On This Date: 2014 (24)Clemson- 17 Boston College- 13
Oct 18, 2018, 8:13 AM
No. 24 Clemson staves off Boston College upset bid
BOSTON -- Clemson quarterback Cole Stoudt played through a shoulder injury to beat Boston College on Saturday and earned a fitting reward for toughing it out.
The son of former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt was presented with a leather helmet as the Most Valuable Player in the Tigers' victory, a prize that harkens back to the birth of the rivalry in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.
"He had a heck of a night," coach Dabo Swinney said after Stoudt set career highs with 29 completions and 45 attempts and finished with 285 yards to lead No. 24 Clemson to a 17-13 victory. "I'm really proud of him stepping up, especially on the road."
The starter out of training camp before losing the job to Deshaun Watson in Week 3, Stoudt re-inherited the job when the highly touted freshman broke a finger last week. Stoudt had an injury of his own -- a sprained left shoulder -- but he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.
Receiving a shot before the game and another at halftime to help him tolerate the pain, Stoudt led the Tigers on a six-play, 82-yard, rain-soaked drive to take a 17-13 lead with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter. The Clemson defense twice stopped BC, and the Tigers held on for their fourth consecutive win -- their first on the road.
"I really didn't think about the shoulder or the rain," said Stoudt, who posed for pictures with the leather helmet after the game. "That's why you play football for situations like that."
C.J. Davidson ran 32 yards for a touchdown to give Clemson (5-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) the lead for good. Needing a touchdown at the end of the game because of a missed extra point, the Eagles (4-3, 1-2) moved to the Clemson 29 and then converted a fourth-and-1.