CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — It took until nearly Thanksgiving to gain bowl eligibility, but Clemson finally notched its sixth win of the season on Saturday.
A preseason top-5 team didn’t expect to wait this long,
but Antonio Williams caught two first-half touchdown passes from senior quarterback Cade Klubnik to lead the Tigers to a 45-10 victory over FCS-opponent Furman in the final 2025 game at Memorial Stadium.
It’s the latest in the calendar Clemson has needed to become bowl eligible since 2008, but the Tigers (6-5) extended their postseason streak to 21, and they did it without the type of close games they experienced for much of the season.
Clemson went up 24-0 after Klubnik found Williams on a 35-yard scoring strike, their second connection of the day, with 14:15 left in the second quarter. Klubnik received an ovation from the crowd on Senior Day when he exited the game with 12:15 remaining.
In what could be his final career home game, Williams also had a 30-yard punt return, Clemson’s longest of the season, and set up the first touchdown when Klubnik found him wide open for a 21-yard scoring strike.
Tyler Brown made it 17-0 on a nifty 21-yard reverse run for a touchdown, and the Tigers tacked on three more touchdowns through backups.
Furman quarterback Trey Hedden was 22-of-38 passing with an interception and a touchdown. Clemson forced two turnovers and kept the Paladins (6-6) out of the end zone until the third quarter.
Furman: The Paladins weren’t expected to pull off any major upset on Saturday, but they outgained Clemson in the third quarter and finished with 155 yards in the second half against mainly backups.
Clemson: Dabo Swinney pulled within one win of Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer for the fourth-most victories in the first 20 seasons as a head coach.
Furman: Season ended at Clemson.
Clemson: Plays at in-state rival South Carolina next Saturday in the annual Palmetto Bowl.
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