Football

CLEMSON WINS DEATH VALLEY HALLOWEEN THRILLER 30-20 OVER FSU, EXTENDING NATION'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK TO 32

2021-10-31 10:15:18
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By Trevor Groves

CLEMSON, SC - The Tigers win another Death Valley thriller! It's ironic that their first time scoring 30 points and winning by two scores against an FBS opponent this season came thanks to a crazy desperation play by FSU and a goal-line review with no time on the clock! That play made hundreds of thousands of gamblers very happy and about the same number very angry because the score made the Tigers cover the 9.5 point spread and also pushed the point total for the game over the over/under threshold. Personally, it made me look good because my score prediction was 31-17. If there had been one second left on the clock, the Tigers would have kicked an extra point to give them 31 points. Never the less, it was yet another nail-biter for Clemson Nation, and every game against FBS opponents has been that way for the Tigers this season. Technically, the game doesn't count as a one-score win thanks to the crazy last play, but in essence, it was a one-score game. If you count this one as such, the Tigers are now 31-7 in such games since 2011, by far the best win percentage in the nation over that span! It is truly remarkable how regularly the Tigers win these types of games, especially this season with an unprecedented number of injuries on both sides of the ball.

Despite the fact that this was the first meeting of Clemson and Florida State with neither team ranked since 2010, the game still had that intense, big-game rivalry feel. Not to mention the animas from last season when the Tigers paid to travel down to Tallahassee, only for the Seminoles to use Covid as a last-minute excuse not to suffer another humiliating home loss against the Tigers. The previous meeting in Tallahassee was a 59-10 Clemson win in 2018, the worst loss in FSU history, and the Noles wanted no part of that again last year with an already dismal record. But FSU came into this one with a renewed confidence and momentum after winning 3 straight games with Jordan Travis as the starting quarterback, and the Tigers are obviously the most vulnerable they've been in 7 years with a struggling offense and unprecedented injuries.

The game was listed as a sellout, but there were probably about 70-75,000 on hand, probably due to the weather and the disappointing loss last week at Pitt. Still, it was an electric atmosphere in Death Valley, especially in the second half! Dabo said several times this week that the team would need the fans to show up, and the fans answered the call.

The Tigers led for most of the game, but it was back-and-forth early and late. Sophomore RB Kobe Pace was out with Covid, so everyone knew that it was going to be up to the two freshmen backs, Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, to carry the load offensively, and boy did they do just that! Shipley, of course, returned from injury last week at Pitt and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Before his injury, he was emerging as a force, scoring 5 touchdowns in 3 games, but he had his best game in his young career when the Tigers really needed it against FSU. He rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in his career and scored 2 big touchdowns, including the fourth quarter game-winner, averaging 5.1 yards on 25 carries. Dabo has often called him a relentless runner, and it showed on that 21-yard tackle-breaking gallop to put the Tigers up for good, 24-20.

Shipley's roommate and fellow freshman, Phil Mafah, demonstrated his tackle-breaking ability as well, turning in a 63-yard run that set up the Tigers' first touchdown to regain the lead 10-6. It is the longest play of the season for the Tigers, which illustrates how much this offense has struggled in 8 games compared to years past, when they had explosive plays like that one in just about every game. The ensuing touchdown was a beautiful pass by DJ to Davis Allen on a fade route to the corner of the end zone. We have seen very few fades called this season compared to recent years, when we would see several every game to players like Tee Higgins and Mike Williams, especially in the red zone. I never would have foreseen TE Davis Allen's number called on a fade, but it was executed to perfection on 3rd and 7 after a timeout by Dabo.

