Clemson beat Florida State 36-24 Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium, and the Seminoles' 4 turnovers decided it. Florida State outgained the Tigers 415 yards to 351. It still lost by two scores because Clemson never gave the ball away.

The Seminoles threw 3 interceptions and lost a fumble. Clemson finished with zero turnovers, held the ball for 34:11 and let Nolan Hauser turn stalled drives into points.

How It Happened

Clemson struck first at 10:13 of the first quarter when Tait Reynolds hit Christian Bentancur for an 18-yard touchdown. Florida State answered quickly, with Ashton Daniels finding Micahi Danzy for a 46-yard score. Hauser's 35-yard field goal sent Clemson into the second quarter up 10-7.

Gabe Panikowski tied it at 10 with a 35-yard kick early in the second. Hauser matched him from the same distance, then Reynolds threw a 4-yard touchdown to Olsen Patt-Henry with 1:38 left. Hauser closed the half with a 50-yard field goal as time expired, and Clemson led by two scores at the break.

The third quarter produced one score, a 46-yard Hauser field goal that stretched the lead. He added a 49-yarder at 11:04 of the fourth for a 29-10 lead.

Florida State then made a run. Daniels scored on a 13-yard run and threw the two-point conversion to Desirrio Riles, cutting it to 29-18. At 5:30 he hit Jasen Lopez for a 41-yard touchdown, but the two-point pass failed and the Seminoles trailed 29-24.

Reynolds ended it at 3:17. He broke a 79-yard touchdown run, Hauser added the kick and Clemson led 36-24 the rest of the way.

Key Performers

Tait Reynolds, Clemson: 18-yard TD pass to Christian Bentancur, 4-yard TD pass to Olsen Patt-Henry, 79-yard TD run

Nolan Hauser, Clemson: Field goals of 35, 35, 50, 46 and 49 YDS; 3 extra points

Ashton Daniels, Florida State: 46-yard TD pass to Micahi Danzy, 41-yard TD pass to Jasen Lopez, 13-yard TD run, two-point conversion pass to Desirrio Riles

Turnovers: CLEM 0 – FSU 4 (3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost)

Rushing: CLEM 44 ATT, 162 YDS – FSU 29 ATT, 65 YDS

Passing: CLEM 18-32, 189 YDS – FSU 21-33, 350 YDS

Third down: CLEM 4-17 – FSU 1-10

Reynolds accounted for all 3 Clemson touchdowns, and his long run came right after Florida State had pulled within one score. Hauser did the rest. His 5 field goals, 3 of them from 46 yards or longer, kept Clemson scoring on drives that died on third down.

Florida State moved the ball through the air at 10.6 yards per pass, nearly double Clemson's rate. The Seminoles could not run, averaging about 2 yards a carry, and they converted just 1 third down. A passing game that explosive cannot overcome that many giveaways.

What It Means

Clemson improves to 5-3 and 2-1 on the road. This was not a dominant offensive night, but the Tigers won the turnover battle cleanly and controlled the clock with a ground game that carried 44 times.

Florida State falls to 3-5, and the loss cuts into the one place it has been winning. The Seminoles are 3-2 at home and 0-3 on the road. With nothing to show away from Tallahassee, home games like this one are where their wins have come from, and giving one away with 4 turnovers is the kind of result a team with that split cannot afford.