Clemson Tigers Bounces Back with Road Win Against Virginia Tech Hokies

After suffering their first ACC loss last week, the Clemson Tigers bounced back to keep their College Football Playoffs hopes alive.

Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers rebounded nicely on Saturday as they defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 24-14. 

The team bounced back after losing their first conference game last week to the Louisville Cardinals. Although they struggled early, they made the necessary adjustments to seal the deal and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. 

Virginia Tech got on the board first in the second quarter off a tremendous special teams play.  The Tigers attempted to kick a field goal to break the tie; however, Virginia Tech blocked the attempt and returned it back 78 yards for a touchdown. Clemson has now allowed SIX blocked kicks this season, the worst among all 134 FBS teams.

The Tigers fought back on the back of star quarterback Cade Klubnik. After having an off day last week, the junior quarterback picked up three touchdown passes to put the game out of reach for the Hokies. 

The team scored 24 unanswered points, beginning with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cole Turner. 

Klubnik helped the Tigers take the lead late in the third quarter after the offense capped off a quick 92-second drive when Klubnick found T.J. Moore for a 41-yard strike for a touchdown. 

He found wide receiver Antonio Williams for a one-yard strike for his third score of the day. 

The Tigers quarterback finished the day going 16 for 34 for 211 yards passing with three passing touchdowns and one interception. 

It was an all-around solid performance for the Clemson offense as they succeeded on the ground as well on Saturday. Running back Phil Mafah eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the sixth time this season as he rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries. 

After today's victory, the Tigers are back to being ACC title contenders. Their ACC rivals, the Miami Hurricanes, slipped today to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, opening the door for Clemson to make the conference championship if they win out the remainder of the games in the regular season. 

The Tigers (7-2, 6-1 in ACC Play) will be back in action next Saturday as they will travel to Acrisure Stadium to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. The game is scheduled to kick off at Noon ET on ESPN.