By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON — There was little doubt No. 8 Clemson was going to beat Maryland Saturday afternoon in Death Valley. The question was, by how much?
The Tigers scored on four straight possessions in the first half in building a four-touchdown lead, and then never looked back in route to a 45-10 victory in front of 76,000 on Homecoming.
“There was no doubt we came ready to play,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “We were ready from the opening snap. Our players are excited to play every week because we practice the right way.”
Saturday was Clemson’s 12th straight victory in Death Valley, setting a new standard in a stadium that has seen the Tigers win more than 73 percent of their games here through the years.
“We are a focused program and we have had great leadership all season,” Swinney said. “This group of Tigers is the most consistent at home with our 12th consecutive win. It all starts with how we practice.”
With the victory, the Tigers (6-1 in the ACC) keep their slim ACC title hopes alive, though they will need this same Terrapin team, which was playing with its fifth quarterback this season, to beat No. 6 Florida State next week, while also taking care of business themselves against NC State in Death Valley.
Clemson is also playing for an outside shot at an at-large Bowl Championship Series berth should they keep winning.
“We just have to keep building and keep working,” Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd said.
Boyd continues to put up Heisman like numbers, as he completed 18 of 26 passes for 261 yards, including touchdown passes to Adam Humphries, DeAndre Hopkins and Brandon Ford. By the end of the third quarter, Boyd’s afternoon was done as was running back Andre Ellington, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Hopkins.
The Tigers finished the day with 436 yards against what was the No. 11 ranked defense in the country coming in. The 45 points were also the most points scored against Maryland this season.
“You are talking about a top 10 defense in the country right there and I thought we did really well,” Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. “There was a couple of times I thought we could be a little bit physical up front, but as the game went on we got stronger and stronger.”
The Terrapins on the other hand got weaker on offense. Maryland was playing with its fifth starting quarterback of the season in Shawn Petty—a converted linebacker— and did not have the services of star wideout Stefon Diggs and running back Wes Brown. The Clemson defense did what it was supposed to, they shut them down.
The Terps (4-6, 2-4 ACC) were held to 180 yards, including 41 passing yards. Clemson’s defense also forced three fumbles and held strong on a fourth-and-one play late in the fourth quarter that kept Maryland at 10 points.
One of the three fumbles was returned 16 yards for a touchdown that gave Clemson a 14-0 lead with 7:07 to play in the first quarter. It was the third straight home game in which the Clemson defense scored points. Linebacker Spencer Shuey recorded a safety versus Georgia Tech on Oct. 6 and Jonathan Meeks returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown in the Tigers win over Virginia Tech on Oct. 20.
“That’s an indicator that our guys are pretty sure of themselves,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “They are playing with a great deal of confidence and playing with an aggressive manner. That’s good and that’s a product of a lot of hard work and guys focusing on the little things.”
After such a good start in the first quarter, the Tigers got sloppy in the second quarter. Boyd fumbled twice, which ended two potential scoring drives, while Adam Humphries muffed a punt which led to a Terrapin touchdown.
“We had opportunities to put even more points up, and we just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities,” Boyd said.
Boyd finished the first half 17 of 22 for 213 yards to go along with his three touchdowns. Receiver Hopkins caught four passes for 59 yards, including a 28-yard pass from Boyd in the first quarter. Watkins had four for 60 yards.
Watkins did not play in the second half due to a lower leg injury. After the game he said the injury was a bruised calf muscle. Swinney said Watkins could have played in the second half. He and Andre Ellington were both held out as a precaution.
Boyd threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Humphries for the Tigers first score of the day, while Brandon Ford caught a 22-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter for a 28-0 lead.
Ellington, who rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries, added a six-yard touchdown with 1:30 left in the half to give Clemson a 35-7 lead.
In the second half, the two teams traded field goals before backup quarterback Cole Stoudt threw a four-yard touchdown to tight end Stanton Seckinger with 11:38 to play in the fourth quarter.