Tigers hammer Pack, now just one win from ACC Championship |
RALEIGH, N.C. – A December the 5th date in Tampa grows ever closer
for the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers amassed 454 yards of total offense and C.J. Spiller continued to set records as the 24th-ranked Tigers thumped the North Carolina State Wolfpack 43-23 at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday afternoon. The win over the Wolfpack (4-6 overall, 1-5 ACC) means the Tigers (7-3, 5-2), can clinch a berth in the ACC Championship game in Tampa against Georgia Tech with a win next weekend against Virginia, or a Boston College loss [Boston College plays Virginia this afternoon.] ”It was a great team win,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It was a game where we picked each other up. But it is like we told the guys, we haven’t won anything yet. We haven’t accomplished anything. We could go out and lose next week, and all of this could go out the window.” The Tigers were able to pick up 254 rushing yards on 36 carries, and once again were able to dominate in the fourth quarter, despite the loss of guard Thomas Austin to an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Clemson also committed seven penalties for 79 yards, and missed two more extra points, but were still able to overwhelm the Wolfpack. “I was disappointed with the penalties we had, but we’ll focus on that and get better before next week,” Swinney said. “I thought the offense kept answering every time N.C. State scored. We ran the ball with authority. Kyle [Parker] did a good job of putting the ball in the hands of our receivers and moving the ball down the field. “I thought we did a good job of running the ball. That’s what football is all about. If you can control the line of scrimmage – I don’t care who you are – you’re going to win games. We rushed for 254 yards today, but we also passed for 200 yards. So we were pretty balanced.” The Tigers used their second drive of the game to get on the scoreboard, a 30-yard run by Spiller setting up a 28-yard, knuckleball field goal by Spencer Benton, and the Tigers had a 3-0 lead with 6:04 remaining in the first quarter. Clemson’s third drive was set up by a Byron Maxwell interception, and Kyle Parker completed two key third downs on the ensuing drive, one for 17 yards to Xavier Dye and one for 22 yards to Michael Palmer. Jacoby Ford capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run over the left side, and Clemson led 10-0 early in the second quarter. A six-yard punt set up the Tigers at the Wolfpack 17-yard line on their third drive, and the Tigers wasted no time in scoring when Spiller rolled out right and hit a wide-open Xavier Dye in the end zone for a 17-0 Clemson lead. With the scoring pass, Spiller became the first player in Clemson history to account for a score in five different ways: pass, pass reception, rush, kick return and punt return. The Wolfpack responded on their next drive, with the Tigers helping out with two critical third down penalties, and Pack quarterback Russell Wilson capped the 12-play drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Koyal George. Parker completed a third-down pass to Jacoby Ford, this one that covered 47 yards, setting up a five-yard scoring strike from Parker to Palmer with 4:09 remaining in the first half. Palmer caught the bullet at the back of the end zone, and managed to get a foot down before falling down out of bounds. The play was reviewed by the booth, and the catch was confirmed for a 24-7 Clemson lead. Parker, who finished 12-for-18 for 183 yards and two touchdowns, said the Tigers’ execution was the key in the first half, especially on third down. ” I think early in the game, when you have plays like Palmer’s and Dye’s, it really wears on their defense,” Parker said. “We completed a lot of passes, and we protected well, didn’t turn the ball over, and I thought we were very efficient. We did a good job of staying on schedule, and not having many negative plays.” The Wolfpack’s opening possession of the second half also saw Clemson penalties keep the drive alive, including two personal foul penalties, and Wilson hit Jarvis Williams from eight yards out for the touchdown, and Clemson held a 24-14 lead early in the third quarter. Clemson continued to gash the Wolfpack defense on its first drive of the second half, but a controversial call on second down at the Wolfpack 22-yard line kept the drive alive. Andre Ellington appeared to fumble on the play, and N.C. State challenged the ruling, but the call on the field was upheld and Clemson retained possession. Two plays later, Spiller bounced around the left side for a 16-yard touchdown run, and the missed extra point gave Clemson a 30-14 lead. On the play, Spiller set a new Clemson record for all-purpose yards in a season, giving him 1,890 for the year, breaking the record that Derrick Hamilton set in 2002 when he had 1,883 yards. The Pack kicked an early fourth quarter field goal to trim Clemson’s lead to 13 at 30-17, but the Tigers put together a 77-yard drive in response. Clemson drove down to the N.C. State 34-yard line, and on first down, the Tigers brought Ellington in motion into the backfield, and Parker faked the handoff to Ellington while Spiller broke free into the secondary. Parker hit Spiller at around the 15-yard line, and the wide-open senior almost walked into the end zone for the 34-yard touchdown and a 36-17 Tiger lead. On the play, Spiller became the first player in Clemson history to throw for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, and rush for a touchdown in the same game. Jamie Harper effectively sealed the win with an electric 69-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, and a late N.C. State touchdown accounted for the final of 43-23. Spiller said he was happy with his own stats, but the team always comes first. ”This was a great team win, but we left a lot on the field today,” Spiller said. “The big thing is, we came one step closer to going down to Tampa. I just went out and tried to play. I knew what they were going to do against me, and I tried to pick it up and help my team out. But this isn’t going to get any easier. Virginia will come in next week ready to play. But we have our eyes on the prize, and there is another hurdle we have to overcome next week.”
Date: Nov 14, 2009 Site: Raleigh, N.C. Stadium: CarterFinley Stadium
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