Rolling right along: Clemson handles FSU on the road, Dabo makes ACC history

Dabo Swinney is the winningest coach in ACC history.

And his Clemson football team keeps on rolling.

In a 29-13 win over Florida State on Saturday night, the No. 15 Tigers weren’t perfect and had two field goals blocked. But they were the more talented team, and it showed (eventually) in primetime at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik had 297 total yards, running back Phil Mafah had 154 on the ground and the Tigers (4-1, 3-0 ACC) stuffed Florida State’s struggling offense in Tallahassee to win their fourth straight game and third straight conference game.

Clemson’s 16-point victory here resembled Win No. 174 of Swinney’s Clemson career, which gave him sole possession of the record for most wins leading an ACC program. In a well-documented stroke of irony, Swinney had been tied with the late, great Bobby Bowden heading into the weekend before beating Bowden’s old team, the Seminoles, to surpass him.

This Clemson-FSU matchup had been losing steam ever since the Seminoles (1-5, 1-4 ACC) dropped their season opener to unranked Georgia Tech in Ireland.

That was long before former Tigers starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was ruled out of the contest with a hand injury, robbing both fan bases of a Clemson-DJU rematch that would’ve been intriguing regardless of records.

Sticking with that trend, Clemson’s win on Saturday was more subdued. There wasn’t an offensive explosion of 66 or 59 or even 40 points, as the Tigers did over their last three games, or a head-spinning number of big plays.

But the Tigers got steady offense and steady defense in an ACC road environment, and that was enough against a Seminoles team that put up a fight — especially in the fourth quarter — but was ultimately overmatched.

Trailing 23-7 in the fourth quarter, Florida State scored a touchdown to make it 23-13 (and a two-point conversion away from a one-score game). But quarterback Brock Glenn couldn’t connect with a receiver in the end zone, FSU’s deficit stayed at 10 points and Clemson closed things out to stay perfect in conference play.

“At the end of the game, we held serve,” Swinney said postgame. “We’re still in control of our ACC destiny. and that’s what we came here to do.”

GAME RECAP

Clemson’s been historically great in first quarters this season, and that continued in its first true road game of the season in front of a reduced-capacity sellout crowd.

Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser booted a short field goal, and Klubnik threw touchdown passes of 57 yards to wide receiver Antonio Williams and 23 yards to wide receiver T.J. Moore to put the Tigers up 17-0 on their opponent after one.

Clemson has now outscored opponents 90-0 in the first quarter this season, or by 18 points on average — and that includes a 0-0 stalemate after one quarter in the season opener vs. Georgia.

Playing a home night game, coach Mike Norvell’s FSU squad didn’t fold. Glenn, the Seminoles’ backup quarterback making his first start of the season in place of Uiagalelei, led FSU on its only touchdown drive of the half in the second quarter and threw a beautiful ball to make it 17-7.

Then things got interesting. Clemson got to first-and-10 at FSU’s 17-yard line but ended up having to take a field goal after a botched play and a sack — and a Seminoles player came in off the edge to block Hauser’s 38-yard attempt.

On the very next snap, Glenn put it on the money to receiver Malik Benson for a 31-yard catch that had the home crowd going wild … only for a holding penalty to nullify the grab.

Florida State punted trailing by 10, and Clemson added Hauser field goals on its next two drives (including one following a well-executed two-minute drill) to take a 23-7 lead into the break.

At that point, Clemson was outgaining FSU 313-84 in total yardage and 20-4 in first downs. Still, there was “a little bit of tension and a little bit of strain,” Swinney said.

The teams traded long drives and punts in the third quarter until Klubnik got Clemson into the red zone late — only for the Tigers to stall and allow FSU to block another Hauser field goal, this one a layup from 25 yards.

Instead of leading 26-7 (three scores), Clemson only stayed up two scores and had to sweat it out some as Florida State put together an impressive drive at the start of the fourth quarter, which included a Glenn scramble on fourth-and-9 for a first down and ended with an easy slant route touchdown pass (23-13).

But after FSU’s failed two-point conversion, Clemson got a 59-yard rush from Mafah and chewed clock before booting another field goal (26-13) and forcing a punt on Florida State’s next possession with a big T.J. Parker sack.

Hauser closed the game out with his fifth made field goal of the night. His efforts were key, along with an offensive line that cleared the way for 265 rushing yards and 500 total yards and a Clemson defense that made FSU one-dimensional (22 yards rushing yards allowed) and got stops when it was necessary.

“it’s never easy to win anywhere,” Swinney said. “But it’s really hard to win on the road, and it’s really hard to win in Tallahassee. And just really proud of our guys. Hard fought game.”

Next Clemson game

Who: No. 15 Clemson (4-1, 3-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1 ACC)

When: Noon Saturday, Oct. 12

Where: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC

TV: ESPN