No. 4 Clemson turns back Florida State, 31-14
Box Score: Clemson 31, FSU 14
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Despite being a heavy underdog, Florida State made things interesting in the second half Saturday evening against No. 4 Clemson. But in the end, the Tigers were too strong on both sides of the ball and pulled off a 31-14 victory.
The win improves Clemson's record to 9-1 overall and 7-1 in the ACC. The Tigers have clinched the ACC's Atlantic Division championship for the third straight year, while Florida State falls to 3-6 and 3-5.
After a brutal first half, FSU got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter on a short touchdown run by junior Jacques Patrick. It capped off a 90-yard drive that was set up by a pair of pass interference calls and a 39-yard catch by junior receiver Nyqwan Murray. That score cut Clemson's lead to 17-7 after the Tigers dominated the entire first half.
The Seminoles then cut the lead to 17-14 with some razzle-dazzle early in the fourth quarter. After freshman quarterback James Blackman got the ball back on a flea-flicker, he connected with tight end Ryan Izzo on a 60-yard catch and run to cut the deficit to three points.
But after FSU's defense got the ball back with a fumble recovery by sophomore defensive end Brian Burns, Blackman threw an interception on the ensuing first down, and Clemson would go on to score another touchdown to make it 24-14. The Tigers added one more score in the final minute to make the final score 31-14.
The game looked like it would be a blowout early. Clemson's highly touted defense held FSU's offense to 46 total yards in the first half -- 23 rushing and 23 passing -- and delivered several crushing hits on Blackman.
It was one of those blows that forced Blackman to fumble and set up Clemson's first touchdown midway through the first quarter. After the turnover, the Tigers capped off a six-play, 20-yard drive with a 2-yard plunge by quarterback Kelly Bryant.
The Tigers' second scoring drive also was short following a long punt return. Clemson went 28 yards on one play as tailback Travis Etienne broke free for a touchdown run on first down midway through the second quarter. The Tigers make it 17-0 at halftime on a 26-yard field goal.
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