Tigers Improve To 3-0 With 38-10 Victory Over Furman |
CLEMSON - Cullen Harper passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns to lead nationally 20th-ranked Clemson to a 38-10 win over Furman in front of 79,215 fans at Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon. Harper, a junior, completed 16 of 19 passes and threw scoring strikes of 49, 33, and 23 yards for Clemson (3-0). Furman (1-2) compiled 384 yards in total offense to Clemson?s 377, but the Paladins continually hurt themselves with turnovers, suffering five miscues, including two fumbles and three interceptions in the contest. ?I thought we performed well against Furman today. Furman made the game close today, even though we came out with the victory," said Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden. "We played a nine man front allowing for deep passes. We gambled a couple of times on the blitz, which lead to the sacks of the day. "On defense, Vic Koening did a great job and I was impressed by the plays of Clemons today. Despite, Furman?s possession time and our five turnovers, we capitalized on big plays to go to 3-0.? Paced by defensive end Wallace Artis, who notched two of Furman?s five sacks, the Paladin defense limited Clemson?s running game to 60 yards on 33 carries but on a day that Furman?s stop troops needed a few breaks, the Paladin offense, which has suffered nine turnovers in the last two games, failed to deliver. Clemson claimed an early lead after taking its first possession of the game and covering 66 yards in eight plays for a James Davis 2-yard touchdown plunge just five minutes into the game. On its second possession, Furman moved to the Clemson 46, but the Paladins turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert twice on third-and-one and fourth-and-one play. From there the Tigers moved 49 yards to the Furman 4 before settling for a Mark Buchholz 22-yard field goal. Two possessions later an interception by Michael Hamlin at the Furman 49 set up a 49-yard scoring strike by Haper to Tyler Grisham on the following play, stretching the Tiger advantage to 17-0. Furman?s next drive ended with a fumble following a 12-yard catch by Ryan McKie at the Clemson 38. After stopping Clemson on downs, the Paladins finally got untracked with a 13-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a Scott Beckler 38-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining in the half. Furman opened the third quarter with a successful onside kick recovery at its 44, but a pair of penalties helped nullify the good start. Clemson tallied on its first possession of the second half with a short completion by Harper to Jacoby Ford, who raced around right end for 33 yards into the end zone to give Clemson a 24-3 lead. The Tigers tacked on two touchdown passes, including Harper?s third strike of the day, a 22-yard hook-up with Aaron Kelly, and a 33-yard scoring toss to a wide open La?Donte Harris by backup quarterback Willy Korn, to make it 38-3. Furman finally got into the end zone at the 6:08 juncture of the fourth quarter when fullback Brantley Kendall burst up the middle on a 26-yard run to culminate a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Clemson suffered a pair of serious injuries. Freshman Chad Diehl was carted off in the first half with what appears to be a fractured leg. Chris Wade also left with a broken arm.
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