The Clemson Tigers got back into the win column in dominating fashion Saturday afternoon, shutting out the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 37-0 at Memorial Stadium.
Clemson controlled the game from the beginning, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter before exploding for 24 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 34-0 advantage into halftime. The victory improved the Tigers to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in ACC play.
The Clemson defense was the story of the afternoon. The Tigers held Charleston Southern to just 76 total yards, including only 26 yards rushing, while recording 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. The Buccaneers were also held without a single third-down conversion, finishing 0-for-11. It was Clemson’s first shutout since blanking South Carolina 30-0 in 2021.
Offensively, Clemson finished with 438 total yards, including 231 yards on the ground. Chris Johnson Jr. scored twice on rushing touchdowns of six and two yards, while Gideon Davidson added a seven-yard touchdown run. Davidson finished as Clemson’s leading rusher with 59 yards on 13 carries.
Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds completed 17 of 26 passes for 127 yards and added another 40 yards rushing. Tight end Christian Bentancur led the Tigers through the air with four catches for 74 yards.
Clemson also got a big play from its special teams when Kylon Griffin returned a Charleston Southern fumble 17 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Nolan Hauser had a big afternoon as well, connecting on all three of his field-goal attempts, including a career-long 59-yarder, the second-longest field goal in Clemson history.
The Tigers will now turn their attention back to ACC play as they welcome Virginia Tech to Death Valley Saturday night for Clemson’s Homecoming game. You can listen to Clemson take on Virginia Tech starting with the Tiger Tailgate Show at 4 p.m. on KOOL 102.7, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
