With a game-winning 56-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser in the ACC Championship as time expired, the Clemson Tigers stunned the SMU Mustangs 34-31 as time expired Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium and secured a spot in the varsity program Football Playoffs.

Welcome back to the CFP, Clemson. It’s been a while.

The Tigers (10-2 overall) jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and led 24-7 at halftime. Then they had to hold on until the end of the season when SMU (10-2) quarterback Kevin Jennings rallied the Mustangs from a 17-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 31-31 with just 16 seconds left were to be played in regular time.

Over time? “Forget that,” Clemson said.

Here’s how the Tigers pulled off a thrilling win over SMU and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020.

Clemson special teams shined with play on the line

When SMU tied the game with 16 seconds left on a four-yard touchdown pass from Jennings to Roderick Daniels, it looked like things were heading into overtime. Only Clemson’s Adam Randall returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to give Cade Klubnik and the Tigers offense a chance to get into field goal range.

Klubnik hit Antonio Williams for 17 yards and a first down at the Mustangs’ 39-yard line with three seconds left in the game. Hauser showed nerves of steel after missing a 43-yard field goal earlier in the first half as the Tigers’ defense collapsed on the left side of the offensive line – a troubling and recurring theme for Dabo Swinney’s team throughout Season over.

Hauser rounded out the Tigers’ first-half scoring by hitting a 44-yard field goal that made the score 24-7 at halftime.

Bryant Wesco had a career night on his biggest stage yet

Cade Klubnik to Bryant Wesco. It was a familiar and very welcome sight for Clemson fans Saturday night. Wesco rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches, all career highs.

After stud defensive end TJ Parker forced a fumble from Jennings on the Ponies’ first drive, Clemson took over at the SMU 33-yard line. Klubnik soon hit Wesco with a wide-open 35-yard touchdown pass. Wesco got the handle inside the 20 and stormed into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead just 1:25 into the game.

Clemson’s defense forced a three-and-out and the offense took control at a great spot on the SMU 28-yard line. Wesco’s electric start continued as he picked up a misdirection and ran 11 yards for a first down to the 17 yard line. That set up a quick pass from Klubnik to tight end Jake Briningstool in the flats for a five-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Clemson had two touchdowns in the first four minutes and 13 seconds of the game.

Wesco would strike again as the 5-star freshman from Midlothian, Texas, caught a perfect pass from Klubnik on a seam route for a 43-yard touchdown, giving Clemson a 21-7 lead with 3:28 to play in the first Quarter. The drive traveled 73 yards in eight plays.

Clemson found tight end Jake Briningstool in critical moments

Tight ends can be a great weapon and a quarterback’s best friend, and that’s exactly what Briningstool was for Klubnik in the red zone. Briningstool had four catches for 23 yards and two touchdowns.

After his five-yard catch in the first quarter that gave Clemson a 14-0 lead, Briningstool got the ball again in the final seconds of the third quarter on third-and-goal from the SMU 5-yard line Klubnik Briningstool on a shortcut for a touchdown that gave the Tigers a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

It wasn’t just the catches that Briningstool made. In the second quarter, he recovered a fumble after Klubnik was hit from behind, resulting in a 10-yard Clemson gain.

Cade Klubnik was an absolute stud

Wesco and Briningstool’s big games wouldn’t have been possible without their general at quarterback.

Klubnik, who led Clemson to the ACC title two years earlier, was 24 of 41 for 262 yards and four touchdowns. Despite the aforementioned fumble, the Tigers’ quarterback finished the night without a turnover.

His 17-yard completion to Randall in the final seconds was a throw a 5-star quarterback should make in games of this magnitude. And Klubnik’s 8-for-10 start for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter ultimately proved too much for SMU to overcome.

Clemson’s defense made some big plays

Most people thought this would be a high score game, and it was. Yes, the Tigers’ defense allowed SMU to erase a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Wes Goodwin’s unit also made some pretty explosive plays – one of which led directly to points. Parker’s strip sack of Jennings on the Mustangs’ third snap of the game led to Clemson’s first score.

As SMU faced third-and-10 in the second quarter, Khalil Barnes made a heads-up play when he reached down and intercepted an ill-advised pass from Jennings for an interception at the SMU 47. While the ensuing drive produced no points, it was the third time the Tigers started in SMU territory in the first half.

Quote of the evening: “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” Dabo Swinney quotes “Dumb and Dumber”

Dabo Swinney doesn’t care who the Tigers play next. The affable Clemson coach, who was deemed obsolete by many in the national media throughout the offseason for his attitude toward the transfer portal, was a bundle of joy in his postgame interview with ABC’s Molly McGrath.

Swinney even quoted Lloyd Christmas, the iconic “Dumb and Dumber” character played by Jim Carrey in the 1994 comedy.

Swinney said to McGrath:

There’s always a chance in college football, especially in 2024.

Related

Watch Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser hit a 56-yard field goal to win the ACC Championship

Clemson stuns SMU with a last-second field goal to win the ACC Championship

Clemson is headed to the College Football Playoff after the ACC Championship

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson Football Takeaways, Analysis: How the Tigers Survived SMU and Reached the CFP