Clemson football didn't play a perfect game on Saturday, but the Tigers got the job done when it mattered. After a dreadful start and a weather delay, No. 8 Clemson rallied to knock off Troy 27-16 in front of the home crowd at Death Valley.
The opening half had all the makings of a letdown. Troy jumped ahead with a touchdown on its first drive, then capitalized on an Adam Randle fumble and later a Cade Klubnik interception that was tipped at the line and returned for a score. Just like that, Clemson was in a 16-0 hole and limped into halftime down 16-3.
Everything shifted after the break. Klubnik looked like a different quarterback in the second half, completing 7-of-8 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was freshman Bryant Wesco, who had a breakout performance with seven catches for 118 yards and both of Klubnik's scoring throws. Randle bounced back as well, piling up most of his 112 rushing yards in the second half and punching in a touchdown.
Defensively, Clemson turned up the heat. The Tigers forced back-to-back interceptions that set up 10 points and limited Troy to fewer than 100 yards after halftime. The defensive front also tallied three sacks while controlling the line of scrimmage.
Klubnik finished with 196 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while the Tigers avoided their first 0-2 start since 1974. It wasn't always pretty, but the response was enough to steady the season heading into ACC play.
Here's how social media reacted to Clemson's win over Troy.
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