Clemson Attack Unleashes First Half Over App State | Clemson Tigers Sports

CLEMSON — The Clemson football team’s stats against App State were impressive.

The offense scored 56 points. Cade Klubnik was 24 of 26 for 378 yards and five touchdowns. Rookie Bryant Wesco caught three receptions for 130 yards. Running back Phil Mafah threw for 118.

And that was just the first half, which ended with Clemson leading 56-13.

The momentum was awful for Clemson in the opener, buried under a flurry of Georgia touchdowns in the second half. But in the first half of the Tigers’ home opener against App State, they more than turned the tide.

No. 25 Clemson had challenged a program known for toppling top-25 teams entering a week off in preparation for its ACC opener against NC State. Suddenly, a 31-point loss to Georgia seemed like dust in the rearview mirror.

Wesco, in his first college game, sparked the Tigers’ turbocharged run with a 76-yard touchdown on his first catch. Then he found himself behind the App State defense again for a 51-yard gain that gave Clemson its second score.

Mafah then scored an 83-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.

The Tigers had more big plays in three plays than Georgia had in the entire contest. On the first play, they had just three plays of 15 or more yards — the longest of which was 36.

The question remains whether Georgia was just that good or whether App State’s defense was simply ill-equipped. But the 56-point first-half outburst was, regardless, a shot of confidence for a Clemson offense that desperately needed it.

The Tigers allowed their opponents to rush for 199 yards and score 13 points in the first two quarters, but by the second quarter they were pulling out starters on both sides of the field.

Ronan Hanafin, recently converted to safety, had two tackles. Nine players caught passes on offense, including a 33-yard touchdown to freshman TJ Moore.