No. 17 Clemson wore down Stanford with Klubnik's 5 TDs and 3 defensive takeaways in a 40-14 win

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw four touchdowns and ran for another and the Tigers' defense had three interceptions in a 40-14 win over Stanford on Saturday night.

The win for the 17th-ranked Tigers (3-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was the 173rd for coach Dabo Swinney, who tied late Florida State coach Bobby Bowden for most coaching wins with an ACC school.

And unlike Clemson's wins in its last two games, the defense led the way.

The Tigers stopped the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) three times inside the Clemson 20, two on interceptions and the last time when safety RJ Mickens forced Emmett Mosley V out of the game on fourth-and-5 at the Clemson 10. The Tigers have only gained 20-7.

Clemson's defense stopped the Cardinal on downs three times despite giving up 361 yards, including 236 rushing yards.

The Tigers held Stanford to 71 yards through three quarters, with quarterback Ashton Daniels completing just 9 of 19 before he was helped off the field in the fourth quarter after Clemson stopped him short on fourth-and-1.

A moment later, Klubnik made the difference with his final pass. a 34-yard throw to dynamic freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. for a 33-7 lead.

The game took place the day after Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast, including South Carolina. The storm was responsible for at least 56 deaths and left millions of people without power, including many areas near Clemson's campus. That also delayed Stanford's arrival in the area until Friday, about 25 hours before kickoff.

Clemson appeared to get off to a fast start again when it forced a fumble on Stanford's opening drive and Klubnik ran for a 34-yard TD.

But the Cardinal did what Appalachian State and NC State couldn't: He pushed the Tigers' defense to the limit when it mattered most. However, Clemson was unable to break as both drives inside the red zone ended in an interception by Daniels, the first in the end zone by Avieon Terrell and the other inside the Clemson 10 by Jeadyn Lukus.

The Clemson offense, which played near-perfect football in overwhelming wins against the Mountaineers and Wolfpack, wasn't as sharp against Stanford.

Klubnik threw his first interception in three games since a 34-3 loss to then-top-ranked Georgia in the opener. Still, he was responsible for 16 touchdowns in the last three games, 12 as a passer and four on the ground.

He completed 15 of 31 passes for 255 yards.

Takeaways

Stanford: The Cardinals made the most of their long cross-country trip that brought them to Clemson on Friday, about 24 hours before kickoff. They moved the ball on the Tigers' defense and largely kept the Tigers' playmakers out of the end zone.

Clemson: The Tigers' front line players hadn't played a four-quarter game since the opening loss to Georgia. And they mostly withstood the test, wearing down a Stanford team that was playing its second game in eight days in the Eastern time zone. The Cardinal won at Syracuse last Friday.

Next

Stanford returns home to play Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Clemson travels to Florida State on Saturday.

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