Clemson Tigers Overcome Slow Start to Blow Out Virginia Cavaliers

The Clemson Tigers enter their bye week with a bowl-eligible record and another key victory in the ACC title game chase.

Oct 19, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) runs with the ball against Virginia at Memorial Stadium. / Alex Hicks, Jr./USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

After a slow start for the second consecutive game, the No. 10 Clemson Tigers went on another scoring streak to run away with an 48-31 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers (6-1, 5-0 in ACC) are now bowl-eligible and remain in a share of the lead in the ACC entering their second bye week of the season.

The Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2) fell as head coach Tony Elliott met his mentor, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, for the first time as head coaches. Elliott was a Swinney assistant for a decade before taking over the Cavaliers in 2022.

Clemson was down early in the second quarter by a touchdown. But, like their victory over Wake Forest, the offense went on a run and scored 35 consecutive points to build a commanding lead over Virginia. The Cavaliers scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep things interesting, but the Tigers were never seriously threatened.

Tigers Cade Klubnik threw for 308 yards and rushed for another 29, while throwing three touchdown passes and one interception. Running back Phil Mafah rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Troy Stellato led the Tigers with seven receptions for 74 yards. The Tigers posted more than 500 yards of total offense for the third straight game.

The Tigers’ defense held Virginia under 300 total yards for most of the game and sacked the quarterback four times. Linebacker Wade Woodaz, linebacker Sammy Brown, cornerback Avieon Terrell and defensive end T.J. Parker each had a sack. Woodaz and Khalil Barnes each had 10 total tackles.  

Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Kobe Pace rushed for 35 yards for Virginia, while Chris Tyree led the Cavs with four receptions.

In the first quarter, the Clemson offense had a touchdown waved off and saw a potential Klubnik touchdown pass dropped. The Tigers committed four penalties and the defense had trouble containing Colandrea. Klubnik also threw his first interception since late September.

Amid those struggles Virginia and Clemson traded field goals before Colandrea threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dakota Twitty early in the second quarter to push the Cavaliers ahead, 10-3.

The lead was short-lived.

The Tigers scored on six of their next seven drives, with five of them leading to touchdowns.

Mafah did the honors in the first half, as he scored on runs of one and three yards to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead at halftime.

Then Clemson scored three touchdowns in the third quarter. Klubnik threw a pair of touchdown passes to Olsen Pratt-Henry, sandwiched around a 36-yard scoring run by wide receiver Antonio Williams.

After its initial burst offensively the Virginia offense got little done against the Clemson defense until the fourth quarter when the game as already in hand. Five of Virginia's six drives after its touchdown were five plays or fewer, including one five-play drive that resulted in a turnover.