Statement Made: Tigers Pound Seminoles
CLEMSON—The Tigers had to listen for two weeks to questions. Question's like: What is wrong with their offense and what is wrong with quarterback Trevor Lawrence?
Saturday, Clemson fired up the ROY bus and took its two weeks worth of frustration out on Florida State, as they defeated their Atlantic Division rivals by a final score of 45-14.
The Tigers jumped on top of the Seminoles on their opening drive, as Lawrence found Tee Higgins for a 40-yard pass play on the opening play of the game. They followed that completion with a little trickery, as running back Travis Etienne completed a 23-yard pass to Justyn Ross. The Tigers found the end zone four plays later, as Lawrence found Etienne for a 4-yard touchdown that opened the scoring.
Following three combined punts, the Tigers scored again, as Lawrence plowed his way into the end zone from 8 yards out for a touchdown that capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive and extended the lead to 14-0.
The Seminoles inability to move the ball, as they amassed only 63 first half yards, compared to the Tigers 367 yards of offense, continued to pose a problem. After their third punt of the first half, the Tigers once again found the end zone, as Lawrence found Ross for a 10-yard touchdown.
The Tigers were not finished in the first half, withLawrence and Ross again connected for a touchdown for 28-0 lead.
The first half ended with Clemson having two additional opportunities to add to its lead. The first time, facing fourth-and-goal from Florida State 2-yard line, Tiger fans got their first look at the 2019 version of the "Jumbo Package".
Gone to the NFL are former "Jumbo Package" veterans Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence. However, that did not mean that the package was dead, as Xavier Thomas, Tyler Davis, Logan Rudolph and Nyles Pinckney ran onto the field. Defensive end Thomas was stopped short on fourth down.
Following the first career interception by linebacker Chad Smith, the Tigers again had a chance to pad their lead, but failed to capitalize.
The Tigers continued their dominant performance in the second half, as Amari Rodgers took a handoff from Lawrence 29 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that extended the lead to 35-0.
On the ensuing possession for the Seminoles, the Tiger defense decided to get into the scoring. Converted wide receiver Derion Kendrick intercepted James Blackman's pass and scampered 38 yards for a defensive touchdown.
The Seminoles finally broke the shutout with 2:02 to play in the third quarter, as Alex Hornibrook's 64-yard pass capped a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that needed only 37 seconds.
The Tigers added three points to their lead, as Steven Sawicki's 26-yard field goal capped off an eight-play, 41-yard drive and extended the lead to 45-7.
The Seminoles ended the scoring, as Khalan Laborn took a handoff and went 40 yards for a touchdown that cut the lead to 45-14.
Tiger Tracks:
- Clemson won its 750th game in program history. Clemson became the 15th FBS program to accomplish the feat and the first member of the Atlantic Coast Conference to do so.
- Clemson won its 21st consecutive game, dating back to the start of the 2018 season, to extend the longest winning streak in school history and second-longest winning streak in ACC history.
- Clemson won a 15th consecutive ACC regular season game for the second time in school history (20 from 1981-84).
- Dabo Swinney won his 122nd career game as a head coach, which would pass the career total of College Football Hall of Famer and Clemson legend Danny Ford, who won 121 career games (96 at Clemson and 25 at Arkansas).
Up Next: The Tigers travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals next Saturday (noon, ABC).
