No. 15 Clemson downs Georgia Tech 47-31 |
CLEMSON – The Clemson offense made plays all day long en route to another dominant performance, and the much-maligned Tiger defense came up with plays when they had to be made.
Linebacker
Spencer Shuey Clemson quarterback
Tajh Boyd “This was a huge win. It was a momentum win,” Clemson head coach
Dabo Swinney The Yellow Jackets (2-4, 1-3) gained 483 yards of offense and led Clemson 31-30 with 10:29 remaining in the game when Boyd hit Hopkins in the end zone on a 35-yard scoring strike that gave Clemson a 36-30 lead. The Tigers opted to go for the two-point conversion, and the ball was snapped to running back
Andre Ellington Georgia Tech bobbled the kickoff and started its next possession at the two yard line. Defensive end
Corey Crawford “I can’t say enough about the fans,” Swinney said. “They made a huge difference in the game. The Valley was rocking. It completely changed the feeling of the game.” The Tigers were unable to put the Jackets away, however, and linebacker Daniel Drummond picked off a tipped pass with 8:32 to go to give the Jackets new life. The Jackets drove to the Tigers 20-yard line, but David Scully's 37-yard field goal was blocked by
Josh Watson “We did really well the whole game up front,” Swinney said of his defense. “But, we struggled with the perimeter. We made the changes that were necessary and forced Georgia Tech to put drives together. In the first half, they made a lot of big plays and we took that away from them in the second half.” The Tigers took over with 6:16 remaining, and took off on a 13-play drive that took up all but the last 50 seconds of the game clock. Rod McDowell ended the drive with a one-yard plunge, his second touchdown of the day. With Georgia Tech out of timeouts, the Tigers could have simply taken a knee and run out the clock. In a similar situation last week at Boston College, the Tigers did just that. However, center
Dalton Freeman “We were telling the coaches we wanted to get the score there,” Freeman said. “The touchdown was reviewed, and if they would have overturned it, we would have taken a knee right there. But we didn’t want to take a knee on the goal line two weeks in a row. That was a long – 13 plays – and we wanted to score.” Clemson scored 27 points in the first half – a one-yard run by Boyd, two
Chandler Catanzaro Georgia Tech took the lead on the first drive of the third quarter, making it 28-27 when Tevin Washington bowled in from four yards out. Clemson could only muster another Catanzaro field goal – this one from 21 yards out – and Clemson led 30-28 at the end of three quarters. Tech’s David Scully hit a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for Tech’s last lead at 31-30, and the Tigers scored the last 17 points of the game. Hopkins caught seven passes, two of them for touchdowns. Ellington gained 82 yards on 24 carries, while
Sammy Watkins Swinney complimented Hopkins’ effort. “When you’re a great receiver and you fight for the ball, it’s funny how the ball just comes to you,” he said. "DeAndre made huge play after huge play. He turned plays that didn’t look like they were going anywhere and turned them into big gains for the team.” Tevin Washington ran for 104 yards on 16 carries, but also completed nine of 14 passes for 144 yards for Georgia Tech. The 2-4 start for Georgia Tech is the program’s worst since starting 1-10 in 1994. 
Spencer Shuey
RS Jr. Linebacker
#33 6-3, 230
Charlotte, NC
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stopped Georgia Tech A-back Orwin Smith in the end zone for a safety with just over ten minutes remaining, and the Tigers blocked a Georgia Tech field goal attempt on the next Jacket drive, backing up an offense that ran 93 plays and piled up 601 yards of offense as No. 15 Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 47-31 in Death Valley Saturday afternoon. 
Tajh Boyd
RS Jr. Quarterback
#10 6-1, 225
Hampton, VA
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threw for a career-high 397 yards, while Nuk Hopkins had 173 receiving yards for the Tigers (5-1 overall, 2-1 ACC), who have an open week next week. 
Dabo Swinney
Head Coach
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said. “It was a complete game and we won every quarter, especially the fourth quarter. The second half was a thing of beauty. I’m proud of the team, and they keep improving every week. We just need to recommit and refocus, because our season starts with Virginia Tech.”
Andre Ellington
RS Sr. Running Back
#23 5-10, 195
Moncks Corner, SC
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, who flipped the ball to Hopkins, who then tossed the conversion pass to a wide-open Boyd in the end zone. 
Corey Crawford
So. Defensive End
#93 6-5, 270
Columbus, GA
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almost intercepted the first pass of the series, but Shuey read the pitch to Smith and tackled him for the safety, drawing the biggest cheer of the day from announced crowd of 81,000. 
Josh Watson
RS So. Defensive Tackle
#91 6-4, 285
Wilmington, DE
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.
Dalton Freeman
Gr. Center
#55 6-5, 265
Pelion, SC
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said the Tigers didn’t want to come away empty-handed the second week in a row. 
Chandler Catanzaro
RS Jr. Punter / Kicker
#39 6-2, 195
Greenville, SC
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field goals, a two-yard run by McDowell and a 58-yard pass from Boyd to Hopkins as Clemson led 27-21 at the intermission. 
Sammy Watkins
So. Wide Receiver
#2 6-1, 205
Fort Myers, FL
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caught six passes for 42 yards and ran twice for four yards.
Date: Oct 06, 2012 Site: Clemson, SC Stadium: Memorial Stadium
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