CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – No. 5 Clemson pulled away from Boston College on Saturday at Alumni Stadium to improve to 6-0 and 4-0 in the ACC. Here are four sequences that went a long way in determining the outcome, a turning point and a telling stat from the Tigers’ 31-3 victory.
- After Clemson got a field goal from B.T. Potter on its first drive, the Tigers forced a punt from Boston College, which used a 35-yard corner kick from Sam Candiotti to pin Clemson at its own 1-yard line. D.J. Uiagalelei felt some pressure three plays later and was intercepted by Josh DeBerry on an underthrown ball toward the sideline, which set the Eagles’ offense up at the Tigers’ 24. But Clemson’s defense held Boston College to 6 yards on its next three plays, and the Tigers ultimately dodged a bullet when it forced a 35-yard field goal attempt from Connor Lytton, which was no good. Boston College threatened again by marching 48 yards on its next possession, but the Tigers bowed up again to hold the Eagles to Lytton’s 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
- While Clemson’s offense continued to struggle midway through the first half, Boston College threatened again when the Eagles put together their longest drive of the half – an 11-play, 52-yarder – to get deep into Tigers territory early in the second quarter. But after failing to convert third-and-2 from Clemson’s 28, Boston College opted to go this time. But Barrett Carter pressured Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec off the edge and forced a hurried throw that was broken up by Jeremiah Trotter near the line of scrimmage. That stop proved significant when Clemson’s offense, with the help of a 20-yard punt return by Antonio Williams, was set up with a short field late in the second quarter and cashed it in on Will Shipley’s 1-yard touchdown run that gave Clemson a 10-3 lead at the break.
- Clemson totaled just 131 yards in the first two quarters but racked up more than half of that on its opening possession of the second, using a pair of explosive plays through the air to extend its lead. First, with the Tigers facing third-and-7 from their own 41, Uiagalelei waited for Beaux Collins’ double move to develop downfield before uncorking a back-shoulder throw with a defender barreling down on him for a 21-yard connection. Uiagalelei came back on the next play to find Joseph Ngata behind Boston College’s defense for a 38-yard scoring strike, capping a five-play, 73-yard drive that pushed Clemson’s lead to 17-3 with 11 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third quarter.
- The Tigers brought consistent pressure to try to get to Jurkovec. And after just pressuring him for most of the night, the strategy paid off late with all three of Clemson’s sacks coming in the second half. One of those came early in the fourth quarter when Carter and Trotter met Jurkovec in the backfield on a blitz. Carter stripped Jurkovec of the ball, and defensive lineman Payton Page recovered the fumble at Boston College’s 23. It ended up being an empty possession for Clemson’s offense as Potter missed a 42-yard field goal, but the turnover took another possession away from Boston College, which needed to maximize its opportunities already trailing by three touchdowns with 9:41 left.
Turning point
Although Clemson held a two-touchdown lead midway through the third quarter, Boston College threatened to cut into the deficit following Zay Flowers’ 16-yard punt return, setting the Eagles’ offense up on Clemson’s side of midfield. Boston College moved to the Tigers’ 22 before having to settle for Lytton’s 22-yard field-goal attempt, but Etinosa Reuben pushed through the middle of the line to block the kick. Clemson took advantage of the swing in momentum when the offense followed with its longest scoring drive of the night – an eight-play, 72-yarder capped by Uiagalelei’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Collins. It gave the Tigers a 24-3 lead early in the fourth quarter, one that seemed well out of reach for a Boston College offense that averaged just 2.5 yards per play in the final two quarters.
Telling stat: 9.3
That’s how many yards Flowers averaged per reception, which was a lot fewer than Boston College’s star receiver is used to. Flowers came in averaging more than 14 per catch after torching Louisville for 151 yards and two scores on just five catches a week earlier, and it became apparent early that Boston College was going to need some big plays through the air to produce points against the nation’s No. 2-ranked run defense. But Clemson’s depleted secondary largely kept things in front and didn’t let Flowers get going. Outside of a 35-yard reception early, the Tigers limited Flowers to 40 just yards on his other seven catches. It was part of a largely suffocating effort on behalf of Clemson’s defense, which limited the Eagles to 3.5 yards per play and racked up 11 tackles for loss.