ATLANTA – No. 4 Clemson (1-0) began its season with a win over Georgia Tech (0-1) tonight at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here are four sequences that went a long way in determining the outcome, a turning point and a telling stat from the Tigers’ 41-10 victory.
- Clemson got a special-teams boost early in the second quarter when Carson Donnelly broke through Tech’s protection and blocked David Shanahan’s punt. The loose ball was recovered by Brannon Spector, who set Clemson’s offense up with what was easily its best field position of the night at Tech’s 5-yard line. The Tigers managed just 4 yards on their next three snaps but decided to go on fourth-and-goal. The decision paid off when Will Shipley sped in off left tackle from a yard out to give Clemson a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes, 43 seconds left in the second quarter.
- Tech went 42 yards in nine plays midway through the second quarter for its first trip into Clemson territory, but the Yellow Jackets eventually stalled and came up empty when Jude Kelley’s 50-yard field-goal attempt missed the mark. Clemson’s offense took over and put together its best drive of the half, marching 67 yards on eight plays to pad its lead. D.J. Uiagalelei, who went 3 of 4 passing on the drive, capped the scoring drive by rolling to his right to avoid pressure before hitting Beaux Collins in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown pass that made it 14-0 Clemson with 3:52 left in the half.
- Tech took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched into Clemson territory, though the Tigers had multiple chances to get the Yellow Jackets off the field. First, with Tech facing fourth-and-6 from the Tigers’ 37, Sims connected with Malik Rutherford over the middle for 10 yards to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, K.J. Henry’s pressure forced Sims into an early throw, which went through the hands of linebacker Jeremiah Trotter near the goal line. The Yellow Jackets made Clemson pay for the missed opportunity one play later when Sims found E.J. Jenkins in the back corner of the end zone for a 13-yard score to cut the Tigers’ lead to 14-10 with less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
- Clemson scored points on consecutive drives in the third quarter and put together its longest drive of the game to again push its lead to double digits, even if getting there was a bit unorthodox. On the latter possession, with Clemson facing third-and-4 from its own 32, Uiagalelei looked as if he might go down for a sack. But Clemson’s quarterback shoveled the ball to Shipley just before falling to the ground, and Shipley raced 10 yards for a fresh set of downs. Uiagalelei completed his next three passes to move the Tigers deep into Tech territory before capping the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run, giving Clemson a 24-10 lead late in the third quarter.
Turning point
Already with a two-touchdown lead, Clemson took control early in the fourth quarter when Tech opted to go on fourth-and-2 from its own 42. Hassan Hall got the handoff on a jet sweep but was tripped up behind the line, turning the ball over on downs to Clemson. The Tigers moved into the red zone in three plays and eventually tacked on a B.T. Potter field goal, and the offense was immediately set up with another short field when Clemson notched its second blocked punt on Tech’s ensuing possession. Shipley was in the end zone four plays later, giving the Tigers a commanding 34-10 lead that allowed them to start emptying the bench.
Telling stat: 20
That’s how many yards Clemson had to cover on two of its touchdown drives thanks to a pair of blocked punts. First, Donnelly broke through to block David Shanahan’s punt early in the second quarter to set Clemson’s offense up at Tech’s 5. That led to the Tigers’ first touchdown of the night. Early in the fourth quarter, freshman Wade Woodaz got in on the fun with a block of his own, setting up Clemson’s final touchdown of the night at the Yellow Jackets’ 15. On a night when the offense had its ups and downs, special teams provided a lift that helped Clemson pull away.
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