‘I can make this (crap) with my eyes closed’: Freshman kicker propels Clemson to ACC title win
CHARLOTTE — Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker can’t even remember where he was standing when freshman Nolan Hauser lined up for a game-winning 56-yard field goal. But another memory had him unconcerned.
Parker vividly recalls just under a year ago, when Hauser joined the Tigers in Jacksonville, Fla., for practices in the Gator Bowl. The native of Cornelius, N.C., lined up for a kick nearly as long, and Parker teased.
“Bro, you gonna miss this,” Parker said.
Hauser stared back, directly into Parker’s eyes, saying “I can make this (crap) with my eyes closed.”
“He kicked it,” Parker said, “and it could have went for, like, 60.”
The story only got better on Dec. 7, for Hauser and the Tigers, as the longest kick in ACC title game history lifted Clemson over SMU, 34-31.
Clemson, the longest of College Football Playoff longshots just a week ago after a loss to South Carolina, have found their way back to the CFP for the first time since 2020.
It was a wild ride. Not just the losses to Georgia, Louisville, and South Carolina — and Syracuse’s win over Miami to put the Tigers back in the ACC title game — but the championship game itself.
Clemson went into the fourth quarter up 31-14 on the Mustangs. Then, the Tigers allowed Kevin Jennings and Co. to storm all the way back, tying it up at 31-all with 16 seconds left.
But there was just enough time for Clemson to, again, find a way.
Adam Randall, a receiver buried beneath two freshmen on the Tigers’ depth chart, went 41 yards for Clemson’s longest kick return of the year. Cade Klubnik, who passed for 262 yards and four touchdowns, logged his final 17 on a dart to star receiver Antonio Williams.
And then Hauser lined up for a field goal that his teammates didn’t doubt, but a couple of his coaches did.
“(Offensive line) Coach (Matt) Luke goes, ‘You think he’s got that kind of leg?'” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney recalled. “And I went, ‘We’re about to find out.'”
What went right
SMU was fantastic all year, aside from a loss to BYU, where the Mustangs turned the ball over. Plus a close game with Duke — where the Mustangs turned it over.
Clemson was keen to repeat the formula, taking advantage of SMU mistakes early and often.
The Tigers took a quick 14-0 lead thanks to a sack and forced fumble by Parker on the third play of the game, which started Clemson at the SMU 33, plus another drive that started on the SMU 28 because of a unnecessary roughness call on a Williams punt return.
Klubnik capitalized on Drive 1, threatening the run but popping a pass to a wide-open Bryant Wesco Jr. for a 35-yard touchdown. Drive 2 ended with a quick toss to Jake Briningstool, who rammed in for a 5-yard touchdown.
Jennings answered with a 24-yard rushing score, but the Tigers were able, for the most part, to keep an eye on the dual-threat quarterback with three-linebacker sets.
Freshman Sammy Brown, junior Wade Woodaz, and senior Barrett Carter all harassed Jennings, while clogging Brashard Smith’s rush lanes. Brown finished with a team-high 14 tackles, while Carter and Woodaz had eight and seven stops, respectively.
