SMU vs. Clemson live score, updates, highlights from 2024 ACC championship game

By | December 7, 2024
0 Comment

SMU was one of the biggest beneficiaries of realignment in college football, as the Mustangs earned a promotion to the Power Four conferences with an invitation from the ACC. In year one, they proved they belong.

Rhett Lashlee’s team lost just one regular season game and went unbeaten in the ACC, setting the stage for a possible conference championship and trip to the College Football Playoff on Saturday night. A win over Clemson would guarantee the Mustangs a top-four seed in the playoff, completing a miraculous season that started with tempered expectations and an early quarterback change.

Clemson left the field a week ago believing its ACC title chances were nearly dead, as it would have taken a Miami loss to Syracuse for the Tigers to earn a bid. Miami led 21-0 early but collapsed, suffering a loss that reignited Clemson’s playoff hopes. 

STREAM: Watch the ACC championship live with Fubo

While Clemson is still trying to recapture the magic it found in the late 2010s, a win on Saturday would give the program its ninth ACC championship under coach Dabo Swinney.

Can a flawed Clemson team with a championship-winning coach skate past SMU and earn a trip to the College Football Playoff, or will the Mustangs’ dream inaugural season in the ACC end in a playoff berth?

The Sporting News is tracking live updates and highlights from the ACC championship game between SMU and Clemson on Saturday night. Follow along with the action below.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NEWS:

SMU vs. Clemson score

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
SMU 7 0 – – –
Clemson 21 3 – – –

SMU vs. Clemson live updates, results, highlights from 2024 ACC Championship

(All times Eastern)

9:33 p.m. — Jennings looked like he had no idea what to do on 3rd & 5 and just goes down for a loss. SMU is punting again. 

9:32 p.m. — Brashard Smith takes off for 21 yards as SMU tries to get something going before halftime. He’s had a nice night aside from getting stuffed on the last possession.

Clemson 24, SMU 7

9:30 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Swinney sticks with the field goal unit, and Hauser drills it. Clemson leads by three possessions.

9:26 p.m. — Dabo Swinney has to decide whether to attempt another 44-yard field goal here. Nolan Hauser missed pretty badly from the same spot earlier. 

9:23 p.m. — Clemson knows how to take advantage of a short-yardage situation, as Phil Mafah converts on 3rd & 2.

9:21 p.m. — SMU goes from 2nd & 1 to 4th & 1, somehow, as Brashard Smith struggles to pick up that last yard. The Mustangs will quickly punt it back, and Clemson should have strong field position.

9:16 p.m. — Klubnik’s third down pass is broken up at the last moment, so the Mustangs finally force a punt. 

9:13 p.m. — Clemson recovers its own fumble. It’s been that kind of night for SMU.

9:10 p.m. — Collin Rogers’ 53-yard field goal attempt is on the money…but short. Not sure SMU should have been playing for the field goal there, and settling for a few extra yards on third down produces no points.

9:07 p.m. — The Mustangs pick up 31 yards on their first two plays, but Jennings goes down with a sack to erase six yards of that progress.

9:04 p.m. — SMU forces a field goal attempt, and Nolan Hauser misses badly from 44 yards out. All things considered, the Mustangs will take it.

End of first quarter: Clemson 21, SMU 7

8:58 p.m. — Briningstool picks up a first down as Clemson threatens to turn this into a three-possession game. 

8:54 p.m. INTERCEPTION — Jennings gets swarmed by Clemson defenders and tries to throw it away, but he instead throws it right to Khalil Barnes for an interception. SMU’s inexperience is showing tonight, and this game could slip away from the Mustangs quickly.

Clemson 21, SMU 7

8:48 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — SMU’s defense still can’t get a stop: Wesco hauls in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik, scoring for the second time in the quarter. Clemson was held to just 14 points against South Carolina last week, but the Tigers already have 21 tonight.

8:44 p.m. — A roughing the passer penalty on a sack of Klubnik gives Clemson a fresh set of downs, and Lashlee is irate on the sidelines.

Clemson 14, SMU 7

8:37 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Kevin Jennings runs it in for the touchdown! After hitting a couple tight-window throws earlier in the drive, the SMU quarterback comes through with a 24-yard run to cut Clemson’s lead in half. The Mustangs badly needed that spark.

8:35 p.m. — Brashard Smith spins out of a tackle and runs for a first down, moving SMU closer to field goal range.

8:34 p.m. — Jennings hits back-to-back first down passes as he tries to settle into a rhythm. 

Clemson 14, SMU 0

8:30 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Four plays gets Clemson into the end zone, with Jake Briningstool catching Klubnik’s second touchdown of the day. Less than five minutes in, it could get dire quickly for SMU.

8:29 p.m. — Clemson took a strong return and has driven into the red zone, threatening to make this a 14-0 game.

8:24 p.m. — Jennings is fortunate not to get intercepted on his third down pass, but SMU is forced to punt. A big moment coming the Mustangs’ defense.

Clemson 7, SMU 0

8:20 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Bryant Wesco Jr. immediately cashes in with a 35-yard touchdown grab from Cade Klubnik! Clemson strikes first. 

8:18 p.m. FUMBLE — Disaster for SMU! TJ Parker comes through with a strip-sack of Kevin Jennings, and Clemson suddenly has the ball in Mustangs territory.

8:16 p.m. — SMU starts with the ball, and Brashard Smith takes off for a 13-yard gain to get the night started for the Mustangs.

8:03 p.m. — Georgia wins in overtime in Atlanta, and the final two pieces of the playoff puzzle will now be pieced together from both this game and the Big Ten title game.

7:45 p.m. — The SEC championship game is headed to overtime, so Clemson and SMU might have to share the stage with a third game at the start. 

7:25 p.m. — Dabo Swinney was the reigning national champion head coach in 2017, while Rhett Lashlee was UConn’s offensive coordinator. It’s been quite a rise for Lashlee, who replaced Sonny Dykes at SMU after the 2021 season. 

7:20 p.m. — SMU is brand new to this stage, but Dabo Swinney has been here before, to say the least. Will that experience matter tonight?

7:05 p.m. — SMU QB and Timothee Chalamet’s 2025 Heisman pick Kevin Jennings is getting ready for the biggest game of his career.

SMU vs. Clemson start time

  • Date: Dec. 7
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET

The ACC championship game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday.

MORE: How SMU, Clemson clinched spots in ACC title game

What channel is SMU vs. Clemson on today? 

  • TV Channel: ABC
  • Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo

Saturday’s matchup between SMU and Clemson will be broadcast on ABC, with Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Greg McElroy (color analyst) on the call. Streaming options include ESPN+ or Fubo, which carries ABC in its channel lineup.

STREAM: Watch SMU-Clemson live with Fubo

College football schedule for conference championship week

Friday, Dec. 6

Stream all of Friday’s games live on Fubo

Matchup Time (ET) TV channel
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State 7 p.m. CBSSN
No. 20 UNLV vs. No. 10 Boise State 8 p.m. Fox
Tulane vs. No. 24 Army 8 p.m. ABC

Saturday, Dec. 7

Stream all of Saturday’s games live on Fubo

Matchup Time (ET) TV channel
No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State Noon ABC
Ohio vs. Miami (Ohio) Noon ESPN
Southern vs. Jackson State 2 p.m. ESPN2
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas 4 p.m. ABC
Marshall vs. Louisiana 7:30 p.m. ESPN
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon 8 p.m. CBS
No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU 8 p.m. ABC

Source