Saturday, 6 September 2025

Clemson football just trended: weather delay, key injuries, and a 20–16 escape vs. Troy

Clemson spent the past hour all over Google News for a wild home opener that featured a lightning delay, multiple starters out, and a nervy comeback win over Troy.

The headline: After trailing 16–3 at halftime, No. 8 Clemson rallied to beat Troy 20–16 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. A third-quarter surge flipped the game: Adam Randall punched in a 1-yard TD and Cade Klubnik hit freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. for a 26-yard score, with Nolan Hauser adding a late field goal. ESPN.com+1

Why it spiked in the last hour

Lightning delay and restart. Play was halted in the first quarter because of lightning. Stadium officials cleared the stands, then set a restart for 5:20 p.m. ET once conditions improved. Charlotte ObserverTigerNet.com
Short-handed Tigers. Clemson confirmed pregame that top WR Antonio Williams (hamstring) was out, along with LT Tristan Leigh and S Khalil Barnes. The absences loomed over a sluggish start. ESPN.comTigerNet.com
Early boos, then a flip. With turnovers and a pick-six fueling a 16–3 hole, some fans booed at halftime, adding to the national chatter before Clemson’s third-quarter response. Rubbing the Rock

How the game turned

Troy led 16–0 after a field goal and a pick-six off Klubnik. Clemson got on the board with a Hauser field goal before halftime, then seized control out of the break with the Randall TD, the Klubnik-to-Wesco strike, and a second Hauser field goal to close it out. ESPN.com

Big picture

Bounce-back, but questions remain. Coming off the Week 1 loss to LSU, Clemson avoided disaster against a Sun Belt opponent but still showed first-half issues on offense and protection that need fixing before ACC play. Saturday Down South
Health watch. Monitoring Williams (hamstring) is priority No. 1 for the passing game. Leigh and Barnes’ statuses also bear watching for next week at Georgia Tech. ESPN.com