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SMU staged a comeback for the ages in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday.
Then Clemson did it one better.
The Mustangs came all the way back from a 17-point second half deficit to tie the game on a 4-yard pass from Kevin Jennings to Roderick Daniels with 16 seconds remaining, capping a clutch 16-play, 79-yard drive.
But instead of going to overtime, the Tigers had an answer.
A 41-yard kickoff return by Adam Randall and a 17-yard pass from Cade Klubnik to Antonio Williams put kicker Nolan Hauser in position to kick a game-winning 56-yard field goal that gave Clemson a 34-31 victory and the ACC’s automatic Playoff bid.
Not only was it the longest field goal in the 20-year history of the ACC Championship Game, it was also the first time the game has ended on a walkoff field goal.
Here are 3 takeaways from the win that clinched Clemson’s 8th conference title in the past 10 years – against its seventh different opponent – and put SMU squarely on the College Football Playoff bubble:
Clemson’s Texas 2-step
Saturday wasn’t a good day for the team from Texas at the ACC Championship Game. For that, the Mustangs can blame 2 players from the Lone State State.
Klubnik, a native of Austin, completed 24-of-41 passes for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns. His favorite receiver, freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. from the Dallas suburb of Midlothian, had the best game of his young career with 8 catches for 142 yards and 2 scores.
The duo got going early by connecting on a 35-yard touchdown strike to open the scoring just 1:25 into the game. They hooked up again for an even longer score later in the opening quarter when Wesco took a pass across the middle, slipped the grasp of 2 SMU defenders and sprinted the rest of the way for a 43-yard touchdown that increased the Tigers’ lead to 21-7.
Wesco’s previous bests were 7 catches in a loss to Louisville and 130 receiving yards in an early season win against Appalachian State.
This time the other team started fast
SMU has made a habit of putting pressure on teams this season by scoring early and often, and playing with a lead. The Mustangs outscored the opposition by a whopping 125-41 margin in the first quarter during the regular season. And by a 247-105 margin in the first half.
But it was a different story Saturday against Clemson.
The Tigers scored 2 touchdowns in the opening 5 minutes and 3 on their first 3 offensive possessions on the way to building a 24-7 halftime advantage.
While Clemson’s offense had a lot to do with the fast start – Klubnik completed 11-of-19 passes for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 2 to Bryant Wesco, over the first 2 periods – SMU was equally complicit.
SMU outgained Clemson 193-183 in the first half. But its mistakes were costly. The Tigers’ first touchdown was set up by a Jennings fumble deep in his own territory. Another was aided by a special teams penalty that gave Clemson a short field. The Mustangs quarterback also threw an interception while kicker Collin Rogers issued a field goal.
Clean game for the Tigers
While SMU had a hard time getting out of its own way during the first half, Clemson did everything championship teams are supposed to do. The Tigers took advantage of their opportunities, didn’t turn the ball over and most importantly did commit a penalty in the game.
At least one that was accepted or counted.
The closest they came to getting penalized came with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter. Clemson was originally called for offensive pass interference on a 37-yard completion from Klubnik to Williams. But after a discussion among the officials, it was determined that there was no foul and the flag was picked up.
The Tigers were also called for running into the kicker on Rogers’ 46-yard field goal with just under 7 minutes remaining. But because the call wouldn’t have resulted in a first down, the Mustangs declined and kept the points on the board.
SMU committed 6 penalties for 65 yards.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
