TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Clemson used a late surge to take a 24-14 halftime lead on Florida State on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium, though how the teams got to that score was unconventional in some ways.
The Tigers scored the last 10 points of the half, their final touchdown coming three plays after an FSU turnover. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s 5-yard keeper with 19 seconds left in the second quarter gave Clemson its first two-possession lead of the night.
That came after B.T. Potter’s 47-yard field goal on the Tigers’ previous possession, but FSU has used a running game that’s been more productive than any against the Tigers so far this season to stay close.
Uiagalelei added two more touchdowns through the air as part of a 10-of-15, 149-yard passing performance in the first two quarters. But FSU already has 139 rushing yards against the nation’s No. 2-ranked run defense. The Tigers came in yielding less than 63 yards per game on the ground, a number FSU surpassed in the first quarter alone (72). The Seminoles ripped off five runs of at least 16 yards in the first 30 minutes.
One of those was a 20-yard scoring scamper by quarterback Jordan Travis, who capped a nine-play, 75-yard opening possession for the Seminoles. But Clemson answered on its second possession when Uiagalelei sidestepped a blitzing Kevin Knowles II and found freshman Antonio Williams behind the defense for a 59-yard touchdown.
FSU immediately responded with a 15-play, 93-yard drive to take the lead on fullback DJ Lundy’s fourth-down scoring plunge from inside the 1-yard line, a call that stood after review. The Tigers answered again on Uiagalelei’s 7-yard scoring toss to Jake Bringingstool and got a fourth-down stop on the Seminoles’ ensuing possession deep in Clemson territory to ignite its late charge.
Clemson, averaging 6.9 yards per play, has 247 total yards. FSU isn’t far behind at 237. The Tigers will get the ball to start the third quarter.