Penn State leads Clemon at halftime of the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl

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Bronx, New York – It was a brutal first half for both the ClemsonTigers and Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday in Yankee Stadium. Penn State leads Clemson 6-3 in what I would say is a defensive battle, but the reality is more of a battle of two bad offenses.

Penn State struck first in the first quarter after Clemson attempted one of the ugliest fake punts you'll ever see. It's tough to describe how bad it was, with Clemson punter Jack Smith launching a duck down field. This set up the Nittany Lions in Clemson territory, where they too advantage with a 22 yard Ryan Barker field goal.

Starting quarterback Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense ran 15 plays for 39-yards in the first quarter, with Penn State totaling 49 yards on the same amount of plays. It didn't get much better in the second quarter either.

The biggest mistake for the Tigers came in the 2nd quarter from a usually reliable Nolan Hauser. Missing a 33-yard usual chip shot, the cold weather got to Hauser and Clemson missed out on some key points. He did however, make up for it later in the half with a nice 48-yard field goal.

Overall, the Clemson offense totaled 134 first half yards. Cade Klubnik has struggled, completing 11-22 passes for 115 yards. The run game could get nothing going, with just 19 total yards. Penn State kicker Ryan Barker hit a 48-yard field goal to end the half and give Penn State the lead.

Clemson will look to come out stronger in the second half on offense it starts with Klubnik.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Penn State leads Clemson at halftime of the Pinstripe Bowl

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