CLEMSON, S.C. — The two Clemson players responsible for all of the points in Saturday’s 16-7 win over South Carolina have collected weekly awards from the ACC.
Clemson safety Khalil Barnes is the ACC Defensive Back of the Week while kicker Jonathan Weitz is the Specialist of the Week.
Barnes became the first Clemson player with a takeaway in back-to-back plays from scrimmage since Brian Dawkins accomplished that rare feat against Duke in 1995.
His 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown came just 35 seconds into the game and gave the Tigers a quick 7-0 advantage. On the next play, the freshman recorded his third interception of the season.
The Georgia native is the first Clemson player with a fumble recovery and an interception in the same game since Dorian O’Daniel at Virginia Tech in 2017.
Barnes is just the second FBS player, and only FBS freshman, to record three or more interceptions, multiple forced fumbles and a scoop and score this season.
Weitz was honored after he went 3-for-3 on field goals, converting from 50, 49 and 42 yards out. Prior to Saturday, the grad student had a career long of 41 yards and was just 8-of-14 coming into Saturday’s regular season finale.
Weitz’s three field goals of 40 yards or more tied a school record while the 50-yarder was Clemson’s longest since a 52-yarder from B.T. Potter in the 2022 ACC Championship Game.
With Weitz giving the Tigers a nine-point advantage, that allowed the Clemson offense to scale back to a run-oriented attack which was designed to milk the clock and play field position while leaning on the defense to keep the South Carolina offense in check.
Clemson will take a four-game winning streak and an 8-4 record into its bowl game.