On This Date: 1988 (14)Clemson- 35 (20)Penn State- 10

Jan 1, 2024, 2:30 PM

01/01/1988 (1987 Season)
Orlando, FL
Citrus Bowl

Florida Citrus Bowl : Clemson Has Too Much for Penn State, 35-10

L.A. TIMES ARCHIVES
JAN. 2, 1988 12 AM PT

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rodney Williams passed for 214 yards, and Tracy Johnson scored 3 touchdowns Friday as No. 14-ranked Clemson beat No. 20 Penn State, 35-10, in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Williams completed 15 of 24 passes. Johnson scored on runs of 7, 6 and 1 yards as the Atlantic Coast Conference champions finished with a 10-2 record.

Terry Allen, who gained 105 yards in 11 carries, also scored on a 25-yard run that gave Clemson a 28-10 lead with 12:38 left to play. Tiger flanker Keith Jennings caught 7 passes for 110 yards.

Penn State finished at 8-4 before a record crowd of 53,152 in the Citrus Bowl-Orlando Stadium.

Johnson, Clemson’s third-leading rusher this season, scored on runs of seven and six yards in the first half when the Tigers had the ball twice as long as Penn State and built a 14-7 halftime lead.

Williams, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 169 yards before halftime, set up the touchdowns with precision passing that kept the Penn State defense off balance.

Johnson’s one-yard touchdown run capped a 76-yard drive midway through the third quarter and gave the Tigers a 21-10 lead. Joe Henderson, a third-string tailback, scored Clemson’s final touchdown on a four-yard run with 25 seconds to play.

Penn State, which played without star tailback Blair Thomas, who was sidelined with a sprained knee, struggled on offense all afternoon.

Matt Knizner threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Michael Alexander in the second quarter but also threw two interceptions. One of the interceptions stopped a Nittany Lion drive inside the 10-yard line, and Penn State also lost a fumble after driving to the Clemson 3 late in the first quarter.

Eric Etze kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to account for the rest of Penn State’s scoring.

Clemson, which averaged just 123 yards per game during the regular season, finished with 499 yards in total offense.

The Tigers’ powerful rushing attack produced 285 yards, with Johnson gaining 98 in 18 carries, Henderson adding 54 and Wesley McFadden contributing 38 in addition to Allen’s game-high performance.

Freshmen Gary Brown and Leroy Thompson replaced Thomas in the Penn State lineup. Thompson gained 55 yards in 6 carries, and Brown had 51 in 13 attempts. Knizner finished with 13 completions in 22 attempts for 158 yards.

Clemson improved its record in bowl games to 4-2 under Coach Danny Ford. Penn State, making its 19th postseason appearance in 22 years with Coach Joe Paterno, is 12-6-1.