TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There’s just something about the middle eight.
Clemson has a knack for playing its best football in that critical stretch encompassing the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, and that’s exactly why the Tigers are leaving Tallahassee with a 34-28 win over Florida State.
Once again, a lesser opponent played No. 4 Clemson tight early before the Tigers turned on the jets in crunch time and ultimately nabbed a victory that keeps the program in the College Football Playoff conversation.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had four total touchdowns, running back Will Shipley had 238 all-purpose yards and Clemson outscored FSU 17-0 in the middle eight minutes of the game en route to a sneaky close Saturday night win at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Clemson led 34-14 in the fourth quarter before Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis threw touchdown passes on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 34-28. The Tigers recovered the Seminoles’ ensuing onside kick with 2:16 remaining and bled out the clock.
The Tigers (7-0, 5-0 ACC) also got two field goals from kicker B.T. Potter as they extended their nation-best winning streak to 13 games dating back to last season, won a seventh straight game against Florida State and moved to 99-3 versus unranked opponents since 2012.
Next up for Clemson: a home date with No. 18 Syracuse, which moved to 6-0 (3-0 ACC) with a win over No. 15 N.C. State earlier Saturday. The only two remaining undefeated teams in the ACC’s Atlantic Division will meet in Memorial Stadium next weekend.
FSU led Clemson 7-0 and 14-7 in the first half thanks to a 20-yard opening drive rushing touchdown from Travis and a one-yard rushing TD from linebacker/fullback DJ Lundy.
The latter play — a fourth-and-goal handoff from under center that capped off a 15-play, 93-yard touchdown drive — displayed the sort of gutsiness and weirdness you need to knock off a top-5 team in Tallahassee (as FSU did to then-No. 5 UNC in 2020).
That upset magic slowly faded, though, with Clemson embarking on a lengthy drive to tie the game at 14-14. It was a shift from the Tigers’ first scoring drive, when Uiagalelei hit receiver Antonio Williams for a 59-yard touchdown after an artful blitz dodge, but just as impactful.
Uiagalelei’s second-quarter toss to a wide open tight end Jake Briningstool evened Clemson and FSU with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. After cornerback Nate Wiggins’ timely pass breakup forced an FSU turnover on downs in Clemson territory, the Tigers’ aforementioned middle-eight mastery took care of the rest:
— Potter hit a 47-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 17-14 with 1:51 left.
— Defensive end Myles Murphy stripped Travis and defensive tackle Tyler Davis recovered the fumble at FSU’s 42-yard line with 47 seconds left.
— After a 36-yard Shipley run, Uiagalelei waltzed in for a short rushing touchdown to bump Clemson’s lead to 24-14 before half.
— Shipley returned the opening kickoff of the second half 69 yards to FSU’s 31.
— Uiagalelei threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end Davis Allen on the very next play, and a 14-14 tie was now a 31-14 Clemson lead.
That 17-point swing boosted Clemson’s middle eight scoring margin to +43 through seven games this season. The Tigers, who moved to 61-2 since 2015 when winning the middle eight, stuffed an FSU fake punt at the 12:31 mark of the third quarter for good measure.
Clemson went up 34-14 after Potter’s second field goal of the night from 34 yards midway through the third quarter, and Travis’ two fourth quarter touchdown passes gave the game its final margin.
FSU outgained Clemson 460-370 in total yardage overall and 169-46 in the fourth quarter, revealing lingering issues for a Tigers defense that played without any notable injury absences Saturday night.
