Clemson, SC - Clemson scrimmaged for nearly two hours Monday afternoon, as the Tigers got back on the field after being rained out on Saturday. The offense ran 96 plays for 449 yards and scored five touchdowns; while the defense recorded seven sacks, 16 tackles-for-loss, and three interceptions.
Willie Simmons was 14-28 for 158 yards. The rising junior signal caller threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions. He threw touchdown passes of 44 yards to Derrick Hamilton and 14 yards to Jeff Scott. Scott tied J.J. McKelvey for most catches in the scrimmage, each with four.
Charlie Whitehurst was 11-20 for 120 yards. He threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bobby Williamson and was not picked off on the afternoon. His longest pass was a 42-yard screen pass to Chad Jasmin.
Walk-on running back Lionel Richardson led all Tigers with 55 yards rushing on nine carries, including a four-yard touchdown run. He played in just one series, but carried the ball on nine of the 10 plays on the 50-yard scoring drive. Keith Kelly had 34 yards rushing and one touchdown on 10 carries; while Bernard Rambert rushed five times for 14 yards in limited action. Tye Hill (14-2), Chad Jasmin (12-21), Cliff Harrell (3-9), and Simmons (7-22) were other notable rushers. Simmons had a 32-yard scamper among his 22 rushing yards. The offense rushed 71 times for 171 yards on the day.
Jasmin led the offense with 64 receiving yards on two catches. Jackie Robinson had three grabs for 48 yards and Derrick Hamilton had two for 45 yards. McKelvey added 33 yards receiving, while other notables included Ronnie Thomas (1-9), Kevin Youngblood (3-16), Tye Hill (2-12), and Keith Kelly (3-8). Simmons, Whitehurst, and Joe Bever combined to complete 25 passes in 50 attempts for 278 yards, including three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Maurice Fountain was a standout on defense. He had eight tackles, three for loss, and two sacks. He also recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. John Leake led the defense with 11 tackles. The Plano, TX native totaled two tackles-for-loss, a sack, and a blocked kick. Delusme had seven tackles to go along with his two blocked kicks. Nick Eason and J.J. Howard each had two sacks as well. The defense forced 16 negative-yardage plays in all.
Rodney Thomas had nine tackles and Leroy Hill added eight. Brian Mance, Rony Delusme, and Brian Carr each recorded interceptions. Mance and Kevin Johnson each had two pass breakups as well.
"Offensively, it's hard to show any continuity at this time," stated Head Coach Tommy Bowden. "We had some problems with protection in the offensive line. Defensively, we came closer to becoming consistent."
"Rodney Allison has done a real good job with our field goal blocking teams. Rony Delusme blocked two, John Leake blocked one. Those are big plays. Moe Fountain showed up alot on defense."
Howard was taken off the field in an ambulance with a neck injury. He was taken to Oconee Memorial Hospital to determine the extent of the injury. Tests came back negative, and Howard should be fine according to Head Trainer Danny Poole. Charles Harper suffered a sprained ankle, while Cedric Johnson and Scott Wade suffered knee injuries. None of the injuries in the scrimmage appear to be serious according to Poole.
Clemson will practice in shells Tuesday at 4:45 PM. The Tigers' annual Spring game is scheduled to be played at Riggs Field Saturday, April 6 at 1:00 PM.
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