Clemson football didn’t make it easy on themselves, but the Tigers found a way to avoid a nightmare start to the season. After a sloppy opening half and a long lightning delay, No. 8 Clemson stormed back to beat Troy 27-16 on Saturday in Death Valley.
The first two quarters were about as bad as it gets. Troy struck with a long touchdown on its opening drive, added a field goal after an Adam Randle fumble, and then really stunned the crowd when Cade Klubnik had a pass batted at the line and returned for a score. Suddenly, Clemson was down 16-0, and the only thing they managed before halftime was a Nolan Hauser field goal.
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Then the game flipped. Clemson came out of the locker room energized, ripping off 17 straight points in the third quarter. Klubnik finally looked comfortable, hitting 7-of-8 passes in the second half for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Randle bounced back from the fumble, finishing with 112 yards on the ground and a touchdown of his own.
The real breakout came from freshman wideout Bryant Wesco. He gave the offense the jolt it needed, catching seven passes for 118 yards and both of Klubnik’s scores. On the other side of the ball, Clemson’s defense shut the door. The Tigers forced back-to-back interceptions that turned into 10 points and held Troy to under 100 yards the rest of the way.
Klubnik ended the night with 196 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The offensive line still looked shaky, but the second-half turnaround was enough to get Clemson in the win column.
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It wasn’t pretty, but it kept the Tigers from their first 0-2 start since 1974. Now they turn the page and head to Atlanta next week to face Georgia Tech in their ACC opener.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: No. 8 Clemson Tigers take down the Troy Trojans in a scary one
