Complementary Football Pushes the Clemson Tigers Past Florida State

CLEMSON, S.C. - With their backs against the wall in a conference rivalry contest, the Clemson Tigers (4-5, 3-4 ACC) racked up 319 yards of offense as they took down the Florida State Seminoles (4-5, 1-5 ACC), 24-10, at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

This victory marks Clemson’s first win over a Power Four at home since October 19, 2024, when the Tigers beat Virginia. That’s 385 days.

Veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik, who had a career-high 385 passing yards versus Duke, had another superb performance in Week 11, completing 20-of-27 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball eight times for one touchdown. The ground game as a whole was solid for the Tigers, with senior Adam Randall and true freshman Gideon Davidson splitting carries and combining for 27 total touches and 120 total yards from scrimmage.

The passing attack was lethal and spread out, with four different players having three or more receptions in the contest. Senior Antonio Williams led the way with six catches for 62 yards and one touchdown. Tristan Smith, T.J. Moore and Olsen Patt-Henry combined for 10 catches and 105 yards.

Defensively, Avieon Terrell, Sammy Brown, Jeremiah Alexander, Will Heldt and Kobe McCloud each recorded one sack or more. Sophomore cornerback Ashton Hampton led the team with 10 tackles and two pass breakups.

Clemson and Dabo Swinney started hot on their opening drive as Klubnik led the offense 75 yards down the field in 13 plays, with the senior signal caller finishing the drive on a four-yard rushing touchdown. Surprisingly, the Tigers followed it up with a successful two-point conversion on what looked to be an extra point setup, catching the Seminoles lacking as wide receiver Clay Swinney ran it in to put his team up 8-0.

Florida State and Clemson would trade punts on the next two drives. However, on the Seminoles’ second drive of the night, the Tigers' defense would step up with perfect timing as defensive end Jahiem Lawson forced a fumble on Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos as he attempted to inch closer to the endzone. Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander recovered the ball on Clemson’s 11-yard line.

The Clemson offense would stay quiet on their next drive, but the defense held up, forcing a turnover on downs to get the Tigers the ball back in scoring territory. Two plays later, the offense executed a perfect flea flicker as Klubnik handed the ball off to running back Adam Randall, who tossed it back to Klubnik, ending in a deep ball heave to Antonio Williams for a 34-yard touchdown, putting Clemson up 15-0 — their first double-digit lead since facing Boston College in Week 7.

This play had it all 😮‍💨🏈

📺 ACCN || @a_williams2022 pic.twitter.com/YV1jSl518F
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 9, 2025

The emergence of complementary football continued for Clemson, as they forced the Seminoles to a five-play, 17-yard drive that ended in a punt, pinning the Tigers' offense in terrible field position. Nevertheless, Klubnik drove his team down the field on a 13-play, 74-yard drive to put Clemson up 18-0 with 2:31 left to go in the first half as kicker Nolan Hauser drilled a 40-yard field goal.

Florida State would finally spark some life into their team right before the first half ended as Castellanos gained 24 yards on a run that put his team in the red zone. Following a few bad passes — one of which was nearly picked — the Seminoles' offense would put some points on the board as receiver LaWayne McCoy caught a 7-yard touchdown pass. The play went under review, but boos rained throughout Death Valley as officials upheld the original touchdown call, making the score 18-7 entering halftime.

The Seminoles got the ball to start the second half, but wouldn’t capitalize on the advantage as they drove down the field and missed a 40-yard field goal to give the ball right back to Clemson.

The Tigers offensive momentum would leak into the second half as Klubnik led the offense on a 10-play, 73-yard drive that lasted five minutes and was capped off by a 23-yard field goal from Hauser to put them up 21-7 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.

After a three-and-out stop for the Clemson defense, the offensive side of the ball kept it rolling, converting a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive with the help of Peter Woods and the jumbo package. The successful, but risky choice gave the Tigers a three-score lead for the second time in the contest as Hauser made his third field goal of the game for 43 yards to put the squad up 24-7.

In return, the Seminoles scored their first points of the second half after Castellanos led his offense to their longest drive of the game, lasting six minutes and 41 seconds, and ending in a successful 46-yard field goal to make it a 24-10 game. However, the lengthy possession time hurt them more than anything, as the Florida State offense needed to score quickly if they wanted to have a chance at coming back.

Clemson would be held to a three-and-out on their next drive, but the defense would yet again come up huge, forcing Castellanos and the Seminoles to an eight-play drive that ended in a turnover on downs. While Florida State's defense would stop the Tigers' efforts to chew up the clock on offense, their defense would take matters into their own hands.

With 2:10 left in the contest and the Seminoles' offense on the field, Castellanos heaved a deep ball into coverage, and Clemson safety Ricardo Jones came down with the interception and returned it for 20 yards to ultimately seal the game. The turnover was Jones' fourth interception of the year.

Fourth INT of the year for @ricardojones05!!

📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/m49nEB9En2
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 9, 2025

Clemson's next game will be at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, Nov. 14, vs. the Louisville Cardinals.