Spiller, Tigers dismantle Demon Deacons |
CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers finally put it all together.
The Clemson defense held Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner to just 82 yards passing and the Clemson offense scored touchdowns on four of its five red zone possessions as the Tigers (3-3, 2-2) put together their most complete performance of the season in a 38-3 dismantling of the Demon Deacons (4-3, 2-2) in front of a chilled crowd in Death Valley Saturday afternoon. “Hopefully, this is the beginning of our season,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “This is a great win today. We are so proud of the team. We executed today on both sides of the ball, and I told the guys that if they execute, then they can win games. If we play like we practice, then we can overwhelm the other team, and that’s what we did today. Overall, a great job by the entire team on this win today.” As good as the offense was, however, it was the defense that stole the show. The Demon Deacons brought in the ACC’s second-best offense, but Skinner was intercepted twice and sacked five times, and was also hit several other times as the Clemson defense turned in perhaps its most physical performance of the season. “The defense was relentless all day and dominated,” Swinney said. “They played smart and made tackles. When you follow your assignments and play with an aggressive attitude, then plays are made. I’m proud of the effort by the defense from the beginning of the game to the end.” The Tigers got an early gift from Wake Forest. Deacon kicker Shane Popham tried a pooch kick that went short, and Clemson took over at the Wake Forest 46-yard line. Six plays later, Parker hit tight end Michael Palmer on a one-yard strike to the back corner of the end zone for a 7-0 Clemson lead just over two minutes into the game. Parker was 4-for-4 on the drive for 43 yards. The teams traded possessions before Wake traveled into Clemson territory on their second drive, but Wake quarterback Riley Skinner was intercepted by Andre McDaniel, who returned the ball 26 yards to the Clemson 37-yard line. Eight plays later, Richard Jackson knocked down a 22-yard field for a 10-0 Clemson lead. Wake Forest missed a field goal on their next possession, and Clemson once again drove down the field for a score, the big play being a 51-yard pass from Parker to Jacoby Ford that gave the Tigers a first down inside the Deacon 10-yard line. Parker capped off the drive with a three-yard option keeper that saw him vault over three defenders and into the end zone for the 17-0 lead with 12:20 remaining in the half. It was that play that showed the biggest difference, from this week compared to the previous weeks, with Parker running aggressively and becoming a threat on the ground. “That is how it was going, with the looks we got from the defense,” Parker said. “I thought we executed it pretty well. We went back and really buckled down and focused today. We just blocked everything out and went back to work and focused today. The receivers were blocking, the offense line was blocking well, and it just made it easier for me to pull the ball down.” Wake Forest finally dented the scoreboard with 3:49 remaining in the half on a 28-yard field goal by Jimmy Newman. However, Wake had three shots at the end zone inside of the Clemson five-yard line, and the Tiger defense held them out each time, and the Tigers held on to a 17-3 lead. The Tigers responded just one play later, however, with Spiller breaking free at the line of scrimmage and racing almost untouched 66 yards for a touchdown. The rush gave him over 6,000 all-purpose yards in his career, making him the only player in ACC history to break that barrier. The Clemson defense sacked Skinner twice on Wake’s next drive, and the Tigers once again got into the end zone when Jamie Harper plunged in from three yards out, and Clemson led 31-3 at intermission. In the half, Clemson had 13 plays on first down, and gained 206 yards on those downs, for an average of 15.8 yards on first down. The teams traded possessions early in the third quarter, and the Clemson defense flexed its muscle again, holding Wake Forest on a fourth-and-one at their own 43-yard line, and three plays later Spiller scored from 14-yards out, taking a hit at the line of scrimmage, then faking the Wake safety out at the five-yard line, and Clemson lead 38-3 midway through the third quarter. The rush gave him over 100 yards rushing in the game, the 10th 100-yard game of his career. Spiller finished with 107 yards on just nine carries. “This is the Clemson team that should have been playing all year,” Spiller said. “This is a new beginning and a new start in the second half. But we still need to go back to the film room, and look at our mistakes and correct them and get that polished up. Today was all about execution. We called the same plays, but guys just really focused in on what we wanted to accomplish. I think guys went home during the off week, and looked in the mirror, and came back focused.” Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe said he thought the Clemson coaching staff did a good job during the bye week of preparing for the Deacons, but in the end, it was Clemson’s players that made the plays. “I thought they had a good game plan for us,” Grobe said. “I think they did some good things with their off time, and I think they played really well. There is never any doubt about their talent level, and I was impressed with their talent, and their coaching staff did a nice job scheme-wise. They used the time off wisely. I thought their kids played great.”
Attendance: 72000
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