CLEMSON, S.C. — Ship happens.
Clemson football is 3-0 because of it.
Sophomore running back Will Shipley continued his ascent into stardom with 153 total yards and two rushing touchdowns and Clemson’s defense forced four turnovers as the No. 5 Tigers beat Louisiana Tech, 48-20, on Saturday night.
Shipley, who carried 12 times for 139 yards, became the first Clemson running back since 1950 to rush for multiple touchdowns in his first three games of a season as his team won a 36th consecutive home game at Memorial Stadium.
He also had the biggest score of the night: a 32-yard scamper that came one play after linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. intercepted Louisiana Tech on its opening drive of the third quarter and boosted Clemson’s lead from an uninspiring 13-6 to a more comfortable 20-6.
The Tigers never looked back.
They outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the third quarter while winning their Power Five-best ninth consecutive game dating back to last season and putting themselves in a good spot for next week’s ACC game at No. 19 Wake Forest, their first true test of 2022.
Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was once again steady, compiling a 145.4 quarterback rating and throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore wide receiver Beaux Collins found paydirt for the third straight week with a 32-yard receiving touchdown.
After getting gashed a little too much for coach Dabo Swinney’s liking against FCS Furman a week ago, a short-handed Clemson defense recorded a similar bend-don’t-break effort against Conference USA opponent Louisiana Tech (1-2).
The Tigers allowed Louisiana Tech quarterback Parker McNeil to throw for 311 yards and complete six passes of 20-plus yards but also came away with three crucial interceptions, including one in the red zone.
Clemson was missing four defensive starters from its two-deep depth chart Saturday, including defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who was with his family mourning the loss of his 15-year-old sister, Ella, who died Thursday morning after a battle with brain cancer.
Swinney coached Saturday’s game in a gray “Ella Strong” T-Shirt, players wore the same shirt in warmups and Clemson honored Ella and the Bresee family in a pregame ceremony.
Defensive tackle Tyler Davis missed a second straight game with injury and safety Andrew Mukuba and cornerback Nate Wiggins also sat out.
Clemson’s offense looked sharp early for a second straight week, scoring on three of its four possessions of the first half. That stretch, punctuated by a Shipley rushing touchdown and two BT Potter field goals, featured a number of chunk plays.
Clemson had three completions of 15-plus yards and three rushes of 10-plus yards in the first quarter alone as Uiagalelei, Shipley and wide receivers Beaux Collins, Joseph Ngata and Antonio Williams kept the good times rolling from last week’s first half against Furman.
But some untimely red zone stalls — Potter’s first half field goals were from 22 and 36 yards — foretold second-quarter struggles that allowed Louisiana Tech to get back into the game with a few long completions and two short field goals of its own while the Tigers mustered nothing.
Clemson, which closed as a 34-point betting favorite, led 13-6 at halftime.
Trotter’s interception proved a major turning point, setting up Shipley’s dagger touchdown and fueling a third quarter Clemson ultimately won 21-0. In a nod toward the complementary football Clemson’s striving for, all three touchdowns came after interceptions or fourth-down stops.
Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik also saw action for a third straight game once Clemson had a win secured in the second half. He played three drives and finished 2-5 for 19 yards while rushing two times for seven yards.
Louisiana Tech made things interesting with two fourth quarter touchdown drives to narrow its deficit to 34-20 before Clemson’s starters returned for a game-icing drive that ended with Uiagalelei finding true freshman Williams for a 19-yard touchdown. It was his first score as a Tiger.
By game’s end, Clemson’s 48 points and 521 yards of total offense both set season highs.
