CLEMSON — The loss of Cade Klubnik was just too much to overcome for Clemson on Saturday.

Backup Chris Vizzina had his moments, but there just weren’t enough of them as SMU knocked off the Tigers 35-24.

It has now been 363 days since Clemson has beaten a Power-4 team at home, as the program has now dropped five straight to Power teams inside Memorial Stadium.

Vizzina Gave Tigers a Chance

While it took him a little while to get going, Vizzina certainly made some plays. Too often, he settled for the underneath stuff early. However, the deeper we got into the game, the more confident he got.

Vizzina’s final numbers look solid. The redshirt sophomore was 28-for-41 for 317 yards with three touchdowns. It would have been nice to see what he could have done with one more possession with a chance to win it.

He did put the ball on the ground twice, losing one, which resulted in an SMU touchdown, but he was good enough in the second half to win had the defense done their part.

Where’s Running Game?

Clemson rushed for only 35 yards on 30 attempts. That is 1.2 yards per carry and absolutely embarrassing.

Have Yourself a Day, T.J. Moore

It’s taken a few weeks, but sophomore wideout T.J. Moore had that breakout performance most have been waiting on. Moore had two big touchdown catches, a 32-yarder in the first half and a 62-yarder in the second. That second one is should be a SportsCenter Top 10 play, as Moore reached out with his right hand and basically palmed the ball underhanded. He finished with five catches for 124 yards and the two touchdowns.

Smith’s First TD Was Big One

Tristan Smith’s first career touchdown catch at Clemson was a huge one. With the Tigers facing a 4th and 21 with around seven minutes left, the game was on the line. Vizzina put it where only Smith could catch it and the 6-foot-5 wideout went up and got it in the right corner of the west end zone, pulling the Tigers to within five at 29-24. Smith had two catches for 54 yards.

Defense Can’t Get It Done

When the Tigers needed stops in the second half, Tom Allen’s unit couldn’t get them. Clemson allowed more than 230 second-half yards to the Mustangs. After the Tigers pulled to within five points, the defense had multiple opportunities to get the ball back. Ronan Hanfin committed a pass interference on a fourth down play, and then later in the same drive SMU converted a 3rd and 10 when Kylon Griffin was late in coverage. The Mustangs would score a couple of plays later.

This group still gives up too many big plays. It’s the weak spot on this defense. Kevin Jennings had five completions of 15 yards or longer. Three of those were 20 yards or more, including a 70-yard strike to Jordan Hudson for the Mustangs’ first score of the day.

The Tigers also gave up four runs that went 10 yards or more, with two going for 30 yards or longer.

Photo by Bart Boatwright