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Legend [17786]
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On This Date: 1989 (7)Clemson- 31 Maryland- 7
Sep 23, 2022, 9:16 AM
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09/23/1989
Clemson, SC
No Power Loss: No. 7 Clemson Runs Over Maryland 31-7 As SC Digs Out From Hugo
This was not a good day for the Maryland football team. Seventh-ranked Clemson -- spurred by a blocked punt that sucked the electricity from the Terrapins as Hurricane Hugo did to this state -- scored three second-quarter touchdowns en route to a 31-7 Atlantic Coast Conference victory in front of 77,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.
Terry Allen rushed for 97 yards and scored once to lead Clemson, 4-0, to victory in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
'This is probably the second-best game we've played, but we still have a long ways to go,' Clemson Coach Danny Ford said. 'It's nice to be where we are right now, but we'll see another good quarterback next week and another after that and so on each week.
'Everybody is gunning for us every Saturday, so we better be ready.'
Belton blocked his first kick with 11:11 left in the first half, with Maryland punting from its own 32-yard line. The ball was blown dead at the 7-yard line and Clemson scored three plays later on Allen's 2-yard run with 10:26 left in the half to go ahead 17-7.
'The blocked punt was probably the turning point of the game,' Ford said. 'I think that blocked punt changed the momentum because I thought we were a little flat when the game first started.'
Maryland, 1-3 and 0-2 in the ACC, was limited to 205 total yards, as starting quaterback Neil O'Donnell went out of the game with a bruised hand with 6:03 left in the first half.
'They have a great defense, great team speed. Look at their backs and linebackers -- they all run so well,' Maryland Coach Joe Krivak said. 'I thought it would have been ridiculous to play Neal in the second half. We will have to X-ray him later.'
Clemson's Wesley McFadden, who finished with 48 yards rushing, scored two touchdowns in the first half, his first coming on a 6-yard run with 12:18 left in the first half to put Clemson up 10-7.
McFadden scored his second touchdown of the half with 3:16 left on a 12-yard run, capping a 9-play, 69-yard drive and put the Tigers ahead 24-7 at halftime.
Joe Henderson added 42 yards rushing and scored Clemson's final touchdown with 51 seconds left in the third quarter on a 6-yard run, capping a 12-play, 59-yard drive.
Chris Gardocki opened the Clemson scoring with a 47-yard field goal with 7:21 left in the first quarter.
Maryland took a 7-3 lead on its next possession on a 2-yard run by Ricky Johnson with a 4:01 left in the first quarter.
'We dropped more balls out there today than we had all years,' Krivak said. 'They have a lot to do with that. They're always pressuring. The holes don't remain open for long.'
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CU Medallion [52371]
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Re: On This Date: 1989 (7)Clemson- 31 Maryland- 7
Sep 23, 2022, 9:24 AM
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I enjoyed this game and beating Maryland like a drum.
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CU Guru [1912]
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Re: On This Date: 1989 (7)Clemson- 31 Maryland- 7
Sep 23, 2022, 10:45 AM
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I will always remember this as the "Hugo" game.We had no power, and Daddy said on Friday, lets try and make it to Clemson! It is normally a 3.5 hour drive, it took us 9.5 hours. People were still cutting trees off of the highways. This 89 team was so talented. For those 3 hours, they took all of our minds off of what had happened, and what was ahead with the clean up! Thanks for sharing!
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All-TigerNet [11183]
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I've told this before but I think I played an integral
Sep 23, 2022, 11:09 AM
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part in the victory on this day.
I was on the Clemson JV Cheerleading squad and at that time we were positioned by the tunnel where the opposing team comes out onto the field. It is where the opposing teams cheerleaders now stand. So I'm standing there and I have a balloon in my hand. Maryland QB Neil O'Donnell came jogging on the field right in front of me. I don't know why I did it but I handed off the balloon like a football as he jogged by--and he took it! He kept jogging for a few more steps and then stopped, looked down at the balloon like WTH! threw it aside and kept going onto the field. I think his concentration was broken and he went on to have a terrible day!
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