Down 16-0 at home and staring at a second straight September stumble, Clemson woke up. The No. 8 Tigers erased a sluggish start with a ruthless second-half surge, beating Troy 27-16 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. It wasn’t pretty early. It didn’t need to be. By the final whistle, Clemson had stacked 24 unanswered points and found a few new playmakers in the process.
This Week 2 matchup doubled as a measuring stick and a mood check. Clemson came in at 0-1 after a 17-10 loss to LSU and couldn’t afford another misfire. Troy, fresh off a 38-20 win over Southern Miss, arrived with confidence and a game plan that worked for a half. The Tigers’ response after the break—balanced offense, a timely turnover, and a defense that suffocated everything—tilted the day.
Freshman receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. was the spark, and then some. Quarterback Cade Klubnik found him twice for second-half touchdowns—first on a 26-yarder that gave Clemson its first lead, then on a 34-yard shot early in the fourth to put real daylight between the teams. Adam Randall did the early heavy lifting on the ground, blasting through tight windows and capping Clemson’s opening drive of the third quarter with a 1-yard score. From there, the defense did the rest.
TV channel, kickoff, and how to watch
For anyone asking where to find Clemson vs Troy, the game aired on ACC Network with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Subscribers could stream it through the ESPN app and ACC Network streaming platforms. Standard pregame coverage rolled right up to kickoff.
The setup fit the billing: an early-season nonconference test against a disciplined Sun Belt team that doesn’t mind turning a game into a grind. For Clemson, it was also a national stage to reset the narrative after Week 1.
How Clemson flipped the game
Troy won the first 30 minutes with patience and field position. Clemson’s offense sputtered, protections weren’t clean, and drives died before they found rhythm. Troy built that 16-0 lead midway through the second quarter while Clemson searched for answers, finally scratching out a late field goal to make it 16-3 at the half.
Halftime changed everything. Clemson opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 75-yard march that looked nothing like the first half. The Tigers mixed tempo, leaned on Randall, and got Klubnik into quick, decisive throws. Randall’s 1-yard touchdown finished the drive and, more importantly, set a tone Troy couldn’t shake.
The day’s turning point came on defense. Safety Ricardo Jones snatched a momentum-swinging interception after Ashton Hampton broke up a pass, setting Clemson up in plus territory. Two plays later, Klubnik attacked the seam and hit Wesco for a 26-yard touchdown—the go-ahead strike that finally put Clemson in front at 17-16.
From there, the Tigers played to their strengths. The defensive front compressed the pocket. The back end tackled clean. Klubnik stayed efficient, and the offense found chunk plays without forcing them. Early in the fourth, Klubnik dropped another deep ball to Wesco, who separated down the sideline and finished a 34-yard score that felt like the dagger.
There was no late drama. Clemson’s defense closed the door with a second-half shutout, and the offense managed the clock, added points, and avoided the mistakes that buried them a week earlier against LSU.
Wesco’s stat line matched the moment: seven catches, 118 yards, and two touchdowns. That’s a breakout by any standard, but the timing was the headline—both scores came with the game teetering. Randall’s day (112 rushing yards and a touchdown) was the blunt instrument Clemson needed, especially on early downs when the Tigers struggled before halftime.
Klubnik’s numbers told a steadier story. He finished 18 of 24 for 196 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The early miscue didn’t linger. He played on time in the second half, trusted his reads, and gave his receivers chances downfield when the matchups were right. That’s the blueprint Clemson needs as the schedule tightens.
Defensively, the second-half tape will make coaches happy. Clemson tightened up on the edges, took away easy throws, and made Troy work for everything. The Jones interception was the headline play, but the cumulative effect—fewer yards after contact, better leverage in space, and more bodies to the ball—was the difference. That’s how you stack stops, burn clock, and flip a game state without fireworks.
There’s also something to be said for the team-wide reset. Down 16 at home, it’s easy to press. Clemson didn’t. The Tigers went back to basics: run the ball, protect the quarterback, force a mistake, and take your shot when it’s there. It wasn’t complicated, and it didn’t need to be.
For Troy, there’s frustration in how quickly the game swung. The Trojans controlled tempo for a half and had Clemson chasing. But one turnover in a tight spot and two explosive plays flipped the script. That’s the thin margin on the road against a top-10 team.
Key performers for Clemson:
- Bryant Wesco Jr.: 7 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TDs. The vertical threat that broke the game open.
- Adam Randall: 112 rushing yards and a vital 1-yard touchdown to start the comeback.
- Cade Klubnik: 18-of-24, 196 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Efficient and calm after halftime.
- Ricardo Jones: Momentum-stealing interception off an Ashton Hampton breakup to set up the go-ahead score.
The stakes weren’t small. Clemson had already taken a bruising opening loss, and the schedule won’t get more forgiving. Coming out of this one at 1-1 isn’t a parade, but the way they did it matters. They found a go-to target in Wesco when the game tightened, leaned on a run game that punished light boxes, and got a defense capable of pitching a half of shutout football.
There’s housekeeping ahead: cleaner first quarters, fewer protection hiccups, and sharper execution on third down. But the bones are there. The passing game created separation, the run game handled short-yardage moments, and the defense cashed in a takeaway when it most needed one.
As for the broadcast angle, the ACC Network got a full taste of what Clemson looks like when urgency meets talent. A supposed tune-up turned into a lesson in poise, and a second-half clinic that will look familiar to longtime Death Valley crowds. For viewers at home, it was the kind of game that flips with one defensive play and then snowballs.
Week 2 often tells you who can handle a crisis. Clemson had one at 16-0 and climbed out. A week after the offense struggled to finish drives, the Tigers found answers without getting reckless. That’s sustainable. And for a team with playoff ambitions, sustainable beats spectacular in September.
Record-wise, Clemson moves to 1-1 and steadies the ship. Troy drops to 1-1 but leaves with enough good tape from the first half to build on. Both teams now have a clearer picture of what they are—and what they aren’t—after two very different halves under a hot Carolina sun.