CLEMSON -- Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for four touchdowns and ran for another and the Tigers’ defense had three interceptions in a 40-14 victory over Stanford on Saturday night.
The victory for the 17th-ranked Tigers (3-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was the 173rd for coach Dabo Swinney, who tied Florida State’s late national championship coach Bobby Bowden for most coaching victories with an ACC school.
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And unlike Clemson’s wins the past 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 when safety R.J. Mickens forced Emmett Mosley V out of bounds on fourth-and-5 at the Clemson 10 with the Tigers up just 20-7.
Clemson’s defense stopped the Cardinal on downs three times despite giving up 361 yards, 236 of that rushing.
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The Tigers held Stanford to 71 yards passing through three quarters with quarterback Ashton Daniels going just 9 of 19 before he was helped off the field in the fourth after Clemson stopped him short on fourth-and-1.
Klubnik put things away a moment later with his final scoring pass, a 34-yard throw to dynamic freshman Bryant Wesco for a 33-7 lead.
The game took place a day after Hurricane Helene struck the Southeast, including South Carolina. The storm was responsible for at least 56 deaths and left millions without power, including many in areas near Clemson’s campus. It also delayed Stanford’s arrival into the area until Friday, some 25 hours before kickoff.
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Clemson looked like it was off to another fast start when it forced a fumble on Stanford’s opening drive and Klubnik ran for a 34-yard touchdown.
But the Cardinal did what Appalachian State and N.C. State couldn’t — push the Tigers’ defense to the limit when it mattered most. Clemson, though, did not break as both drives inside the red zone ended on a Daniels interception, 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 blowout wins over the Mountaineers and Wolfpack, was not as crisp 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’s accounted for 16 TDs the past three games, 12 passing and four on the ground.
He finished 15 of 31 passing for 255 yards.
TAKEAWAYS
Stanford: The Cardinal made the most of their long, cross-country trip that got them to Clemson on Friday, some 24 hours before kickoff. They moved the ball on the Tigers defense and largely kept the Tigers’ array of playmakers out of the end zone.
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Clemson: The Tigers’ front-line players had not played a four-quarter game since losing to Georgia in the opener. And they mostly withstood the test, wearing down a Stanford team playing its second game in eight days in the eastern time zone. The Cardinal won at Syracuse last Friday.
UP NEXT
Stanford returns home to play Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Clemson goes to Florida State on Saturday.
