The Clemson Tigers showed an opportunistic performance from their defense and a solid performance from quarterback Cade Klubnik to defeat the Stanford Cardinal 40-14 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 in ACC) forced the Cardinal (2-2, 1-1) into three turnovers and forced them out on three more drives.

Klubnik wasn’t as explosively productive from the start as he was in his last two games. But he finished the game with 255 passing yards with four touchdowns and one interception, along with 48 rushing yards and a game-tying touchdown run on Clemson’s first drive.

That touchdown run, a 34-yarder, resulted in Klubnik essentially walking into the end zone after Stanford safety Jay Green suffered an injury that took him out of the game.

Klubnik threw touchdown passes to Jake Briningstool (three yards), Cole Turner (43 yards), Bryant Wesco Jr. (34 yards) and Olsen Patt-Henry (two yards), with the final pass putting an exclamation point on the contest.

The Cardinal run defense, one of the best units in the country, held Phil Mafah to 58 yards rushing.

On defense, Wade Woodaz, Jeadyn Lukas and Avieon Terrell each had an interception as the Clemson defense made life difficult for Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels all night. Woodaz also forced a fumble. Defensive end Barrett Carter had one sack and 3.5 tackles for a loss.

Stanford’s only answer in a situation where the game was still contested was Daniels’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor with 39 seconds left in the second quarter, making it a 10-point game.

Daniels left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. He played his prep football in nearby Buford, Georgia, and at least 50 family members were in attendance at the game. With the touchdown and three interceptions, he was 9 of 19 for 71 yards before Justin Lamson relieved him and later threw a touchdown.

The one area where the Tigers struggled, especially in the first half, was run defense. Stanford’s Micah Ford rushed for 122 yards and Daniels added 87 yards. As a team, the Cardinal rushed for 236 yards.

Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage to both teams in the lead-up to the game. Stanford was unable to leave as planned on Thursday as the storm swept across the South. The cardinal did not arrive in South Carolina until Friday evening.

Meanwhile, many Clemson players remained in their dorms Friday night after their team hotel lost power. Additionally, numerous cleanups were carried out in the area to make the area around Memorial Stadium usable for the competition.

Clemson travels to Florida State to face last year’s ACC champions next Saturday in Tallahassee. Stanford hosts Virginia Tech in the ACC home opener.