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Clemson Tigers Suffer Fourth Loss of Season Against SMU

Clemson and Dabo Swinney are back under .500 after a Week 8 loss.
Angelo Feliberty|
The Clemson Tigers fell, 35-24, to the SMU Mustangs this past Saturday in an ACC Championship rematch.
The Clemson Tigers fell, 35-24, to the SMU Mustangs this past Saturday in an ACC Championship rematch. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

CLEMSON, S.C. - In redshirt sophomore Christopher Vizzina's first career start at signal caller, the Clemson Tigers (3-4, 2-3 ACC) racked up 352 yards of offense, but SMU (5-2, 3-0 ACC) ran out to a 16-7 first-half lead en route to a 35-24 Mustangs win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. 

Vizzina completed 29-of-42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. The run game was nearly non-existent as the Tigers carried the ball 30 times for 35 yards – 15 carries went to Vizzina. Sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moore had a career-game, leading all Clemson pass-catchers in yards with 124 and two touchdowns on five catches. Tristan Smith and Antonio Williams also combined for nine receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown in the contest.

Defensively, Sammy Brown, Ashton Hampton and Jahiem Lawson each recorded a tackle for a loss. Brown led the team with 10 tackles, 2.5 being for losses, as well as half a sack.

After a short first drive from Vizzina and company, safety Ronan Hanafin made a huge tackle on special teams to keep the Mustangs inside their own 10. The defense held up on the rest of the drive, and both teams were scoreless going into the 8:38 mark of the first quarter.

The Tigers' second offensive drive didn't go much better, with Vizzina fumbling the ball on a highly controversial call as it looked like he was in a throwing motion and attempting a pass, which doesn't result in a fumble based on regulations. 

Nevertheless, Clemson's defense didn't let it faze them as they quickly forced SMU's offense to a three-and-out drive.

The Mustangs opened the scoring on their first play of their third drive when quarterback Kevin Jennings connected with Jordan Hudson on a 70-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made the score 7-0 with 3:52 remaining in the first quarter. 

Boos rained in Death Valley after SMU held the Tigers to their second consecutive three-and-out drive on offense. Feeding off the defensive momentum, SMU used 10 plays to move into position for kicker Sam Keltner to add another three points to the Mustang's lead with a 51-yard field goal as 11:26 remained on the clock in the second quarter.

After totaling only 50 yards through the team's first five offensive drives, Clemson finally got some points on the board as Vizzina led a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 32-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Moore – his second of the season – to make it 10-7 with 8:51 left to play in the first half. This play marked Vizzina's first career touchdown.

SMU quickly recovered from the defensive exploitation, going on a 10-play, 44-yard drive to set its kicker up for a successful 48-yard field goal, making the score 13-7 as the final five minutes of the second quarter approached.

Following a failed fourth-down attempt, the Tigers kept rolling on defense, holding the Mustangs to a field goal to make the score 16-7 going into halftime.

Coming off an up-and-down first half, the Tigers struck first in the third quarter as Vizzina threw a beauty ball that was caught one-handed by T.J. Moore for a 62-yard touchdown – his second of the day – to make it a 16-14 game.

The Mustangs fought back after letting up the touchdown, charging 75 yards down the field in one minute and 19 seconds, finishing with a 35-yard touchdown run.

Vizzina answered by leading a 17-play, 65-yard drive that ended on a 28-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser.

SMU increased its lead to 12 after Kevin Jennings threw a dot to tight end Matthew Hibner, catching it one-handed and bringing it into the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown. Kicker Sam Keltner missed the extra point, leaving the score 29-17 with 12:30 remaining in the fourth and final quarter. 

After allowing 358 total yards and capturing zero turnovers heading into the final 10 minutes of the game, senior linebacker Wade Woodaz was able to tip the ball, landing directly in safety Ricardo Jones' hands for an interception. The offense followed up the impressive turnover with an eight-play, 49-yard drive, finishing the possession with a successful fourth-down attempt as Southeast Missouri State transfer Tristan Smith caught his first touchdown in orange on a jump-ball to make the score 29-24 with 6:44 left in the contest.

Unfortunately, the defense quickly went back to its early-contest habits, allowing SMU to run a 13-play, 75-yard drive that chewed the clock down to the final minute. Running back Chris Johnson Jr. scored a go-ahead six-yard touchdown to put a nail in the coffin, 35-24 final.

Clemson's next game will be at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, vs. the Duke Blue Devils. Ticket information for all of Clemson's three remaining home games is available here.

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Angelo Feliberty
ANGELO FELIBERTY

Angelo Feliberty is a Sports Communication major who got his start with The Tiger newspaper at Clemson University starting as a contributor and working his way up to senior reporter covering multiple sports for the Clemson Tigers. A native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feliberty was a three-year letterman in track at Myrtle Beach High School.

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