Tigers Win Despite Slow Start Early |
CLEMSON - File this one in the "it wasn't pretty but it's a win" category.
Clemson fell behind Division I-AA Wofford 14-7 after a quarter, then scored the game's final 31 points en route to a 38-14 victory Saturday at Death Valley. The Tigers operated under an alternating reign of cheers and boos for most of the afternoon, struggling for much of the first half to slow the Terriers' run-oriented Wingbone offense. But in the end the No. 20 team in the nation proved too big, too strong and too fast for Wofford. "I'm not proud of the score, but I'm proud of the effort," Wofford coach Mike Ayers said. "I love the character of our team. The kids have done everything we've asked of them. We told them 'if you compete, you have a chance,' and they were never in awe of Clemson." Bowden, who said all week he was looking for individual improvement against the Terriers, was hesitant to declare that area a success. "We have to go look at the film," he said. "It looks like there were missed tackles. We turned the ball over again. Woody's (interceptions) were tips. Willie (Simmons) had one, but it was tipped, so we really only had one fumble. Defensively we got scored on, but the biggest disappointment was the missed tackles." The Terriers' unique mix of misdirection and option in the running game befuddled Clemson (2-0) at times. Wofford (0-1) was able to establish the ground attack in its first series and ran the ball effectively for much of the afternoon, finishing with 286 yards. But while pourous at times, the Clemson defense also proved opportunistic and turned around the game by forcing turnovers on back-to-back second quarter possessions. Defensive tackle Nick Eason's hit on Wilson forced a bad pitch on a fourth-and-one option play. Safety Eric Meekins scooped up the loose ball and ran 29 yards for the go-ahead touchdown (17-14) at 13:23. On Wofford's next possession, Wilson fumbled on a sack by Bryant McNeal, with Eason recovering at the Terriers' 35. Five plays later, Zachery's one-yard touchdown run gave Clemson a 24-14 lead. Clemson finally slowed the Wofford ground attack in the second half, limiting the Terriers to just 87 yards in the second half after allowing 189 in the first. "I would have liked to shut them out, but they got 14 points," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. "If a team like that gets behind, they're going to run the ball regardless. That's their style of offense. You're always going to give up a lot of rushing yards because even if they're down by 30, they're going to run the ball." Defensive coordinator Reggie Herring wasn't as happy. "Let's give Wofford credit," said Herring. "They ran the ball hard, they cut us down, they did a good job. The biggest thing I was disappointed in was we did not tackle well at all. Wofford took it to us in the first half, they got after us, and our kids did not respond well. "But...we shut them out for three quarters, we set up two touchdown on turnovers and we won the game. We just did not tackle well in the first half...we didn't play well. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out." "We knew coming into the game that if we didn't control the ball, our defense would wear down," Ayers said. "We were able to establish the fullback and that gave them some problems. We knew we had to play hard-nosed football to be successful." Meanwhile, the Tigers offense finally got untracked thanks in large part to junior wide receiver J.J. McKelvey. Seeing extensive playing time at the 'X,' or boundary receiver, McKelvey had 8 catches for 73 yards and a pair of 7-yard touchdown catches. His first scoring reception came at 7:12 of the first quarter and tied the game at 7-7. His second gave Clemson a 31-14 lead near the end of the third quarter and effectively robbed Wofford of its Cinderella slipper. "J.J. McKelvey has been practicing hard, he had a good preseason, he had a good spring...," Bowden said. "When Kevin Youngblood went down and Roscoe Crosby has gone down, we needed another guy to step up." Wofford opened the game by forcing Clemson to turn the ball over on downs, then responded with a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive. The payoff came on a fourth-and-one play, when tailback Jesse McCoy got to the corner and ran for a 26-yard touchdown. Later, Wofford took a 14-7 lead when Travis Wilson found Isaac Goodpaster in the back of the endzone for a disputed 15-yard touchdown pass. The officials ruled Goodpaster got one foot down inbounds before falling over the end line. Replays proved inconclusive. Drive Chart Clemson 38, Wofford 14 First Quarter Wofford 7, Clemson 0 Scoring drive: 6 plays, 65 yards in 2:30. Scoring play: 26-yard run by Jesse McCoy at 9:41. Key play: McCoy's touchdown run, which came on a fourth-and-one play. Clemson 7, Wofford 7 Scoring Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards in 2:29. Scoring Play: Woody Dantzler's 7-yard pass to J.J. McKelvey at 7:12. Key Play: Brian Mance's 57-yard kickoff return to the Wofford 41. Wofford 14, Clemson 7 Scoring Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards in 2:09. Scoring Play: Travis Wilson's 15-yard pass to Isaac Goodpaster at 2:16. Key Play: Fullback Melvin Jones' 3-yard run on third and one from the Clemson 18. Second Quarter Wofford 14, Clemson 10 Scoring Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards in 2:24. Scoring Play: Aaron Hunt's 43-yard field goal at 14:52. Key Play: None. Clemson 17, Wofford 14 Scoring Drive: None Scoring Play: Eric Meekins' 29-yard fumble recovery and run at 13:23. Key Play: Defensive end Nick Eason's hit on Wofford quarterback Travis Wilson, forcing a bad pitch. Clemson 24, Wofford 14 Scoring Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards in 1:39. Scoring Play: Travis Zachary's one-yard run at 9:41. Key Play: Fullback Chad Jasmin's 10-yard run to the one. Third Quarter Clemson 31, Wofford 14 Scoring Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards in 4:14. Scoring Play: Woody Dantzler's 7-yard pass to J.J. McKelvey at :10. Key Play: Dantzler's 20-yard completion to Derrick Hamilton on second and 13 from the Clemson 42. Fourth Quarter Clemson 38, Wofford 14 Scoring Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards in 1:34. Scoring Play: Bernard Rambert's 3-yard run at 11:53. Key Play: Willie Simmons' 23-yard completion to Matt Bailey to the Wofford 8 yard line.
NCAAF 1 2 3 4 F
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