Clemson vs. Boston College: Tigers Cruise Past the Eagles

There were concerns that Clemson might be flat coming into a short-week road game at Boston College on Friday night after the physical and emotionally draining victory last Saturday against Louisville. Such concerns were quickly allayed, however, and the Tigers cruised to a 56-10 victory. The Eagles came into the game with one of the top defenses in the country, but the Tigers had little trouble moving the ball on the ground (234 yards) and in the air (272 yards).

After a 3-and-out on the first possession, the Tiger offense ignited and made the kinds of big plays that Clemson fans have come to expect. Clemson’s defense stopped the BC offense on their first possession, but Ray-Ray McCloud muffed the punt, giving BC the ball deep in Tiger territory. The Tiger defense did a good job and forced BC to settle for a field goal.

On the second Clemson possession, Wayne Gallman caught the Boston College defense over-pursuing and scampered in for a 59-yard touchdown, the longest running play of the year so far for the Tigers. Mike Williams and Deshaun Watson connected on a 50-yard pass in the third possession, with Williams making a spectacular diving catch to put the Tigers in scoring position. The two connected again soon thereafter on a 9-yard touchdown. On the next possession, Jordan Leggett made a nice catch and run for a 56 yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 21-3 and that score held up to halftime. The Eagles had a golden opportunity to score a touchdown late in the half from about half a foot from the goal line, but couldn’t get a clean snap on 4th down and the Tiger defense came away with another impressive stop.

In the second half, the Tiger offense continued the onslaught with Deon Cain scoring on two touchdown catches early in the third quarter. With the win in hand, Tiger reserves began to see playing time and Tyshon Dye scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Tavien Feaster showed his speed on a 45-yard touchdown run with about three minutes left. Then Mark Fields rubbed salt into the BC wound with a 42-yard pick six to finish off the scoring.

The offense finally seems to be hitting its stride, and the defense continues to keep opposing offenses off balance. Check back with us in the next few days for detailed analysis of the dismantling of Boston College, as well as preview coverage of the NC State game in Death Valley next Saturday.