By Will Vandervort.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Cole Stoudt sat in the media room following Saturday’s 17-13 victory over Boston College taking one photo after another with the Banks McFadden purple and orange leather helmet on, given to the Most Valuable Player of the Clemson-Boston College football game each year.

The helmet is allowed to stay with the MVP for only one year and it is then returned prior to the game the following year. But Stoudt has other plans.

“I’m not giving it back,” the Clemson quarterback said sarcastically to Clemson Sports Information Director Tim Bourret afterwards. “The thing is I’m not giving it back. If you will have to force me to give it back, I’m not giving it back.”

Wearing the 1939 replica helmet proudly, Stoudt earned the right to keep it after his performance in guiding No. 22 Clemson to an important road-victory in the ACC Atlantic Division. The senior completed 29 of 45 passes for 285 yards, but more importantly, when his team needed a play the most, he stepped up and delivered in a crucial moment in the game.

The Eagles (4-3, 1-2) had just taken the lead for the first time in the game when quarterback Tyler Murphy found tight end Josh Bordner for a six-yard touchdown pass with 10:59 to play. The momentum was all on the BC sideline. Things were looking bleak for the Tigers.

It did not get much better either when on the first two plays from the Clemson 18 on the ensuing drive were incompletions to tight end Stanton Seckinger and running back C.J. Davidson. But Stoudt stayed calm and on third-and-10 and facing the eighth-ranked defense in college football, he threw his best pass of the game – a 32-yard completion to wide receiver Mike Williams, who plucked the ball out of the air before being tackled at midfield.

“Mike had an incredible game,” Stoudt said. “I think he had like 120 or 130 yards catching. Mike balled out today and played his best. That play goes all the way back to spring ball. We have been working on it since then and the chemistry we have built over the years.

“It is just a typical play. He just runs a go if they are playing a man or zone against him. It was fun connecting with him on that, especially in that situation.”

That play got the Tigers (5-2, 4-1) going as Davidson ran off right tackle for six yards on the next play and then Stoudt found Williams again for 12 yards and a first down at the BC 32. On the next play, Davidson again ran off right tackle, this time to daylight though as he outran the secondary to the end zone.

“It was just a great team effort on that whole drive,” Davidson said. “That is a representation of who we are. We are mentality strong and we do what we need to do when we need to do it.”

It was the second straight game the Clemson offense came up big in crunch time. The week before they had a 64-yard drive that took 5:34 off the clock and ended in an Ammon Lakip field goal, forcing Louisville to have to score a touchdown with little time left in the game.

This time it turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

“That is two weeks in a row that when we really had to have a big-time drive, we found a way to make it happen,” Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. “This time we were able to capitalize and get a touchdown out of it.

“I’m extremely proud of them. I’m proud of how hard they fight, they scratch and they claw just to make it happen. It’s not easy. It is not easy right now. Nothing is easy right now. We are having to earn everything we get and that is okay. That is just some adversity we have to battle and we have to continue to battle.”

But the Tigers fought through it and in the end the man of the hour was wearing a funny purple hat that he is refusing to get back.

“I’m not going to give it back,” Stoudt smiled. “It’s mine.”