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CHARLOTTE – Freshman placekicker and Charlotte-area native Nolan Hauser made a 56-yard field goal as time expired to claim the ACC Football Championship for No. 17 Clemson, 34-31, over No. 8 SMU (11-2, 8-0 ACC) at Bank of America Stadium. Clemson (10-3, 7-1 ACC) claimed its eighth conference championship in the past 10 seasons and became the first program to win 22 ACC titles. The win earns Clemson a likely berth in the 2024 College Football Playoff, with the field set to be formally announced at noon on Sunday on ESPN.
Clemson led 31-14 after three quarters, but SMU scored 17 in a row and tied the game 31-31 with 16 seconds remaining. But Clemson responded as senior Adam Randall’s 41-yard kickoff return got the Tigers to the Clemson 45-yard line. Junior quarterback Cade Klubnik hit Antonio Williams for 17 yards and Clemson took a timeout with three seconds left. Hauser put the 56-yarder down the middle to capture the title. According to ACC Network, it was the first time an FBS team has kicked a 50+ yard field goal as time expired to win a conference championship game.
Klubnik, an Austin, Texas native, completed 24 of his 41 pass attempts for 262 yards and an ACC Championship Game record-tying four passing touchdowns to lead Clemson offensively, earning him ACC Championship Game Most Valuable Player honors, joining his selection in 2022 to make him only the third player ever to win multiple ACC Championship Game MVP honors (Deshaun Watson and Tyrod Taylor, two each).
Freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr., who grew up just 30 miles from SMU’s campus, had eight catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, and junior tight end Jake Briningstool recorded four catches for 23 yards and two touchdowns. Hauser accounted for 10 points, becoming the first Clemson freshman to record 100 points in a season, as he hit the 56-yarder, a 44-yarder and four extra points.
Defensively, Clemson forced two first-half turnovers, a strip sack by sophomore defensive end T.J. Parker, who also recorded eight tackles (3.5 for loss), and an interception by sophomore safety Khalil Barnes. Sammy Brown led the defense with 14 tackles (0.5 for loss).
Clemson’s defense quickly struck first, as sophomore defensive end T.J. Parker forced and recovered a Kevin Jennings fumble on the third play of SMU’s opening drive on an 11-yard sack, giving Clemson the ball in SMU territory. The fumble was Parker’s Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Clemson Tiger Football | 1981, 2016, 2018 National Champions…