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After a tough two weeks to begin the season, Clemson wanted to make a statement against South Carolina State. They did not want them hanging around like Troy did last week.
Well SC State quickly found out just how outmatched they were. By the end of the 1st quarter, Clemson was on top 31-0, scoring on every offensive possession plus a special teams fumble recovery in the endzone. Even the backups got in on the action in the 1st quarter as Nick Schuessler hit Diondre Overton on a 45-yard touchdown.
With the score 45-0 at half, the head coaches mutually agreed to shorten the third and fourth quarters to just 12:00 each. Clemson used five different quarterbacks in the game. Watson went 12/15 for 152 yards and 3 Touchdowns. The key thing to note is the lack of incompletions. The recurring theme over the first two weeks for the Clemson offense was the number of drops by the receiving corps. Not so today! Ray-Ray McCloud played very well in his first start, recording 4 receptions for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns and returning punts 3 times for 56 yards.
Next up the Tigers go to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech Thursday night. While the Yellow Jackets had an off year last year, they are still a threat to Clemson, given the Tigers haven’t won in Bobby Dodd since 2003.
Alumni:
CJ Spiller cut from the Saints after the season opener.
Former Tigers Brian Dawkins and Levon Kirkland have both been nominated for the NFL Hall of Fame among 94 players. That list will be narrowed down to 15 players by February where the Class of 2017 will be selected.
Basketball:
Its never to early to talk about March Madness and NCAA basketball right? This week, Jaron Blossomgame was named a preseason second-team All-American and All-Senior (First Team), while earning the distinction of being the nation’s No. 1 "inside-out" player by Athlon Sports and Lindy’s.
Soccer:
The #2 Clemson Men’s Soccer team suffered a heart breaking defeat to #3 UNC last week and fell to #6 in the NSCAA ranking. They look to rebound tonight, 9/17 against #17 Virginia. This marks the 3rd straight nationally ranked opponent the Tigers have faced.
The #13 Women’s team looks to continue their hot streak after taking down High Point and Nebraska last week by a combined score of 9 to 3. Catrina Atanda currently leads the team with 5 goals on the season through 7 games.
Volleyball:
Volleyball heads up to Penn State to play in its final tournament before conference play. The opponents for this weekend are #20 Penn State, Howard, and Rhode Island. Leah Perri and Keely Hayes continue to lead the Tigers as both are among the nation’s best in kills, points, attacks, and assists.
Cross Country:
Clemson Cross Country went to Furman last week and both the Men and Women had top 5 finishes. Micah Williams led the Tigers to a 5th place finish, coming in 15th individually. Alexa Womack led the Women to a 4th place team finish coming in 11th herself. The top five Clemson women finished in the top 25. Next up the teams are in Charlottesville on Sept. 23rd.
Golf:
Men’s Golf picked up right where it left off last year. Opening the season at #13 overall, the team placed third in the Carpet Classic last weekend behind Virginia and Auburn.
The Women’s team starts up play next weekend in Norman, Oklahoma to play in the Schooner Fall Classic.