 24-0 lead.
Defensively, Clemson forced back-to-back takeaways as Will Heldt sacked Trey Hedden for a loss of six yards and forced a fumble that was recovered by T.J. Parker at the Paladins’ 39-yard line with 12:22 remaining in the second. On Furman’s subsequent drive, linebacker Sammy Brown intercepted Hedden’s throw and returned it 19 yards to set up Clemson’s next scoring drive.
Vizzina connected with tight end Christian Bentancur for a six-yard touchdown pass to complete a six-play, 22-yard drive. Quinn Castner made the extra point to extend the lead with 6:48 on the clock. Furman scored its first points with 30 seconds left in the half after Williams converted an eight-play drive into a 49-yard field goal to make it 31-3.
Blake Miller made his 52nd consecutive start and got his curtain call in Memorial Stadium 51 seconds into the third quarter as the Tigers called timeout to give more seniors an opportunity to be recognized.
With 1:53 left in the third, Furman scored its first touchdown of the game after Hedden completed a 19-yard pass to Evan James to make it 31-10 in Clemson’s favor, which held for the remainder of the quarter.
The Tigers added 14 additional points in the fourth quarter. The first came with 7:45 remaining as Denson connected on a four-yard pass to Logan Brooking to complete a five-play, 75 yard drive. The final touchdown pushed the Tigers ahead, 44-10, with nine seconds remaining when Denson rushed for 10 yards to finish a six-play, 55 yard drive.
Clemson will conclude the 2025 regular season next week when the Tigers face the South Carolina Gamecocks. Kickoff for that rivalry contest in Columbia, S.C. is slated for noon ET on SEC Network.
