After No. 8 SMU won the coin flip and elected to receive. The first two plays of the Mustangs’ opening drive were the only time the game was in its hands before an image that’s become very familiar in Bank of America Stadium came into frame.
That would be the No. 17 Tigers hoisting the program’s 22nd ACC Championship, ninth under head coach Dabo Swinney, taking down SMU in a 34-31 thriller. Mustangs head coach Brett Lashlee referred to his team as ‘and that’s what they looked like for much of the night as Clemson reminded the ACC who now has eight of the last 10 conference titles.
Clemson holds the second-highest winning percentage in conference title games with a 9-1 record, the only loss coming in the program’s first appearance in the game in 2009. Swinney hasn’t tasted defeat in this contest since his first full year at the helm.
The Tigers were relentless in the first quarter, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in just 4:13 of game time and responding to the Mustangs’ quick score to make it 21-7. SMU came roaring back to lock the game at 31.
With just 16 seconds, Clemson reached the 38-yard line and kicker Nolan Hauser etched himself into Tigers lore with a game-winning 55-yard field goal.
While Clemson needed help to even appear in this game, this destiny was one that Hauser and the Tigers snatched away from SMU to secure a seat at the College Football Playoff.
With this victory, Clemson now has 14 consecutive seasons with a postseason win, extending the longest streak in major college football history. It is also the Tigers 13th 10-win season in 14 years, 2023 being the only outlier.
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