The 30-20 final score might suggest that the Clemson Tigers, who have struggled offensively for much of this season, had their way with the Florida State defense on Saturday afternoon.
The truth is that for large chunks of the contest -- including nearly all of the second half -- it was FSU's defense that had the upper hand.
From late in the second quarter through late in the fourth quarter, Clemson was held scoreless. FSU forced three turnovers and held the Tigers scoreless on seven of eight second-half drives, keeping the Seminoles' upset bid alive despite the FSU offensive attack finishing with only 244 total yards for the game.
Adam Fuller's defense even put points on the board in the fourth quarter when Jermaine Johnson forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to give FSU a 20-17 lead with 7:39 remaining.
“Our defense, I thought they stepped up," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. "To be able to get the touchdown. Force the fumble, create the takeaways. I was really pleased with how they responded in the second half. They had some challenging situations. We tried to be aggressive in some situations, and they just continued to rise to the call.”
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As Norvell suggested, the defense was placed in some difficult situations.
To start the second half, FSU gambled and missed on a fourth-and-one at its own 49-yard line, giving the Tigers possession at midfield. Fuller’s unit bent but certainly didn’t break, using a safety blitz from Akeem Dent on third down to force an incomplete pass in the red zone.
That play proved especially important since Clemson kicker B.T. Potter missed the ensuing 37-yard field goal attempt -- something that would be a theme for the game.
Three possessions later, Clemson put together an eight-play, 33-yard drive to advance into the red zone again. But when quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei rolled out on third down, excellent coverage from the Seminoles forced a throwaway. And once again, Potter's field goal attempt was off the mark.
“I thought our defense battled. Backs against the wall, all the things that showed up throughout the game. Those guys, it was impressive,” Norvell said. “To be able to force field goals. Sometimes they had short fields, just continue to fight and battle. Unfortunately, came up short there at the end.”
