CLEMSON, S.C. — Behind a suffocating defensive performance that yielded just 76 total yards and an unrelenting ground attack, Clemson cruised past Charleston Southern 37-0 on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 75,917 at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers (4-2) controlled every phase from the opening kick, riding a 24-point second-quarter explosion to put the contest completely out of reach by halftime before salting away the second half with punishing defense and methodical ball control.
Clemson set the tone immediately. On the game’s opening play, Chris Johnson Jr. took Will Laing’s kickoff at the Clemson 4-yard line and broke free for a 43-yard return to the Charleston Southern 47. Tait Reynolds opened under center with a 9-yard completion to Olsen Patt-Henry, followed by an 11-yard dash from Gideon Davidson. Though the opening drive stalled inside the red zone, Nolan Hauser drilled a 41-yard field goal to put Clemson on the board with 12:51 left in the first quarter.
Charleston Southern (3-4) mustered its best drive of the afternoon on the subsequent possession. Hakeem Watters ripped off an 18-yard run up the gut, and quarterback Jared Echols connected with Maxwell Warren for 13 yards to reach the Clemson 32. But the drive stalled, and Matt Rolader pushed a 50-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The Tigers wasted no time capitalizing. Reynolds led a nine-play, 68-yard drive featuring a pair of 10-yard strikes to Bryant Wesco Jr. and an 11-yard run from Juju Preston. Johnson capped the march by bursting up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Tigers a 10-0 lead with 5:17 left in the opening period.
Early in the second quarter, Clemson doubled down on its dominance. After Wesco returned a Baxter Pearce punt 25 yards to the CSU 40, Davidson converted a critical fourth-and-2 at the 7-yard line with a 5-yard plunge. Two snaps later, Davidson crashed over the goal line from 7 yards out to widen the margin to 17-0.
Disaster then struck for the Buccaneers midway through the period. After driving to the Clemson 17-yard line, Charleston Southern faced fourth-and-3. A botched snap on a field goal try resulted in a 13-yard loss, handing the ball over to Clemson at its own 30. Reynolds promptly orchestrated a nine-play, 70-yard scoring sequence highlighted by a 32-yard completion to tight end Christian Bentancur down to the CSU 8. Johnson punched in his second touchdown from 2 yards out at the 5:30 mark to push the lead to 24-0.
Just nine seconds later, Clemson’s special teams and defensive pressure struck again. On the ensuing kickoff sequence, a muffed return resulted in a defensive touchdown with 5:21 left before the break, ballooning the lead to 31-0.
Hauser then delivered the play of the afternoon just before the horn, booming a career-long 59-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining to send Clemson into the locker room ahead 34-0.
Clemson added the final points of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter, as Hauser connected on his third field goal of the day, a 44-yarder, to cap a four-play drive and make it 37-0.
The Tigers’ defense clamped down ruthlessly all afternoon. Charleston Southern was held without a third-down conversion, finishing 0-for-11 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth downs. The Buccaneers managed only six first downs and 26 net rushing yards on 32 attempts, hampered by four sacks for minus-25 yards and 13 tackles for loss. Caden Story paced Clemson’s disruptive front with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss, while London Merritt and Vic Burley each registered solo sacks.
Despite the lopsided score, Charleston Southern’s defense fought until the final whistle, generating two fourth-quarter interceptions off backup quarterback Trent Pearman. Mylan Bowen intercepted Pearman and returned it 45 yards into Clemson territory, while Kason Hooks added a goal-line interception in the end zone to prevent another Clemson score. Taivon Snipe led all defenders with 10 tackles, while Avery Dixon contributed seven solo stops and a tackle for loss.
For Clemson, Reynolds finished 17-of-26 passing for 127 yards while adding 40 rushing yards on seven scrambles. Pearman went 8-of-13 for 80 yards and two picks, and Brock Bradley completed his lone pass attempt. Bentancur led all receivers with four catches for 74 yards, and Wesco hauled in four receptions for 25 yards. Davidson spearheaded the rushing effort with 59 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Max Wilson contributed 52 yards on seven carries late in the game.
Watters was the lone bright spot for Charleston Southern’s offense, carrying 13 times for 46 yards. Echols completed 7 of 12 passes for 50 yards, targeting Warren five times for 38 yards before Caden Clay entered in relief.
Clemson finished with a commanding 438-to-76 advantage in total yards and controlled the clock for 31:56.
Clemson Suffocates Charleston Southern in Dominant 37-0 Demolition