The Notes: No. 4 Clemson 34, Florida State 28
Entering the final four minutes of the first half, the teams were tied 14-14. Clemson then outscored Florida State, 17-0, in the “Middle Eight,” defined as the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half. Clemson is now 61-2 since 2015 when outscoring opponents in the Middle Eight.
Across the first, second and third quarters, Clemson scored on six consecutive drives. It was Clemson’s first time scoring on six straight drives since the first six drives of Clemson’s 2020 win against The Citadel. Clemson’s run of six drives turned a 7-0 deficit into a 34-14 lead.
Clemson reached the 30-point mark for the 12th time in a 13-game span, dating to last season.
Clemson has now scored 30 points in seven consecutive games for the first time since an 11-game streak to open the 2020 season. The 2022 season represents only the third time in program history that Clemson has opened a season with seven straight 30-point performances (2000 and 2020).
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 15-of-23 passes for 203 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Uiagalelei improved to 18-4 as a starter, tying Harvey White (18-7 from 1957-59) for the 12th-most wins by a Clemson starting quarterback since World War II.
With 203 passing yards in the game, Uiagalelei (4,825) passed Rodney Williams (4,647 from 1985-88) and Kyle Parker (4,739 from 2009-10) for eighth on Clemson's all-time leaderboard for career passing yards.
Uiagalelei connected with wide receiver Antonio Williams for a 59-yard touchdown pass on Clemson’s second possession.
The 59-yard pass to Williams was the longest reception of Williams’ career and Clemson’s longest play of the season.
The 59-yarder to Williams was Clemson’s longest pass play since Trevor Lawrence's 67-yard touchdown pass to Amari Rodgers against Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC Championship Game.
Williams finished the game with a career-high 76 yards on two receptions.
On the first-quarter touchdown pass to Wiliams, Uiagalelei (31) passed Mike Eppley (28 from 1980-84) for sole possession of the ninth-most career touchdown passes in Clemson history. He is now one touchdown shy of tying Kyle Parker (32 from 2009-10) for eighth on that list.
On a five-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining in the first half, Uiagalelei tied his single-season career high set in both 2020 and 2021 (four).
Uiagalelei (12) tied Rodney Williams (12 from 1985-88) for the seventh-most career rushing touchdowns by a Clemson quarterback since 1953.
Clemson has now rushed for a touchdown in 18 consecutive games. Since the start of the 2018 season, Clemson has scored at least one rushing touchdown in 61 of its 62 games.
Tight end Jake Briningstool added to his single-season career high by recording his fourth touchdown reception of the season on a seven-yard pass from Uiagalelei in the second quarter.
The touchdown catch with the 10th of Allen’s career, becoming the sixth tight end in Clemson history to reach 10 career touchdown receptions, joining Jordan Leggett (18 from 2013-16), John McMakin (12 from 1969-71), Dwayne Allen (12 from 2009-11), Brandon Ford (12 from 2009-12) and Bennie Cunningham (10 from 1972-75).
Clemson was 3-for-3 in the red zone and is a perfect 35-for-35 on red zone scoring this season.
Clemson was outrushed, 206-167, ending a streak of 10 consecutive games in which Clemson outrushed its opponent, the longest such streak under Dabo Swinney.
Clemson won despite Florida State recording 28 first downs to Clemson’s 18. It was Clemson’s first time winning a game despite a -10 or worse margin in first downs since 2018 at Texas A&M (-11).
Running back Will Shipley recorded a career-high 238 all-purpose yards, including 121 rushing yards on 20 carries, 48 receiving yards on a career-high six receptions and a 69-yard kickoff return.
Shipley posted the first 200-yard game in all-purpose yardage in his career. It was the highest all-purpose yardage total by a Clemson player since Travis Etienne’s 264 against Boston College in 2020.
The game was Shipley’s sixth career 100-yard rushing game and his third of the 2022 season. Clemson is now 59-2 when having a 100-yard rusher since 2011, including a 6-0 record when Shipley hits the mark.
Defensive end Myles Murphy recorded his fourth sack of the season, the 15th of his career, in the first quarter.
Murphy forced the game’s first turnover, stripping Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis of the ball on Murphy’s second sack of the game.
Murphy’s 2.0 sacks tied his single-game career high set at Wake Forest in 2020 and vs. Florida State in 2021.
Including Xavier Thomas’ two-sack performance with a forced fumble at Boston College last week, Murphy’s performance Saturday gave Clemson a player with two or more sacks and a forced fumble in multiple games in a season for the first time since 2013, when Vic Beasley recorded two such games.
The forced fumble was Murphy’s first of the season but the sixth of his career. He is now one forced fumble shy of tying Levon Kirkland, Keith Adams and Vic Beasley (seven each) for seventh-most in a career in Clemson history.
The fumble was recovered by defensive tackle Tyler Davis, his first fumble recovery of the season and the third of his career.
Cornerback Nate Wiggins finished the game with two pass breakups, giving him multiple pass breakups in three consecutive games. He became the first Clemson player to record multiple pass breakups in three straight games since K’Von Wallace accomplished the feat against South Carolina, Virginia and Ohio State late in the 2019 season.
With 10 points in the game, placekicker B.T. Potter (413 career points) passed Chandler Catanzaro (404 from 2010-13) to become the highest-scoring kicker in Clemson history. He trails only running back Travis Etienne (468) in career points in Clemson history.
Potter converted a 47-yard field goal late in the second quarter to give Clemson its first lead of the game. Potter added to his Clemson records for career field goals of 40 yards or more (30). He would later add a 34-yard field goal as well.
Shipley recorded a season-long 69-yard kickoff return on the opening kickoff of the third quarter. It was six yards shy of his career long of 75, set at Louisville last year.
Clemson stopped a fake punt attempt in the third quarter. Clemson has not surrendered a first down on a fake punt since December 2016.
Clemson did not turn the ball over and has only one giveaway across its last four games.
Clemson became the first team to play in the prime-time ABC television window in three consecutive weeks since the 2015 Oklahoma Sooners.
Florida State scored first, ending a streak of nine consecutive games in which Clemson had scored first.
Clemson won the turnover margin, 1-0, and finished even or positive in the turnover margin for an 11th consecutive game, dating to last season. It represents Clemson's first time doing so since an 11-game streak across the 1996-97 seasons. Clemson's last game in which it lost the turnover margin was on Nov. 6 last season at Louisville.
Clemson and Florida State entered the game having represented the conference in the ACC Championship Game 12 times in 13 years since 2009, Dabo Swinney’s first full season as the Tigers’ head coach. Clemson represented the division (or earned a divisionless berth in 2020) in the championship game eight times in those 13 years. Florida State represented the division in four title games, and Wake Forest broke the duo’s stranglehold on berths in 2021. The Tigers and Seminoles have combined for 10 of the last 11 ACC titles.
Clemson completed its lone set of back-to-back true road games on the schedule this season. Four of Clemson's last five regular season games will be played at home.
Clemson played its fifth night game in the first seven games of a season for the first time since 1949. Clemson's five night games this season are already tied for ninth-most in a full season in Clemson history.
Captains for the contest were defensive tackle Tyler Davis, offensive lineman Will Putnam, defensive end Xavier Thomas and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.