RJ Mickens had an interception that ended up in the end zone but an illegal block brought it back behind the 50.
by Grayson Mann – Correspondent – Dec 21, 2024, 7:45 PM
Clemson stood at the goalline with hopes of a comeback in Austin. Much like their efforts at the one-yard line, those aspirations were stuffed.
Texas staved off the Tiger comeback and secured a bid to the quarterfinal, taking the win 38-24.
Clemson’s season comes to a close in the Lone Star State. Here’s what we saw.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cade Klubnik gave Clemson a shot.
Texas had given up a season-high 329 yards to Florida, and Klubnik’s efforts gave the Tigers enough to top that.
Klubnik spent the second quarter on his back with the Longhorns’ pass rush exerting their will onto the Clemson offensive line, but the Tigers were never out of the fight.
The junior signal-caller certainly was the better quarterback, putting together several impressive drives that put hope into a game that seemed to have no reason for it.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: In what is his last game as a Tiger, R.J. Mickens was a lone bright spot for the Tiger defense.
Mickens had Clemson’s only forced turnover on the afternoon, giving the Tigers a brief life amid a disastrous second quarter.
He also had six tackles, making plays from within the secondary and getting his hands dirty in the run game.
STAT OF THE GAME: Clemson’s most glaring flaw was the consistent gashing potent rushing attacks put on the Tigers.
The results against Texas told a similar story.
The two-headed attack that defined Steve Sarkisian’s offense was on display once again, with Quintavion Wisner and Jaydon Blue both bruising for 100 yards, taking it to Wes Goodwin’s defense.
Eight Texas rushing plays gave up 216 yards. As the season draws to a close, that stat will haunt what was an inspired comeback effort from the Clemson offense.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: Wisner’s first half set the tone for the Longhorns, where Texas averaged over six yards per carry, asserting their dominance in the trenches for the afternoon. The most glaring flaw for the Tigers traveled to Austin, which provided a nightmarish result for Clemson.
Despite the Texas success, RJ Mickens’ interception gave the Tigers brief life. It appeared he was heading for the end zone, but a blindside block negated the play, forcing the offense to settle for three instead.
Gunnar Helm turned Clemson’s hope into despair, as his 19-yard score put the Longhorns up 18 entering the locker room. Quinn Ewers didn’t throw the ball much, but that strike was enough to make it three scores in Austin.
Clemson continued to fight in the second half, with Klubnik finding Jarvis Green for a 25-yard score, cutting the Longhorn lead to 14.
After a Texas drop, Klubnik led the team down the field to cut the lead to seven, but once again, the rushing defense was at the forefront of the Tigers’ issues. Blue went 77 yards, putting the Longhorns up 14.
Texas finally made its stand midway through the fourth quarter, stuffing the Tigers at the one, and their CFP hopes largely with that.
NEXT UP: Clemson’s season comes to a close against Texas, falling to 10-4 on the season.
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