No. 4 Clemson stays in playoff hunt with 61-3 Citadel win

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) - Kelly Bryant threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and was out of the game before halftime as No. 4 Clemson comfortably remained in the playoff race with a 61-3 win over The Citadel on Saturday.

The lower-division Bulldogs were out of this one quickly. After Bryant's 14-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Chase on the offense's 26th play, Clemson (10-1, No. 2 College Football Playoff) led 28-0.

Bryant completed 17-of-22 passes before Tigers coach Dabo Swinney started putting in backups at quarterback and other places to work on the two-minute drill before the end of the first half.

Freshman receiver Tee Higgins caught six passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns and fellow freshman Travis Etienne ran eight times for 62 yards and two TDs as Clemson scored on nine of its first 10 possessions and ended the game with 662 yards, their third game over 600 yards this season.

Fifteen different players caught passes and nine Tigers had at least one carry, a nice bonus for a team that hopes to play 15 games for a third straight season.

"When you play these long seasons, your depth comes into play," co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said.

Now it's on to South Carolina. Clemson has won three straight after losing five in a row, but a loss would not only mean eating its state pride, but also would likely knock them out of the playoffs.

"Growing up in South Carolina, I've always looked forward to it," said junior receiver Hunter Renfrow, who is from Myrtle Beach. "They had our number back when I was in high school."

Clemson honored its seniors at its last home game. But for a playoff contender, it was quite a low-key celebration. The Tigers have just six seniors on scholarship and only three of them are starters. Two juniors who will graduate were also honored. One of those, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, lifted his leg high by his foot, a homage to the splits he did in the confetti after last season's national title.

The Citadel (5-6) ran for 155 yards. Jordan Black completed one pass for the Bulldogs for 61 yards to Raleigh Webb in the fourth quarter setting up a 30-yard field goal for the Bulldogs only score. The Citadel also had two interceptions.

"It's a little bit tough," Citadel coach Brent Thompson said about ending his season with the fourth-ranked team in the country. "But we love the opportunity of playing in this environment."

TAKEAWAY

Citadel: The Bulldogs were paid $300,000 for Saturday's game ... Eleven Citadel seniors played the final game of their careers. This year's class won the Southern Conference and made the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs twice and won 29 games - second only to the 1990-93 class' 30 victories ... South Carolina's only military college was quite the appropriate opponent for Clemson's Military Day celebrations.

Clemson: The Tigers have now won at least 10 games for seven years in a row. The only longer active streak is Alabama at 10 seasons. Swinney has half of all of Clemson's 10-win seasons in its 121 years of football ... One of Bryant's touchdown passes went to Renfro. It was his first TD since catching that 2-yard national championship winning reception last January against Alabama ... Clemson is now 32-0 against FCS teams. ... Dabo Swinney's son Will had a 15-yard catch.

UP NEXT

Citadel: The Bulldogs start studying for winter exams as their season ended Saturday.

Clemson: The Tigers travel to rival South Carolina next Saturday, the last hurdle before what could essentially be a playoff quarterfinal against Miami on Dec. 2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.

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