By Heath Bradley.
By Heath Bradley
CLEMSON – While the Clemson offense was only able to muster 295 yards of total offense Saturday, the 13th-ranked Tigers were still able to defeat Virginia Tech by three touchdowns.
Clemson’s 38-21 victory in front of 81,500 fans in Death Valley gave the Tigers a record tying 11th straight home victory, as well as a third victory over the Hokies in the past two seasons. While the Tigers took a 17-10 lead into the half, the Clemson offense had only attributed to 10 of those points.
“There were some missed plays, and it was like we were losing as many yards as we gained,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
The defense for the second straight week played a role in the scoring, this week putting seven points on the board thanks to a 74-yard interception return by safety Jonathan Meeks.
“It’s nice to get those big plays,” Clemson linebacker Spencer Shuey said. “Preparing and working hard each week has paid off.”
After five punts in the five combined possessions of the two teams to start the third quarter, the Tigers took over at their own 48-yard line with 7:24 remaining. After a Watkins two-yard rush, Watkins caught a 9-yard pass from Boyd for a Clemson first down to the 50 yard line.
The first down catch jump-started the Tigers offense. Clemson marched down the field and on second and goal at the Virginia Tech 12, Andre Ellington scampered 12 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 24-10 lead.
“Our defense kept us in it,” Boyd said. “They kept making stops and kept giving us the ball back. They came through for us when we needed them to. It was a great effort by them today and we really appreciate them.”
The Clemson defense forced a quick Hokie three-and-out and gave the Clemson offense the ball, again. This time the Tigers took over at the Virginia Tech 47. Clemson did not take long to strike as Tajh Boyd threw his only touchdown pass of the day, a 37-yard strike down the right sideline to DeAndre Hopkins.
“We have been growing up as a defense as a whole,” Meeks said. “Those guys had our back all season. We had their backs today. It is a team win.”
After totaling only 137 yards of total offense in the first half, the Tigers were able to move the ball for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the third quarter alone. This strong play to close out the quarter gave the Clemson offense a comfortable lead, one they would not relinquish en route to victory.
The fourth quarter saw the Tigers reach the end zone one final time. With 1:33 remaining, Boyd scored his second rushing touchdown of the day. This rush gave the Tigers a 21-point victory over the Hokies, but also hopefully sparked momentum for the offense as the Tigers head to Wake Forest to battle the Demon Deacons on Thursday night.
“It is a quick turnaround to next Thursday, so we have to put this one behind us right now and turn it over to Wake Forest,” Meeks said.