Cook scores four TDs as Florida State falls, 37-34, to Clemson
Game Stats/Box Score / Game Photo Gallery
It was the same story with the same ending. Florida State falls behind early only to become back.
Clemson took a 37-34 lead but there was enough time. FSU marched down the field and was in Clemson territory with 34 seconds left.
Then came consecutive false start penalties. After two incompletions, poor pass protection resulted in Deondre Francois taking one sack. Then another, and like that, the No. 12 Seminoles fell 37-34 to the rival No. 3 Tigers on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.
FSU built an eight-point lead to start the fourth quarter yet Clemson gnawed away over time.
Clemson used a touchdown and a field goal to take a 29-28 lead with 5:25 left. FSU star junior tailback Dalvin Cook scored his fourth touchdown for a 34-29 lead with 3:23 left in the game. Cook would finish with 19 carries for 169 yards and four touchdowns.
On the next drive, the Tigers stormed downfield and quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett for a 35-34 lead with 2:06 left. Clemson made it 37-34 after getting the two-point conversion.
FSU took over and with one minute and 47 seconds, had the time to mount one last rally only to fall short.
Building an eight-point, fourth-quarter lead seemed a bit improbable given how the game began. Clemson scored on its first two possessions for a 14-0 lead.
Cook's first touchdown trimmed the lead to 14-7 with 8:20 remaining in the second quarter. A 23-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 17-7 lead until Francois threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Nyqwan Murray. It trimmed the Clemson advantage to 17-14 with 23 seconds left in the half.
Cook was used in the first half but could never find any open space. Even his first touchdown run was a four-yard burst. Cook had plenty of room and was once turned the corner, he sped down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown. The 43-yard run gave the Seminoles a 21-20 lead, their first of the game.
The defense held Clemson at bay and gave the offense another chance to build upon its lead. Cook needed one play when slashed through the Tigers' defense and broke away for a 70-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds left in the quarter.
FSU, once down by 14, now held a 28-20 lead going into the fourth.
------------------------
Talk about this story with other Florida State fans on The Tribal Council
