Clemson Rips Temple |
CLEMSON - Clemson took care of business in methodical fashion Saturday afternoon, riding a strong passing game to a 37-7 victory over winless Temple.
The game was played before an announced crowd of 74,000 at Death Valley. "It’s been a long time since we didn't played real sharp and won by 30," said Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden. "I need to learn to be happier (with the wins)" Charlie Whitehurst threw for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and backup Will Proctor tossed his first career scoring strike to pace the Tigers (4-3) offense. Whitehurst's TD throws were 41 yards to running back Kyle Browning in the first quarter, and 34 yards to redshirt freshman Aaron Kelly in the third quarter. Kelly had the best day of his young career and set a Clemson freshman record with 155 yards on seven receptions. "We had a joke in the wide receiver room that only Curtis Baham could score touchdowns so it was nice to break that trend," said Kelly. Proctor's scoring pass came in the fourth quarter, a 16-yarder to sophomore LaDonte Harris. Running back Reggie Merriweather balanced the passing attack with 108 rushing yards, including a 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Clemson finished with 514 yards in total offense, compared to 331 for Temple (0-8). Owls quarterback Mike McGann, who replaced starter Joe Desanzo in the first half, threw for 298 yards and Temple's only touchdown - a four-yard pass to Hamilton in the fourth quarter. Despite giving up the big passing day to McGann, Clemson's defense played well. The Tigers sacked Temple quarterbacks six times and forced three turnovers - one interceptions and two fumbles. C.J. Gaddis also partially blocked an Owls punt. Ten different Tigers had a tackle for a loss. "The only thing I wasn't satisfied (on defense) was they completed some third down passes," said Bowden. "We didn't make an improvement in that area and that was a little disappointing." Clemson turned it over just once on a Whitehurst interception. Whitehurst directed the Tiger offense to 471 yards of total offense before leaving midway through the fourth quarter. In the process, the Clemson signal caller became the school’s all-time leader in total offense. The only bad news on the afternoon for the Tigers came in the third quarter when defensive lineman Donnell Clark was taken off the field on a cart with an apparent knee injury. His status will be re-evaluated on Sunday. Clemson's gets back into ACC play next Saturday, traveling to Georgia Tech.
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