Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams scored the first touchdown of Saturday’s College Football Playoff game against Texas. The Tigers seemed like they were going to give the Longhorns a challenge after a perfectly-scripted scoring drive on the first possession of the game and celebrated accordingly.
However, Williams’ celebration aged like milk. Now he looks like a fool.
Clemson went into Austin as 9.5-point underdogs. It got the ball first on the opening kickoff and went 75 yards on 12 plays in six minutes and 46 seconds. Dabo Swinney couldn’t have asked for a better start. Texas did not have an answer defensively.
That initial trend did not continue over the next 53 minutes. The Longhorns got up 28-10 at halftime and ultimately went on to win 38-24.
With the result now in the bag, lets revisit Williams’ game-opening touchdown.
Not long after the 5-foot-11 sophomore crossed the goal line, he ran over toward Texas’ student section. Willams looked up in their direction and laid his head on his hands as if he was resting on a pillow.
CLEMSON STRIKES FIRST 🔥
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) December 21, 2024
HITTING THE NIGHT-NIGHT CELLY EARLY 👀
📺:TNT / MAX pic.twitter.com/BEl58X1Vsx
The ‘Night Night’ celebration is typically reserved for the end of a game, or a touchdown that very obviously put the game out of reach. It would make perfect sense if Antonio Williams scored his fourth touchdown of the game to go up 45-3 with five minutes left— but that was very much not the case. Rather, it was the opposite. The Longhorns put the Tigers to sleep over the next three and a half quarters Even though the visitors mounted a small second-half comeback, it was too little too late.
Antonio Williams’ mockery of Texas proved rather foolish in the end. If any kids are reading this at home: do not hit the ‘Night Night’ celebration until the game is actually out of reach. Don’t be like Clemson.