Editor’s note: Each week, the Clemson Insider honors Clemson’s 2016 National Championship Team by reliving that week’s game on the schedule. Follow all season long as we talk to players and coaches who lived through the ups and downs of a dramatic season that brought Clemson its first national championship in 35 years.
No. 5 Clemson 59, S.C. State 0
CLEMSON – Sometimes, a good, old-fashioned trouncing is good for the soul – and especially good for an offense.
After dominant defensive play smoothed over lackluster offensive performances in Clemson’s first two games of the 2016 season, quarterback Deshaun Watson, backed by a full-fledged militia of pass-catchers and ball-carriers, put together Clemson’s first complete game, routing S.C. State 59-0 on September 17, 2016.
After receiving the first kickoff, the Tigers got it going quickly. Following two weeks plagued with mental gaffes like dropped and bobbled passes in close wins over Auburn and Troy, Watson completed his first four passes of the game with pinpoint accuracy, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Ray-Ray McCloud for an early 7-0 lead.
Memorial Stadium’s orange-and-purple-dotted crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief at the reappearance of 2015’s efficient, electric offense.
Six minutes after the first score, after a defensive stand, running back Wayne Galman extended the Tigers’ lead with a three-yard touchdown, capping off his 23 total yards on the drive. As soon as he scored, though, the Tigers found more success without a single second slipping off the clock.
Finally after two games of touchdowns dropped early and bullet passes bobbled, it was Clemson’s turn to benefit from a loosebrained lapse.
With 5:20 to play in the first quarter, a South Carolina State player stood firmly in the end zone, feet planted on the orange letters reading “CLEMSON” adjacent to a ravenous student section. After receiving the kickoff that followed Gallman’s touchdown, though, maybe due to the students screaming in cathartic relief, the returner failed to take a knee before tossing the ball off to the referee for a touchback.
The next steps happened in a two-second period that felt vaguely like eternity.
After the Bulldog player’s gaffe, the referee jumped out of play to avoid touching a live ball.
As soon as the black-and-white striped uniform hopped backwards, defensive back and special teams member Denzel Johnson raced into the end zone, pouncing on the bustling ball and nestling it securely into his chest. Clemson players threw their hands up in triumphant disbelief, the referee blew his whistle, and the revived crowd rejoiced.
Touchdown Tigers.
Again.
Just like that, Clemson led 21-0, and another quick touchdown reception from Diondre Overton extended the lead. Against his hometown team, Jadar Johnson caught an interception with 2:33 to play in the first, and returned it 41-yards to set up a short field goal.
“It feels good because I really grew up on that football field at (S.C. State),” Johnson said. “When I was little, I didn’t really know better, but that was the school that I wanted to go to. This is really the game that my family likes to come to, and a lot of my friends, and it feels comfortable for me.”
After just eight more offensive plays, the Tigers ran up their lead to 38-0, and scored once more before the halftime break.
Clemson continued to build its mounting lead in the second half, playing five total quarterbacks. Eight different players carried the ball while 15 caught passes. Six Tigers recorded touchdowns as the offense cruised to over 500 yards of offense by the end of the contest.
In fact, head coach Dabo Swinney embraced the opportunity to give as many players as possible playing time, putting 92 total Tigers out onto the field. As a reference, FBS teams like Clemson were allowed only 85 scholarships at the time, so several walk-ons got one of their first opportunities to play.
“I think we played everybody that was eligible, other than the redshirts,” Swinney said. “Those guys continued to play well.”
At halftime, officials approached Swinney about shortening the remaining quarters from 15 to 12 minutes each, and with South Carolina State’s approval, the Tigers obliged, looking to the future and the start of ACC play.
“He’s got a game Thursday night himself, so you’ve got to look on his side as well,” Bulldogs head coach Buddy Pough said. “Anything we can do to make our teams better for the next week, we probably needed to do.”
In the win, Watson and backup signal-caller Nick Schuessler each finished with over 100 passing yards. Three players had at least 40 rushing yards and seven receivers finished with multiple catches. McCloud led all Tigers with 60 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 56 punt return yards.
On the other side, Clemson’s defense held the others to just 1.9 yards per play, amassed five sacks and allowed just 102 total yards of offense. With the shutout, the Tigers improved to 31-0 against FCS opponents in program history.
“We just wanted to play a clean and complete game,” defensive end Clelin Ferrell said. “So basically, we just focused on technique and stuff like that. We knew we had to play hard because they were going to try and give it their best shot, but trying to have a clean and complete game was our biggest thing.”
A feel-good victory might have been just what the Tigers needed in the middle of September, especially with conference play just around the bend for Swinney’s national title contenders.
Reliving 2016 and Clemson’s first National Championship since 1981:
Week 1: Clemson’s Defense Wills a Win at Auburn