DJ made several other fantastic, accurate throws, but he also made some of the same frustrating mistakes we've seen all season. He was off target on a great diving catch by freshman TE Jake Briningstool that would have went for a lot more yards and obviously had the fumble that was taken into the end zone by DE Jermaine Johnson. The Tigers did a good job neutralizing the talented pass rusher, who came in with 6.5 sacks, but he came free on that play, and it gave the Seminoles a fourth quarter lead. DJ also under-threw a pass to Ngata that was intercepted, and he made an ill-advised pass to EJ Williams after he fell down and got back up. The defender was draped all over him and was able to strip the ball out for a fumble. DJ should have just thrown that at his feet and lived to play another down. The interception was a poor throw and poor decision, but Ngata should have come back to the ball and fought to ensure the DB couldn't catch it, so that one isn't just on DJ. Still, I think it's clear to see that DJ is making progress. It was great to see Tony Elliott call for some shots down field. Even though they didn't complete them, Beaux Collins drew a couple big pass interference penalties, and just taking those shots opens up the run game. The offensive line also played relatively well, considering it was their 8th different lineup in 8 games and they were without their anchor, Matt Bockhorst, who suffered a career-ending torn ACL early in the Pitt game last week. Center Mason Trotter and guard Will Putnam went down during the game, and I'll get an update on their status when I talk to Dabo on Sunday evening. They had a couple false starts and gave up 3 sacks, but they did a good job opening some run lanes for Shipley.

The defense was phenomenal, as they have been all season long despite enormous losses from injuries. Jordan Travis may be the toughest quarterback in the nation to sack, but the defense was able to get him down 6 times. He has been sacked just twice in the last 3 games and had none at UNC a couple weeks ago. Myles Murphy had one of his best games with 2.5 sacks and a blocked PAT, which turned out to be huge late in the game, giving the Tigers a 4-point lead instead of 3. They also did a great job against the FSU backs, who were each averaging over 7 yards per carry coming into the game. FSU was held to just 65 yards rushing and 1.9 yards per carry. Having DT Tyler Davis fully back had a lot to do with that! He made his early return from a torn bicep last week at Pitt, but the staff limited him to just 25 snaps to be cautious.

There was one coverage bust on the first-down wheel route that went for a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but the offense responded with a huge 83-yard touchdown drive to regain the lead. Last week, the defense was unable to get Pitt off the field in the 4th quarter to give the offense a chance to cut into the 10-point deficit. In fact, the offense had just one possession in the 4th quarter at Pitt, and it was a touchdown drive led by DJ after coming back from being benched. This time, however, the defense was able to force a punt with under 4 minutes left, and the offense responded with the game-winning score by Shipley. It was one of the few times this season that we've seen real complimentary football from this team, and it was great to see the offense come through in the clutch when they had to have a score. And, of course, the crazy score by freshman Barrett Carter with no time left was just the icing on the cake! The biggest disappointment, other than the long touchdown, were the offsides penalties in the first half. We haven't seen it much from the defense this season, but it was very similar to the NC State game, in which a couple big offsides penalties on 3rd down led to an NC State touchdown and probably cost them the game. It seemed like Jordan Travis was doing a good job getting them to bite on the hard count. I asked Venables about it after the game and could tell that he was very upset about it, but fortunately, the defense came through in the end and won the game.

Obviously, it was a rough game for BT Potter, who was 8/9 on field goals after making a 47-yarder for the first score of the game. After that, it was like he forgot how to kick. He hooked a 49-yarder badly, missed a 37-yarder barely wide right and then shanked a 30-yarder off the goal post. Dabo said after the game that he hit his foot in the ground on that last one, but obviously those misses nearly cost the Tigers the game. I'm sure Dabo was relieved that Shipley scored that touchdown so he didn't have to decide whether to run Potter back out there or backup Aidan Swanson to attempt a game-tying field goal. Potter has been incredible all season and is the main reason the Tigers were able to beat Boston College, so I'm happy for him that the team was able to overcome his off day. I expect he'll be able to put it behind him quickly and return to the reliable kicker we're used to!

It was a fantastic day in Death Valley, and I'm sure Arch Manning (seen below) enjoyed his visit. I know he and his parents received the Orange Carpet treatment from Dabo and the staff! It was also great to have Tommy Bowden back in Memorial Stadium for the first time since he was the head coach in 2008. Clemson paid tribute to his father, the late, great Bobby Bowden, who passed away from cancer over the summer, and Tommy received a nice standing ovation from the Clemson faithful.

