No. 17 Clemson wore down Stanford with 5 TDs from Cade Klubnik and 3 takeaways from the defense in a 40-14 win

CLEMSON, South Carolina – When Clemson's offense struggled to score points early on, cornerback Avieon Terrell shrugged and told them not to worry.

“We got you,” he said to his offensive teammates. No. 17 Clemson's defense certainly came through with three interceptions and three fourth-down stops in a 40-14 win over Stanford on Saturday night.

“We’re confident,” said Terrell, who had one of the first picks in the end zone to stop a Cardinal drive. “We’re not too worried.”

Cade Klubnik threw four touchdowns and ran for another to continue his hot streak that has seen him account for 16 touchdowns (12 passing, four rushing) in the Tigers' last three wins (3-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). was.

The win was the 173rd for coach Dabo Swinney, who tied Florida State's late national championship coach Bobby Bowden for the most coaching wins with an ACC school.

And unlike Clemson's wins in its last two games, the defense led the way.

“It’s great to see these guys do what they did,” Klubnik said.

The Tigers stopped the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) three times inside the Clemson 20, two on interceptions and the last time when safety RJ Mickens forced Emmett Mosley V out of the game on fourth-and-5 at the Clemson 10. The Tigers have only gained 20-7.

Clemson's defense stopped the Cardinal on downs three times despite giving up 361 yards, including 236 rushing yards.

The Tigers held Stanford to 71 yards through three quarters, with quarterback Ashton Daniels completing just 9 of 19 before he was helped off the field in the fourth quarter after Clemson stopped him short on fourth-and-1.

Stanford coach Troy Taylor said it was too early to know Daniels' status.

Moments later, Klubnik tied the score with his final pass, a 34-yard throw to dynamic freshman Bryant Wesco Jr., giving them a 33-7 lead.

The game took place the day after Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast, including South Carolina. The storm was responsible for at least 56 deaths and left millions of people without power, including many areas near the Clemson campus. That also delayed Stanford's arrival in the area until Friday, about 25 hours before kickoff.

Clemson seemed to get off to a fast start again when it forced a fumble on Stanford's first drive and Klubnik scored a 34-yard TD.

But the Cardinal did what Appalachian State and NC State couldn't: He pushed the Tigers' defense to the limit when it mattered most. However, Clemson was unable to break as both drives inside the red zone ended in an interception by Daniels, the first in the end zone by Terrell and the other inside the 10 by Jeadyn Lukus.

The Clemson offense, which played near-perfect football in overwhelming wins against the Mountaineers and Wolfpack, wasn't as sharp against Stanford.

Klubnik threw his first interception in three games since a 34-3 loss to then-top-ranked Georgia in the opening game and completed 15 of 31 passes for 255 yards.

Stanford's Taylor said the team missed early opportunities to keep things close.

“This is a great football team we just played against. We were able to stay with them for a while. Just too many mistakes,” he said.