CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) 鈥� 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鈥檛 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.
鈥淣ot what we were shooting for coming into the season, but you鈥檝e got to respond to where you are,鈥� Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to see if we can keep building momentum.鈥�
It鈥檚 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.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to be the group to mess that up,鈥� Williams said.
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.
鈥淚t was a really cool moment,鈥� Klubnik said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e given everything I have for the last four years.鈥�
Also in his final career home game, Williams had a 30-yard punt return, Clemson鈥檚 longest of the season, and set up the first touchdown when Klubnik found him open for a 21-yard score.
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.
鈥淏alanced day and we got to play a lot of guys,鈥� Swinney said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of their effort.鈥�
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, when they got within three touchdowns.
鈥淚 was only disappointed in how we finished the game,鈥� Furman coach Clay Hendrix said.
Get back in there
Clemson found itself up just three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, forcing Swinney to put his starting defense back in the game to make sure it didn鈥檛 get any closer.
鈥淭hey score right there and we鈥檙e in a dogfight,鈥� Swinney said. 鈥淲e had to get a stop.鈥�
Freshman shines
Clemson quarterback Chris Denson scored two touchdowns, rushed for a game-high 106 yards, and completed all four of his passes for 22 yards.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he鈥檚 done in practice,鈥� Swinney said. 鈥淔irst 100-yard (quarterback) rusher since Trevor (Lawrence) in 2019.鈥�
The takeaway
Furman: The Paladins weren鈥檛 expected to pull off any major upset, but they outgained Clemson in the third quarter and finished with 155 yards in the second half.
Clemson: 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.
Up next
Furman: Season ended at Clemson.
Clemson: Plays at in-state rival South Carolina next Saturday in the annual Palmetto Bowl.
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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鈥檛 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
The takeaway
Furman: The Paladins weren鈥檛 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.
Up next
Furman: Season ended at Clemson.
Clemson: Plays at in-state rival South Carolina next Saturday in the annual Palmetto Bowl.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up and (AP 海角社区app mobile app). AP college football: and
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