The Tigers have won 6 straight over FSU (7 if you count last year's forfeit), which is the most by any ACC program, and the nation's longest active home win streak is now 32 games! The Tigers' 10-win season streak of 10 years is still hanging in the balance. They have to win out in the regular season and either win the ACC Championship or a bowl game in order to keep the streak alive. I know many Clemson fans have given up on a 7th straight ACC title, but it's not over, folks. With NC State's loss at Miami last week, the Tigers are still very much alive. They will have to win out, of course, but it's very possible State could lose another game, perhaps to UNC. And if Wake loses to NC State and Clemson, that would mean a 3-way tie in the Atlantic. I did some research, and in the 15 years of separate ACC divisions, 14 teams have won their division with 2 or more losses. Two of those were Clemson, in 2009 and 2011. Four teams have won their division with 3 or more losses! So don't give up just yet! If the Tigers will finally stop losing players to injury and continue improving on offense, it's not beyond the realm of possibility. Much crazier things have happened!

Be sure to check back on Sunday evening for our Zoom call with Dabo. Post-game interviews, highlights and notes are below!

WITH THE WIN.....

Clemson won its 32nd consecutive home game to extend its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak). Of the 132 players on Clemson’s 2021 roster, 127 have never experienced a home loss in their Clemson careers. Five sixth-year “super seniors” on Clemson’s 2021 roster were on the 2016 team that recovered from a home loss to Pitt by winning the national championship that season.
Clemson passed 1890-93 Yale, 1990-95 Texas A&M and 2001-05 Boise State (31 each) for sole possession of the 18th-longest home winning streak in FBS history.
Clemson improved to 29-7 in games following a loss under Dabo Swinney, including season openers following a loss in the previous season finale. Clemson has not lost back-to-back games in the same season since November 2011.
Clemson has now won six consecutive games against Florida State for the first time in series history.
Clemson, which was already the first school to defeat Florida State in ACC play in five consecutive games, pushed that ACC-first winning streak against the Seminoles to six straight games. (Note: Miami previously defeated Florida State in six straight games from 2000-04, including a bowl game, but only the final game of that streak came during Miami’s ACC membership.)
Clemson earned its 14th all-time victory against Florida State.
Clemson improved to 9-8 against the Seminoles in Death Valley all-time to give Clemson the advantage in its all-time home record against Florida State for the first time in series history.
Clemson earned its fourth straight home win against the Seminoles and earned its 10th win in 11 home games against Florida State since 2003.
Clemson defeated an ACC Atlantic Division opponent for the 40th time in its last 42 opportunities. Those figures include games against traditional Atlantic opponents in a divisionless season in 2020.
Clemson improved to 113-13 against AP-unranked teams under Dabo Swinney. The win made Clemson 90-3 against unranked teams since the start of the 2012 season.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney pushed his all-time record against Florida State to 8-5. His eight current wins against Florida State exceed all other coaches in Clemson history combined (Tommy Bowden, 4; Danny Ford, 1; Red Parker, 1).
Swinney earned his 145th career win in his 14th season (including an interim stint in 2008) to tie Mark Richt (145) for fifth-most wins through the first 15 seasons of a coaching career in FBS history.
Clemson improved to 29-2 in October games in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).
Clemson improved to 56-5 against ACC opponents (including postseason play) since the start of the 2015 season.
Clemson improved to 72-6 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season. All six of Clemson's regular season losses in that span have been decided by a final margin of 10 or fewer points.
Clemson led 17-13 at halftime and has now won 92 of its last 94 games, including each of its last 55, when leading at halftime.
Though Clemson would later trail in the fourth quarter, Clemson led 17-13 after a scoreless third quarter and is now 114-2 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.
Clemson recorded 22 first downs to Florida State’s 11 and now has a 111-2 record when totaling more first downs than its opponent since 2011.
After holding Florida State to 20 points in the win, Clemson has now won 94 of its last 95 games when holding teams under 23 points (dates to 2010), including 89 straight prior to a season-opening 10-3 loss to Georgia in 2021.
GAME NOTES

