CLEMSON — As soon as defensive tackle Payton Page rumbled for a 57-yard touchdown with 3:17 left in the first quarter, No. 17 Clemson turned its attention to rival South Carolina.

The Tigers dispatched The Citadel early in their 51-14 victory Saturday at Memorial Stadium, allowing them to get set for next week’s top 20 battle with the No. 18 Gamecocks.

Page’s touchdown came after quarterback Cade Klubnik hit Antonio Williams for a 30-yard TD pass on Clemson’s opening possession.

With the Bulldogs (5-7) facing third-and-13 from the Clemson 43-yard line, the Tigers sent linebacker Sammy Brown up the middle on a blitz. Brown’s blitz forced Citadel quarterback Jonathan Bennett to rush his throw.

Page jumped up and intercepted the pass and returned it 57 yards for a TD, giving Clemson a 14-0 lead with 3:17 left in the first quarter. Ricardo Jones made the key block to help Page get into the end zone.

From there the rout was on. Klubnik threw two more touchdown passes, one to Bryant Wesco from 55 yards out and another to Williams, this time from nine yards out.

Running back Jay Haynes added TD runs of 70 and 9 yards, as Clemson built a 42-0 lead before the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a third quarter touchdown.

Linebacker Barrett Carter also got into the end zone with a 4-yard TD run on a goal line package for the Tigers in the fourth quarter. Carter gave Clemson a 51-14 lead with 6:25 to play.

Another Great Outing

Klubnik continued his excellent junior season. The Clemson quarterback threw for 198 yards on 12 of 16 passing, while completing three for touchdowns.

The junior also ran for 34 yards on four carries before being taken out of the game with 10:49 to play in the third quarter.

Defense had issues

Though the Tigers (9-2) have looked better in the last few weeks stopping the run, that was not the case on Saturday.

Clemson struggled to stop The Citadel’s option offense. The Bulldogs ran for 288 yards, including 196 in the first half.

Perfect with Woods

Nolan Hauser made a 32-yard field goal with 57 seconds to play in the third quarter to extend Clemson’s lead to 45-7 at the time. With Peter Woods on the line, Hauser is a perfect 15-for-15 on the season. Without Woods on the line, five of his kicks have been blocked.

Have yourself a day Jay Haynes

Running back Jay Haynes showed off his speed and ability on Saturday. The redshirt freshman rushed for a career-best 118 yards on five carries and scored two touchdowns on Saturday. One of his touchdowns was a 70-yard touchdown run which gave the Tigers a 28-0 lead with 6:07 to play in the second quarter.

Clemson owns the FCS

The Tigers’ win over The Citadel was its 19th straight in the series. Clemson last lost to the Bulldogs in 1931, which led to the formation of IPTAY and changed Clemson Athletic forever.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 39-0 against FCS opponents, which dates back to 1979 when the FCS (Division 1-AA) was formed.

Keeping with Great Company

Clemson earned its ninth win of the season. The win tied Clemson with Florida State (1987-2000) for the fourth most consecutive 9-win seasons in the history of college football. The Tigers join Nebraska (33, 1969-2001), Alabama (17 2008-’24) and Florida State has the four schools in FBS history that have won at least nine games for 14 consecutive seasons.

Injury situation

There were a lot of players that sat out Saturday’s game to rest up for the Gamecocks. The Tigers were without linebacker Wade Woodaz, per the availability report. Wide receivers Tyler Brown and Troy Stellato were also listed.

Cornerback Shelton Lewis, was not dressed and is out for the season. Woodaz missed last week’s win over Pitt with a severe contusion on his leg.

On the offensive line, left guard Marcus Tate missed his third straight game dealing with a knee injury, while left tackle Tristan Leigh has missed all but nine snaps over the past three games after suffering an ankle injury in the win over Virginia Tech.

Safety R.J. Mickens did not play Saturday. He left in the fourth quarter in the win over Pitt last week.

Up Next

Clemson will play archrival South Carolina next Saturday (noon, ESPN) in Death Valley. The Tigers have won eight of the last nine meetings in a series that dates back to Clemson’s first year of football in 1986.

The Tigers lead the all-time series 73-43-4.