FSU vs. Clemson: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The top-ranked Clemson Tigers survived their final major regular-season hurdle with a gutsy 23-13 victory over the No. 16 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday in Death Valley, winning the ACC Atlantic Division and securing a spot in the conference title game in the process.

In gritty fashion, Clemson silenced its proverbial stigma of blowing its championship hopes late in the season—mostly based on past performances in this matchup—and verified its perch atop the College Football Playoff rankings.

Clemson is 9-0 for the first time since its 1981 national championship season, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and head coach Dabo Swinney is confident that this year will see a similar outcome, per ESPN College Football:

Clemson took its first lead of the game on a 38-yard touchdown reception from Deon Cain in the third quarter. The Tigers scored on a 25-yard run by Wayne Gallman with just over two minutes remaining in the game to take a 10-point lead, then recovered a fumble on the ensuing drive to secure the victory.

Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports praised Clemson's play-calling after Cain's touchdown:

The Tigers did look vulnerable, however. They trailed for most of the first 34-plus minutes and allowed 194 rushing yards to FSU Heisman Trophy hopeful Dalvin Cook.

The Seminoles were also without starting quarterback Everett Golson—though he was cleared to play, per Jared Shanker of ESPN.com—and backup Sean Maguire looked pedestrian, at best, finishing 16-of-29 for 165 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Lost Letterman highlighted that Maguire was holding the Seminoles back:

Florida State's hopes of reaching its second straight CFP are dashed after the team's second loss, which eliminated it from ACC championship contention. The Seminoles can play spoiler in their regular-season finale against the rival and SEC East champion Florida Gators. 

That’s not to say the Seminoles didn’t play respectably. They took an early lead in convincing fashion behind Cook in his first game back from an ankle injury that he suffered in Week 8. 

The sophomore gave the Seminoles a 7-0 lead on their second play from scrimmage with an explosive 75-yard touchdown run. SB Nation captured video of the run and explained how good Cook's start was against a Clemson defense that entered the game ranked 13th in the FBS against the ground attack:

Clemson's Heisman hopeful, quarterback Deshaun Watson, tallied 297 pass yards and a touchdown while adding another 107 yards on the ground. 

The win was Clemson’s first over Florida State since 2011. The Tigers will play Syracuse, Wake Forest and South Carolina—a combined 9-18—to finish the regular season before the ACC title game Dec. 5 in Charlotte, likely against North Carolina.

Postgame Reaction

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated captured the Clemson crowd taking in its tradition of celebrating with the team following a big win:

Swinney hinted at his high hopes by citing Saturday’s game as the first among three major goals, along with winning the ACC title and reaching the playoff. Per Brett McMurphy of ESPN, Swinney crafted a creative metaphor on the Tigers' outlook:

It may seem like a cakewalk to the playoff, but Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde offered warranted speculation at Clemson’s likely opponent in the ACC title game: 

FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher fell to 4-2 in his career against Clemson but offered optimism about the Seminoles’ upcoming finish to the season, per Bud Elliott of Tomahawk Nation:

The Seminoles can still finish a very respectable 10-2, squander the playoff hopes of their in-state rivals at Florida and qualify for a top-tier bowl game.