Clemson verifies No. 1 ranking with division-clinching win over Florida State
With Florida State coming to town hoping to knock off the top-ranked team in the country, the Clemson Tigers stood strong and avoided their fourth straight loss to the Seminoles in a 23-13 win on Saturday.
When the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, Clemson (9-0) made the necessary plays on both sides of the ball to remain undefeated and secure its place in the ACC Championship next month.
Leading 16-13 with under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Clemson defense stuffed Florida State running back Dalvin Cook consecutively on third and fourth down needing less than a yard. Both Cook runs were tosses, and the fourth-down attempt went to junior defensive end Shaq Lawson's side of the field. Lawson, who was placed on the Bednarik Award preseason watch list, was able to shed a block and make the hit, along with linebacker Ben Boulware, to stop Cook inches short of the first down.
"Oh yeah, I knew that play was coming," Lawson said. "I knew what they liked to do through film study. I knew the bunch was on my side, so I knew the toss was coming my way, and I just played it good and made a play on it."
As Clemson tried to chew clock and place the dagger with a score to put the Tigers up two possessions, they faced a third-and-6 near midfield. Watson stepped back for a screen pass to wide receiver Charone Peake, but a Florida State defensive end sniffed it out. Watson calmly stayed in the pocket — pump faked the defensive end out of the play — and delivered the pass to Peake in stride as he ran into FSU territory for 21 yards and a huge first down. What was nearly a punting situation for the Tigers became a game-changing play because of Watson's presence of mind to not force the pass and move the defender out.
"That's what great players do," Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. "You've got to find a way to make plays. They had a chance to have us right there, but our guy was better than their guy. This is not a game of plays, it's a game of players. Players made plays, and that's all that was — just a heck of a play."
Early in the game, Clemson suffered its most frustrating stretch of play this season as the Florida State defense stifled the Tigers' offense and Cook found huge holes for the running game. On the second play from scrimmage in the game, Cook found a gap up the middle and sprinted past the Clemson defense for a 75-yard touchdown run and an early 7-0 lead. Through one quarter, Cook's total yardage outgained Clemson's offense 132-73. Despite the ugly start, junior linebacker Ben Boulware said the unit was never worried.
"We just encouraged each other," said Boulware, who forced a fumble on FSU's final possession to seal the game. "The one thing about our defense is that we are very mature. A lot of people think we don't have a veteran bunch, but how we handle things like that on that sideline speaks volumes of this group. We are constantly picking each other up for all the right reasons."
From the second quarter on, the Tigers outgained FSU 439-205.
After Cook's opening touchdown run in the first minute of the game, the Seminoles were kept out of the endzone for the final 59 minutes.
"I told our guys at halftime that we just had to be who we are," said Swinney, whose Tigers have won 15 straight at home and 12 straight overall. "We had to calm down. Our guys showed poise at the half and came out confident in the second half. That was an awesome game to be a part of."
While Deshaun Watson missed some throws early, the sophomore quarterback bounced back and had one of the best games in his career in a crucial spot. He finished with 297 yards passing and a touchdown with a career-high 114 yards rushing to add on top. His touchdown pass was a 38-yard throw to Deon Cain early in the third quarter that jumpstarted the Clemson offense.
"In the first half, we were just over-thinking the game," Watson said. "Each play, there were a couple of mental mistakes, and in the second half we corrected those and hit the play to Deon. That got the crowd back in it, the defense back in it, and the crowd and special teams."
After losing to the Seminoles three consecutive years in games that could've turned good seasons into great seasons, the Tigers were able to get over the hump and place themselves into the ACC Championship with a chance for the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles were the last regular-season opponent with a winning record on Clemson's schedule.
When Swinney was asked why the team was finally able to get past FSU, he gave several reasons.
"Well, when we got on the goal line, we didn't snap it 25 yards over the quarterback's head," Swinney said jokingly. "We just made a lot of mistakes (last year). I'm still bitter about that, alright? We didn't lose to Clemson this year.
"In order to beat people, you have to first not lose to yourself. You've got to control the things that you control. So we controlled the things we control, and we overcame. We were efficient."
The Tigers have cemented themselves as the true No. 1 team nationally. Despite that, Swinney, who does believe his team is the best in the country, continues to keep his mindset on one step at a time as the Tigers move toward their goal.
"I've been voting our team No. 1 for three weeks, y'all are just catching up," Swinney said, laughing. "I told our team three weeks ago, only because I have to vote, that I thought we were the best team. But what does that mean? Nothing. Because each week I rip (my votes) up and have to start again."
