COLUMBIA, S.C. – Clemson’s offense struggled on the road throughout 2023, but the extremely shorthanded Tigers found a way in Williams-Brice Stadium.

Coming into the game, Clemson had to adjust to missing multiple weapons on offense. Comparing to the roster when the season starter, wide receivers Cole Turner, Beaux Collins, Antonio Williams were all out against South Carolina. Add in the loss of blocking tight end Sage Ennis and the odds were stacked against the Tigers.

The revolving door Clemson’s gone through on the offensive line is just another wrench thrown into the machine. Still, the Tigers found a way to get the win and made the plays when necessary.

“‘Love the depth that we have at receiver and just really proud of the guys and stepped up. Wish we could have had some more connection
further down the field just playing catch. When plays needed to be made, they were made,” Klubnik said

In the third quarter, Clemson gained 39 of their 100 total passing yards on a pitch-and-catch between Klubnik and freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown. That set up a 42-yard field goal for Jonathan Weitz that made it a 16-7 game.

Beyond that play, the run game carried the weight for the Tigers offense. 46 of Clemson’s 73 plays were run and it resulted in 219 yards. That created a 16-minute gap in time of possession and avoided any risk. Klubnik knew the pass game wouldn’t lead the way, but finding a way to win was the goal.

Some games are like that, you know. They were giving us opportunities to run the ball. We tookadvantage of it and I’m just super proud of the way our offensive line played and our running backs played…our coaches did an amazing job of planning this week and planning for what they might do,” Klubnik said.

The Tigers nearly doubled the Gamecocks with 319 total yards to 169. This win wasn’t pretty, but neither is the animosity between Clemson and South Carolina, so it was only fitting.