Much like he did in last year’s ACC Championship Game, Adam Randall turned the tide again for Clemson on Saturday.

After a disastrous first half for Clemson in Saturday’s game vs. Troy, Randall helped spark the eighth-ranked Tigers to an eventual 27-16 victory over the Trojans at Death Valley.

Clemson trailed 16-3 at halftime but got the ball to start the second half. The Tigers force-fed the rock to Randall, and he set the tone in the second half.

Following a very sluggish offensive performance in the first half, during which Clemson managed just 17 rushing yards, 114 total yards and a field goal, Randall got the Tigers’ offense going with his legs.

Randall, the former wide receiver who permanently transitioned to running back in the offseason, came out running hard in the second half. The senior injected life into Clemson’s offense and team overall with rushes of 7, 30, 10 and 11 yards on the opening drive to start the third quarter. He capped off the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to cut Troy’s lead to 16-10 less than four minutes into the second half.

The momentum provided by Randall continued when Clemson got an interception on Troy’s ensuing possession, and then one play later, a 26-yard touchdown pass from Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik to wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. gave the Tigers a 17-16 lead – a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

The spark Randall gave Clemson on Saturday was reminiscent of how he turned the tide for the Tigers in last year’s ACC title game. Of course, he recorded one of the biggest plays of the dramatic ACC Championship Game win vs. SMU, returning a kickoff a career-long 41 yards to put Clemson in range to complete one pass and set up Nolan Hauser’s game-winning walk-off 56-yard field goal against the Mustangs.

Randall helped the Tigers close out Saturday’s game and led their rushing attack with 112 yards and his touchdown on 21 carries. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder averaged 5.3 yards per tote.

Randall and the Tigers will return to action next Saturday when they travel to Georgia Tech for the two teams’ ACC opener. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.