‘Enjoyable day within the Valley’: Clemson finishes out Military Appreciation Week with win over Furman

The Clemson Tigers formally clinched bowl eligibility with a 45-10 victory over their South Carolina neighbors, the Furman Paladins, on Saturday night time.

The sport ended the Tigers’ dwelling schedule for the 2025 season, and coincided with Senior Day and Military Appreciation Night.

Death Valley was jam-packed stuffed with Clemson Orange and Regalia for the historic matchup. The Tigers moved to 6-5 on the season with the win, in addition to 45-10-4 all-time in opposition to the Paladins. The win raised Clemson’s file in opposition to FCS opponents to 40-0 since 1978.

Furman, merely put, appeared like no match for the Clemson Tigers underneath the lights. The Clemson protection laid down a large beatdown on the sector, and senior linebacker Wade Woodaz lead the cost with 4 solo tackles.

Redshirt junior security Kylon Griffin had 4 solo tackles, rounding out a large sport from the secondary, with safeties Ronan Hanafin and Khalil Barnes including huge performs within the first half.

The protection led a gradual shutdown of the Paladins within the first half, holding Furman quarterback Trey Hedden to only 88 passing yards.

Sammy Brown and Will Heldt stayed ferocious, every notching a sack on Furman quarterback Trey Hedden. To make the Paladins’ miseries worse, Brown added an interception.

Despite inconsistency from the Furman offense, kicker Ian Williams would miss two area targets in an try and seal the injuries that the Tigers punctured.

The sport appeared over from the very begin, with the Tigers coming into halftime up 31-3.

The Clemson offense dazzled with a flurry of three-minute drives and fast scores in each the passing and speeding sport.

On the quaint Saturday night time, broad receiver Antonio Williams was the person within the enviornment. Despite solely recording two receptions, Williams tallied two touchdowns.

Cade Klubnik would start the sport with 159 yards and two touchdowns, seeking to his most correct and dominant sport of the season. Before he was pulled at the beginning of the second quarter, Klubnik threw his arms up as he walked off the sector, soaking within the second as his Clemson household embraced him with a large standing ovation.

Klubnik is now solely 4 yards shy of tying Charlie Whitehurst for fourth place on Clemson’s all-time passing yard leaderboard. He wants 338 extra yards to be the fourth Clemson quarterback to succeed in 10,000 profession passing yards.

Coach Dabo Swinney believes Klubnik has actually made a distinction in his Clemson profession, stating the quarterback is “all in, all the time.”

Quarterback Christopher Vizzina took over duties for almost all of the second and third quarter. He would add 52 passing yards and a landing to tight finish Christian Bentancur, who nabbed his third rating of the season. Trent Pearman got here in because the “next man up,” however primarily facilitated run performs and solely tried two throws.

The most surprising a part of the matchup was, by far, freshman quarterback Chris Denson. He took the sector in the midst of the fourth quarter and made an on the spot influence with aggressive speeding performs, one in all which was a 50-yarder to depart Clemson a couple of yards away from formally sealing the sport. Denson was part of the Tigers’ final two scores; one a brief shovel cross to Logan Brooking for his first profession rating, and the opposite a 10-yard rush by Denson himself.

Denson’s late-game surge provides a whole lot of shakeup to the dialog of who will begin underneath middle for the Tigers subsequent 12 months. Denson affirmed that he by no means believed it to be a problem to be affected person for his likelihood to play, and that it’s all “God’s timing.” Denson’s play confirmed flashes of a younger Michael Vick to the thrill of Clemson followers.

Coach Dabo Swinney anointed the sport as a “fun day in the valley” and stated he was happy with the management of his seniors as they performed their closing dwelling sport at Clemson.

Swinney believes the senior class has “hit every goal at some point.” Swinney’s resilient philosophy has led the Tigers again to a profitable file. The 2025 staff is the tenth Clemson squad in this system’s historical past to begin with one or fewer wins within the first 4 video games to complete the season at .500 or higher.

While the 2025 season has not been a reasonably one for the Tigers, the staff has continued to struggle till the very finish.

The Tigers play cross-state rival South Carolina on Nov. 29 in Columbia, South Carolina, hoping to affirm their bowl spot and finish the common season with a four-game win streak.