Clemson handles Furman 45-10 in home finale
CLEMSON — For the first time all season, Clemson gave its home crowd a game without tension. The Tigers handled Furman 45–10 Saturday, and from the opening minutes everyone in Death Valley could finally exhale.
Clemson (6-5) hasn’t had many of these. No nervous halftime, no sense that one mistake might flip the game. Just a straightforward win in a season that rarely offered them.
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For Cade Klubnik – on his senior day – it became a curtain-call moment you don’t often get in college football.
Clemson’s three-year starter put up 159 yards and two touchdowns on 9-of-15 passing, leading four scores on the Tigers’ first five drives and a 24–0 lead that essentially ended the game before the band even sat down.
When he left the game to a standing ovation midway through the second quarter, it was a deserved acknowledgement. This season didn’t go the way anyone imagined, but there’s never been a question about how much he invested in the program.
After that?
It got a lot less comfortable, and revealed the biggest concern Clemson is carrying into the offseason.
Because once the starters stepped aside, the offense stalled.
Christopher Vizzina entered in the second quarter, and while he wasn’t working with the top receivers, the difference in production was stark.
Both quarterbacks finished 9-for-15, but Klubnik’s line read 159 yards, 2 TDs (193 RTG) while Vizzina’s sat at 52 yards, 1 TD (111.1 RTG).
Same completions, same attempts, completely different impact.
Clemson’s staff tried to get everyone involved – 17 different receivers caught a pass, with TJ Moore leading the group with three grabs for 49 yards – all while the offense still sputtered.
Up 31–10, Trent Pearman took a series.
Later, with ten minutes left, true freshman QB Chris Denson got his chance and finally delivered the spark Clemson had been searching for.
His 50-yard run keyed a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a four-yard throw to freshman tight end Logan Brooking.
It effectively locked things down.
But the broader picture wasn’t as encouraging: take away Denson’s drives, and Clemson produced 121 yards total after the first unit exited.
That lack of depth is hard to ignore with LSU and a new era looming next fall.
Defensively, the same theme showed up.
When the backups rotated in, Furman (6-6) found some traction: an eight-play scoring drive before halftime, then second-half marches of 55 and 60 yards.
The latter only ended in a missed field goal, but none of it looked like the standard Clemson wants to uphold.
The Tigers also left the night with two significant injuries.
Olsen Patt-Henry, Clemson’s leading tight end in receptions, exited early with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. He returned to the sideline on crutches, in sweats.
In the third quarter, Jahiem Lawson, third on the team in sacks, went down and couldn’t put weight on his right leg. He left Frank Howard field with assistance from trainers and later returned to the sideline on crutches.
Yikes.
Still, it was a game Clemson needed so badly.
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It was straightforward, drama-free and a proper celebration for a senior class that shouldered more adversity than expected.
But the real test comes next week in Columbia.
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The Palmetto Bowl won’t fix either team’s season, but it’ll decide who limps out with bragging rights.
And for Clemson, there are still questions to answer before stepping into the rivalry game that actually matters.
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