Johnson scores twice as Clemson shuts out Charleston Southern, 37-0

Chris Johnson Jr. ran for two touchdowns, Nolan Hauser made a 59-yard field goal, and Clemson held Charleston Southern to 76 total yards in a 37-0 win Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers led 34-0 at halftime and recorded their first shutout since beating South Carolina in 2021.

Clemson's defense allowed six first downs and stopped all 11 of the Buccaneers' third-down attempts. Charleston Southern also failed on both fourth-down tries and finished with 26 rushing yards on 32 carries. Even when the Buccaneers took over in Clemson territory after a fourth-quarter interception, the Tigers kept them off the scoreboard.

Johnson helped Clemson take control from the opening kickoff, which he returned 43 yards. The Tigers began at the Charleston Southern 44 and finished their first possession with Hauser's 41-yard field goal. After a Buccaneers missed field goal, Johnson ended a nine-play, 68-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.

Gideon Davidson added a 7-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter. Johnson then scored again, this time from 2 yards, extending Clemson's lead to 24-0. He had transferred from SMU before this season; Saturday's two scoring runs were his first rushing touchdowns as a Tiger, according to Clemson's game report.

The next touchdown took only nine seconds. Tristan Smith forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Kylon Griffin returned it 17 yards for a score. That made it 31-0 with 5:21 remaining in the half, giving Clemson a special-teams touchdown to go with its three offensive scores.

Hauser closed the first-half scoring with the 59-yarder, the second-longest field goal in Clemson history and the longest of his career. His previous best was the 56-yard kick that won the 2024 ACC championship game against SMU. He added a 44-yarder early in the fourth quarter and finished 3-for-3 on field goals.

Clemson produced 438 total yards, including 231 on the ground. Davidson led the Tigers with 59 rushing yards, while freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds passed for 127 yards and ran for 40. Christian Bentancur had a team-high 74 receiving yards.

The Tigers did throw two interceptions, one of which Mylan Bowen returned 45 yards to the Clemson 30 in the fourth quarter. Vic Burley and Caden Story then produced consecutive sacks on third and fourth down to end the threat. Clemson finished with 13 tackles for loss.

Clemson improved to 4-2 overall, remaining 2-1 in the ACC, while Charleston Southern fell to 3-4. The Tigers host Virginia Tech next Saturday. The Buccaneers return to FCS opposition with a trip to Tennessee State.