The Notes: No. 1 Clemson 24, No. 12 Texas A&M 10

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One year after Clemson’s top-ranked scoring defense allowed 501 yards at Texas A&M, Clemson held Texas A&M to 289 total yards on Saturday. It included holding quarterback Kellen Mond to 236 passing yards (97 through three quarters) after Mond accounted for 430 yards in the teams’ meeting in 2018.

Clemson held Texas A&M to 2.0 yards per carry on 27 carries, the lowest yards-per-carry average allowed by Clemson since holding Boston College to 0.3 yards per carry on Nov. 10, 2018. It’s the 18th time since 2014 that Clemson has held an opponent to 2.0 or fewer yards per carry, second-most in the country. Clemson is 17-1 in those contests.

Texas A&M scored its lone touchdown with six seconds remaining. Clemson was six seconds away from holding its opponent out of the end zone for the fourth time in its last 17 games, dating to the start of the 2018 season.

Clemson finished plus-one in the turnover margin and has been positive in the turnover margin in five straight games, dating back to last season, for the first time since the first five games of the 2013 season.

The 14-point win snapped Clemson’s streak of consecutive victories by 20 or more points at 11, one shy of 2018 Alabama for the longest such streak by any team in the AP Poll era (since 1936).

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed four times for 11 yards with a rushing touchdown.

Running back Travis Etienne rushed 16 times for 53 yards. He also posted career highs with four receptions for 52 receiving yards.

Etienne recorded a career-long 27-yard reception in the second quarter, surpassing his previous long of 24 against NC State in 2018.

Running back Lyn-J Dixon led Clemson with 79 rushing yards on 11 carries. Dixon led Clemson in rushing yards for the first time since doing so in his collegiate debut against Furman in 2018.

Wide receiver Justyn Ross caught a career-high seven passes for a team-high 94 yards and a touchdown. His career high in receptions entering the day was six, set in both College Football Playoff games last season.

Ross recorded his first touchdown reception of the season on a 30-yard pass from Lawrence on third-and-11 in the second quarter. The touchdown reception was the 10th of Ross’ career.

The touchdown pass to Ross was Lawrence’s 32nd career touchdown pass, tying him with Kyle Parker (32 from 2009-10) for seventh in school history.

Lawrence rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, giving him a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Running back Lyn-J Dixon recorded his second rushing touchdown of the season on a four-yard rush in the third quarter.

Dixon has now recorded a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games for the second time in his career. He previously accomplished the feat against Wake Forest and NC State in 2018.

Safety Nolan Turner recorded the first forced fumble of his career in the second quarter. It was recovered by linebacker James Skalski, his first career fumble recovery.

The takeaway by Skalski gave Clemson at least one takeaway in each of Clemson’s last six games, dating to last season.

Cornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive end Xavier Thomas split a second quarter sack. The half-sack was the first of Terrell’s career.

Safety K’Von Wallace recorded his first career sack, dropping Mond for a 10-yard loss in the third quarter.

Safety Tanner Muse recorded his second interception of the season and his second in as many weeks. It marks the first time in his career he’s recorded an interception in back-to-back games. His two interceptions this season tie his single-season career high, set in 2018.

Muse becomes the first Clemson player to record an interception in each of the first two games of a season since DeAndre McDaniel, now a defensive analyst for Clemson, in 2009.

Clemson’s first play from scrimmage was a pass reception by tight end J.C. Chalk. Chalk is the grandson of College Football Hall of Famer Gene Stallings, who coached at Texas A&M from 1965-71. Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney played and coached under Stallings at Alabama.

Wide receiver Amari Rodgers made his season debut in the first quarter, 166 days after suffering an ACL injury during spring practice on March 25.

Texas A&M scored the first points of the game on a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter. It was the culmination of a 16-play drive, the longest allowed by Clemson since a 16-play drive by Louisville on Nov. 3, 2018, a drive that also resulted in Clemson holding its opponent to a field goal.

The Tigers held Texas A&M to under 100 total yards in the first half (92), marking the first time in the last 20 games the Aggies have failed to gain at least 100 yards in the opening half. The last time the Aggies were held under 100 total yards was Oct. 28, 2017 against Mississippi State (33) in a 35-14 loss. 

At 94 degrees, the temperature at kickoff was the third-hottest in Clemson history and the second hottest at Death Valley, trailing only a 95-degree game against Troy on Sept. 3, 2011. Two of the three hottest games in Clemson history have been against Texas A&M, including a 95-degree game at Kyle Field on Sept. 18, 2004. (Note: The temperature was 96 degrees at the start of the ABC broadcast prior to kickoff.)

The game was the sixth all-time meeting between Clemson and Texas A&M.

Captains for the contest were offensive lineman Gage Cervenka, safety Tanner Muse, linebacker Isaiah Simmons and guard John Simpson.