Clemson Tigers Blows Out Stanford Cardinal to Remain Undefeated in ACC Play

The Clemson Tigers slowly, but surely, pulled away from the Stanford Cardinal in their first regular-season matchup.

Sep 21, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Cole Turner (22) celebrates with quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) after scoring a touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers rode an opportunistic performance by their defense and a solid outing by quarterback Cade Klubnik to beat the Stanford Cardinal, 40-14, on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 in ACC) forced the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) into three turnovers and forced them out on down on three other drives.

Klubnik wasn’t as explosively productive right off the bat, as he was in his last two games. But he finished with 255 yards passing with four touchdowns and an interception, along with 48 rushing yards and a tone-setting touchdown run on Clemson’s first drive.

That touchdown run, a 34-yarder, saw Klubnik practically walk into the end zone after Stanford safety Jay Green suffered an injury that took him out of the play.

Klubnik threw touchdown passes to Jake Briningstool (three yards), Cole Turner (43 yards), Bryant Wesco Jr. (34 yards) and Olsen Patt-Henry (two yards), the last of which was an exclamation point for the contest.

The Cardinal run defense, one of the best units in the country, held Phil Mafah to 58 yards rushing.

On defense, Wade Woodaz, Jeadyn Lukas, and Avieon Terrell each had an interception, as the Clemson defense made life hard for Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels all night. Woodaz also forced a fumble. Defensive end Barrett Carter had a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Stanford’s only answer in a situation where the game was still competitive was Daniels’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor with 39 seconds left in the second quarter to make it a 10-point game.

Daniels left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. He played his prep football in nearby Buford, Ga., and had at least 50 family members at the game. He was 9-of-19 for 71 yards with the touchdown and the three interceptions before Justin Lamson relieved him and later threw a touchdown.

The one area where the Tigers struggled, especially in the first half, was on run defense. Stanford’s Micah Ford rushed for 122 yards and Daniels added 87 yards. As a team, the Cardinal rushed for 236 yards.

Hurricane Helene wreaked some havoc for both teams leading up to the game. Stanford was unable to leave Thursday as planned due to the storm rolling through the South. The Cardinal didn't arrive in South Carolina until Friday night.

Meanwhile, many Clemson players stayed in their dorms on Friday night after their team hotel was left without power. There was also plenty of clean up in the area to make the area around Memorial Stadium usable for the contest.

Clemson heads to Florida State to face last year’s ACC champions in Tallahassee next Saturday. Stanford hosts Virginia Tech in its ACC home opener.