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Clemson fell 38-24 on Saturday night against Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers made a valiant comeback effort, but it ultimate came up short. The result sends Texas into the quarterfinals and Clemson home for a long offseason before the 2025 campaign begins.
Here are 3 takeaways from Clemson’s heartbreaking loss to the Longhorns:
Clemson’s comeback falls short
For much of this game, it looked like it things were headed toward another blowout. The Tigers drew first blood by getting up to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the next 21 points all belonged to the Longhorns. Texas led 31-10 midway through the third quarter.
Clemson wasn’t done yet, though. Cade Klubnik threw a couple of touchdown passes in a row to make it a 7-point game.
However, Texas didn’t leave its fans in suspense for very long. After Klubnik narrowed the deficit to 31-24, Texas running back Jaydon Blue broke off a 77-yard touchdown run to increase UT’s lead back up to 2 scores.
Klubnik and the Tigers were able to march down the field once more, but the Longhorns were able to get a stop on a 4th-and-goal situation — effectively sealing the win.
Cade Klubnik’s best game
Klubnik has had good performances this season, but none like the one he had against the Longhorns on Saturday night in Austin.
Klubnik threw for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win on 43 attempts. It marked just the 7th 300-yard game of his career and just his second in a game against a ranked opponent. The only other time he’s cleared that threshold vs. a ranked team came against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl way back on Dec. 30, 2022.
Those are remarkable numbers, especially considering the quality of competition Klubnik was facing. Texas entered this game with nation’s No. 1 pass defense efficiency rating.
Clemson’s run defense proved to be a fatal flaw
Clemson’s lack of a rushing defense was the biggest reason why the Tigers were unable to hang with Texas on Saturday night.
When Blue broke through Clemson’s defense for a game-changing 77-yard touchdown run, it was Texas’s 7th run of the game that went for 10+ yards. The Longhorns would go on to tack on 1 more before the end of the game. On those 8 plays, Texas amassed a total of 218 rushing yards.
Clemson’s rush defense was below its typical standards all season. The Tigers entered this game ranked 113th nationally in EPA-per-rush allowed, according to Game on Paper. That weakness showed up in a very inopportune moment in this Playoff loss to Texas.
Blue and Quintrevion Wisner both went over 100 rushing yards on the day. As a team, Texas averaged over 6 yards per carry.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
