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CLEMSON, S.C. – The no. 2 Clemson football team opened its 2018 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating the Furman Paladins by a score of 48-7 on a hot Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. With the win, Clemson moved to 1-0 on the year, while Furman fell to 0-1. Offensively, the Tigers amassed 531 yards and were led by quarterbacks Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence. Bryant was 10-16 for 127 yards and one touchdown, while Lawrence was 9-15 for 137 yards and three scores in his Clemson debut. Running back Lyn-J Dixon was also a big contributor, rushing for 89 yards on six carries in his first action as a Tiger. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers limited the Paladins to just 2.6 yards per play and 163 total yards. Christian Wilkins had a team-high six solo tackles. The Tigers opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a Bryant 40-yard touchdown pass to Amari Rodgers, marking the first career score for the sophomore wideout. Greg Huegel hit the extra point to give Clemson a 7-0 advantage in his first action since a knee injury early last season. Rodgers and Huegel also factored into Clemson’s next score five minutes later, with the former returning a Furman punt for 62 yards to set the Tigers up on the Paladin 20-yard line and the latter nailing a 35-yard field goal. The Clemson lead remained 10-0 until five minutes into the second quarter, when Huegel hit a career-long-tying 49-yard field goal to up it to 13-0. Lawrence quarterbacked his way to his first touchdown as a Tiger late in the second quarter, finding Diondre Overton with a six-yard scoring pass that capped a 95-yard drive highlighted by a 42-yard, third down pass to Cornell Powell a few plays earlier. The Tigers found the endzone one more time in the first half on a drive that lasted just over a minute and finished with a Travis Etienne seven-yard rush, putting the halftime score at 27-0. A Bryant 35-yard rushing score with five and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter put the Tigers up 34-0, and that quarter concluded with Justyn Ross’ first career touchdown reception, a 15-yard toss from Lawrence to give Clemson a 41-0 lead going into the final 15 minutes. A lost Furman fumble inside the Paladins’ own 15-yard line set up Braden Galloway’s first career touchdown when the freshman tight end hauled in a 9-yard pass from Lawrence to start the fourth quarter. Furman got on the board with just over a minute left in the game on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Darren Grainger to Ryan DeLuca, which brought the final score to 48-7. Clemson hits the road next weekend for the first game in a home-and-home series with Texas A&M. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. |
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QUOTES CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY On the overall game: “I think we had a nice balance today. We were able to play so many people. We didn’t commit any turnovers and committed only four penalties. The depth showed up for us today. We got all three quarterbacks in the game [and] there were a lot of opportunities for players to touch the ball.”
On the importance of starting out the season with an impressive win: “It doesn’t matter how talented these guys are; for anybody, the first college experience is a big deal. No matter how much you practice, it’s hard to simulate game day. Overall, there’s a lot we can coach off of, but I was pleased with what we did offensively. Defensively, our guys set the tone and created two turnovers.”
On the defensive performance: “We played a ton of guys defensively. It was good to see so many guys play. We saw a lot of great things from several guys up front. Shaq Smith played well. Isaiah Simmons performed well in his start. He’s freakishly athletic, and that showed. Nolan Turner, Denzel Johnson and Niles Pinckney played well, too.” On the impact of the special teams: “We want to be one of the best special teams groups in the country. We have the right roster to be elite. You saw that on kickoffs and punt returns today. Cornell Powell had a 43-yard punt return. We expect our special teams to not only keep us in games, but also win us some games.” On the fan support at Death Valley: “I was actually just telling our players how fortunate we are to have such great fans. I’m really thankful for our fans. Traffic was backed up all the way to Anderson, but we still had a packed house today. There was plenty of excitement in Death Valley for us to feed off of.” On the outlook moving forward: “This coming week, we’ll get in game mode, watch the tape and make some improvements to help us to continue to win. We don’t always play perfectly, but we play with a lot of heart and toughness, and that helps us get the job done.” CLEMSON QB KELLY BRYANT On getting back on the field: “It was good. This being my first game as a senior... it’s special. I’m just trying to soak it up and enjoy it. It was good to see everyone play against another opponent other than against Clemson in practice, and we’re going to enjoy it.” Oh his play today: “I managed it. It could have been better but in the end, we did what we had to do. I did the job; we moved the ball and put some points on the board.” On changes after halftime: “Nothing changed. We went out with the same demeanor. We just had to keep attacking and execute. CLEMSON QB TREVOR LAWRENCE On playing his first game: “It was awesome. I’ve been waiting on it for a while [and have] been practicing hard. It [was] good to finally get out there.” On hardest in-game adjustments: “Everyone says speed, but it’s probably defenses. Defenses change-up post-snap and things like that.” On difference in comfort during second half: “It felt a lot more comfortable, for sure. Getting [into] a routine and a rhythm [made] going out for the second half a lot more comfortable than the first one.” On going through the quarterback battle since spring: “It’s been really good and it’s definitely made me better. I think it’s made Kelly [Bryant] a lot better, too, just from competing. We have a good relationship, so that’s good for the rest of the team.” CLEMSON DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES On the performance of team: “I loved our attitude coming out of the locker room. We were ready to play and played with passion and energy. We were very intense and physical. I thought our guys were really excited to play today, and we played to our standard. I think we saw 34 guys play today on defense, and that will pay off in dividends. It’s good to reward guys for their work, and I’m pleased with a lot of guys. I thought our guys up front, from the onset, set the tone for the day.” On contribution from younger players: “It builds their confidence and gets their jitters out. This is a developmental game, and the more they play, the better they are going to get, even through failure. As we continue to develop our depth across the board, this will be a great start for some of those guys in their careers.” CLEMSON DE K.J. HENRY On the excitement and the energy in Memorial Stadium: “It was everything. I was talking to Dexter [Lawrence] on the bus, and we couldn’t really prepare for something like that. There were recruits out there, and we were on that bus to the Hill. Just really being a part of a team [was exciting]. We’ve been a part of it for eight months now, waiting for it come, and we finally got out there and had fun. I wasn’t even ready for it.” On the play of the defense: “We played well. It was a great scheme with great coaching. But, as a whole, I think we played very well.” On his fumble recovery: “That happened so fast. I have to give a shoutout to Shaq [Smith]. He was the one who knocked it loose, and I just saw the ball and went for it. It was a great play, and that’s all to God. That ball was right there for me...it wasn’t anything spectacular. I was the one who got credit for it, but the other 10 guys did their job even though I was the only one who got credit for it.” FURMAN HEAD COACH CLAY HENDRIX On overall performance of the team: “Hats off to Clemson...they were as advertised. I thought our defense played really well for about a half. When that call right was overturned before halftime, they came down and scored, and we gave up two scores. Offensively, we struggled all day, but I thought our kids fought and hung in there. We’ll watch some tape, and there’ll be some good and bad stuff. The two freshman quarterbacks, I thought, handled themselves pretty well under the circumstances. I like this bunch. We just have to go back and get better. We certainly won’t see another group like this for the rest of the year. At least, I hope we don’t.” On moving forward with the season: “We did some things well. In every game you find out what you did well, and you identify the things that you did poorly..maybe we have to move some people around and get our best people in the [game]. You learn every week and every day is different. We knew it was going to be a challenge coming in, and it certainly was.” |