Snap judgments as Clemson holds off FSU to remain unbeaten

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Clemson proved once again that the ACC still runs through the Tigers.

Clemson held off Florida State 34-28 Saturday night in Tallahassee, scoring 27 consecutive points during a stretch in the second and third quarters to grab control.

FSU held a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Clemson dominated the rest of the first half and early in the second half to build a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.

Florida State didn’t go away though, scoring the final 14 points of the game to cut the lead to one score. Brannon Spector recovered the onside kick with two minutes left to seal the win.

“Don’t like how we finished defensively,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “But I have a great appreciation for winning, especially against this group. Just thankful for the win.”

With the victory, Clemson improves to 7-0 (5-0) and once again looks like a serious threat to return to the College Football Playoff.

Here are some quick takeaways from the game:

DJ Uiagalelei continues to play at elite level

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei continues to play like one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

The junior accounted for four touchdowns Saturday night at Florida State in what was expected to be Clemson’s toughest road test of the season.

Uiagalelei made clutch play after clutch play as the Tigers built a big lead. He finished 15 of 23 passing for 203 yards and three scores and also rushed for a touchdown.

In Clemson’s four toughest games this season — against Wake Forest, NC State and Florida State — Uiagalelei has 12 touchdowns and zero turnovers.

“I’m just really proud of him, because he deserves it. He’s a very talented football player,” Swinney said.

Will Shipley comes up big

Clemson sophomore running back Will Shipley made big plays on offense and special teams Saturday night, finishing with 169 yards of offense in the win.

Shipley also returned a kickoff 69 yards to set up a score in the third quarter.

The North Carolina native had 238 all-purpose yards on 27 touches.

“He made a lot of runs and he gets better as he goes,” Swinney said. “He’s just a tough cookie.”

Clemson lacking killer instinct

Clemson was up 20 in the fourth quarter and could have put the game away but allowed Florida State to hang around. The game ended up coming down to an on-side kick, which should have never happened.

Clemson needs to do a better job of stepping on the opponent’s throat when it gets the opportunity to do so.

It didn’t cost the Tigers on Saturday, but letting teams hang around could down the road.

“I thought our defense played great in the second half until we just lost our mind there in the fourth quarter, which was disappointing,” Swinney said.