On This Date: 1983 Clemson- 38 Duke- 31

Oct 15, 2024, 8:34 AM

10/15/1983
Durham, NC

Kenny Flowers Runs For Two Touchdowns As Clemson Outlasts Duke

UPI Archives
Oct. 15, 1983

ByFRED McNEESE

DURHAM, N.C. -- Kenny Flowers ran for two touchdowns and Clemson outlasted a furious second-half Duke surge Saturday to take a 38-31 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.

Clemson took a 31-10 lead on Flowers' first touchdown, a 1-yard run with 11:10 left in the third quarter.

But Duke's Ben Bennett, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in total offense, brought the Blue Devils back. He first hit Chuck Herring on a 56-yard scoring pass with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter and, less than five minutes later, hit Herring on a 9-yard scoring pass to close the gap to 31-24.

Flowers ran 35 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to take the Tigers out of trouble temporarily.

But Bennett hit Mike Grayson with a 14-yard touchdown pass -- his fourth scoring toss of the game -- with 5:05 left to play to pull the Blue Devils within 38-31.

In the closing minutes, Bennett again drove the Blue Devils downfield in hopes of a tie. With 1:01 to go and fourth down on the Clemson 9-yard line, a pass by Bennett was broken up and Clemson was able to escape with a victory.

Clemson, 4-1, never trailed against Duke, 0-6.

With 3:30 gone in the game, the Tigers scored on a 2-yard run by Kevin Mack. Bob Paulling kicked the extra point, his first of four for the day. Paulling has now kicked 56 straight extra points.

Duke cut it to 7-3 with 6:35 to go in the first quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Ken Harper.

Clemson then scored with 2:59 left in the first quarter on a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Mike Eppley and then got out to a 21-3 lead on a 3-yard run by Stacey Driver with 9:55 to go in the first half.

Paulling's 35-yard field goal with 1:54 to go in the first half made it 24-3.

Duke scored with 33 seconds left in the half on a 16-yard pass from Bennett to Mark Militello.

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Best Is The Standard

Re: On This Date: 1983 Clemson- 38 Duke- 31

On This Date: 1983 Clemson- 38 Duke- 31

Re: On This Date: 1983 Clemson- 38 Duke- 31

TigerBoard POTD