Clemson trailed by three with fewer than eight minutes to play. The game was Clemson’s first comeback win in a game it trailed in the fourth quarter since last season against Boston College, when Clemson won by six after trailing by two early in the fourth quarter.
Clemson held Florida State to a season-low 65 rushing yards. Florida State entered the game averaging 230.0 rushing yards per game, 13th-most in the country and second-most in the ACC.
Clemson’s 377 yards included 188 rushing yards and 189 passing yards. The one-yard differential between rushing and passing yards represents the closest Clemson has been to exact run-pass yardage balance since 2009, when Clemson threw for 242 yards and rushed for 241 yards — another one-yard differential — in another win against Florida State.
Clemson’s 188 rushing yards were its third-most of the season. Clemson has now exceeded 150 rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time since games against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame last December.
Clemson has rushed for a touchdown in seven straight games and has rushed for multiple scores in back-to-back games for the second time this season (vs. South Carolina State and Georgia Tech).
Clemson scored 30 points in the contest, its second performance of 30 or more points this season and its most against an FBS opponent.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 19-of-31 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Running back Will Shipley rushed for 128 rushing yards on 25 carries, both career highs, with a career-high-tying two rushing touchdowns.
Shipley’s 100-yard performance was Clemson’s second of the season, joining Kobe Pace’s 125-yard game against Boston College.
Shipley recorded the first 100-yard rushing performance by a Clemson true freshman since Nov. 3, 2018, when Lyn-J Dixon had 116 yards on four carries against Louisville.
Clemson improved to 54-2 when having a 100-yard rusher since 2011.
Shipley’s 128 rushing yards were the most by a Clemson player since Travis Etienne’s 149 against Miami (Fla) last October.
Shipley’s 25 carries were the most by a Clemson player since Etienne’s 28 carries against South Carolina in 2018. Shipley was not tackled for a loss on any of his 25 carries, gaining positive yardage on 22 carries and getting back to the line of scrimmage on the other three carries.
Shipley pushed his rushing touchdown total on the season to seven, passing Chuck McSwain (six in 1979) for fifth-most by a Clemson true freshman in school history.
Shipley recorded his third game with multiple rushing touchdowns, joining Etienne (four in 2017), C.J. Spiller (three in 2006) and James Davis (three in 2005) as the only Clemson true freshmen to record at least three games with multiple rushing touchdowns in a season since 2000.
Clemson opened the scoring on a season-long 47-yard field goal from B.T. Potter.
Clemson has scored first in each of its last seven games. The lone game this season in which Clemson did not score first was the season opener against Georgia.
Clemson improved to 63-4 when scoring first since 2015.
Running back Phil Mafah recorded a career-long 63-yard run in the second quarter. It was Clemson’s longest play of the season, surpassing a 59-yard rush by Kobe Pace against Boston College. It was the longest Clemson rush since Travis Etienne’s 72-yard touchdown run against Miami on Oct. 10, 2020.
Mafah finished the game with a career-high 69 yards, surpassing his 58 against Boston College.
Tight end Davis Allen recorded his first touchdown of the season on an 11-yard pass from Uiagalelei in the second quarter.
The receiving touchdown was the fifth of Allen’s career and his first since Nov. 7, 2020 at Notre Dame.
On the PAT following Allen’s touchdown, Potter (167 career PATs) passed Aaron Hunt (164 from 2000-03) for third in Clemson history in career PATs.
Shipley, who returned last week from a leg injury suffered in late September at NC State, scored on a two-yard run with 3:41 remaining in the second quarter. It was his first touchdown since that contest at NC State.
With that touchdown by Shipley and the victory, Clemson is now 54-2 since 2015 when outscoring opponents in the “Middle Eight,” defined as the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.
Shipley scored his second touchdown of the game on a 21-yard touchdown run with 2:53 remaining to give Clemson the lead.
Wide receiver Justyn Ross gained a season-high 85 yards on a team-high six receptions. His 85 yards were his most since the 2019 ACC Championship Game, when he recorded 94 yards against Virginia.
With the six receptions, Ross (151) passed Perry Tuttle (150) for 11th on Clemson's leaderboard for career receptions.
Ross (2,291) also passed Jerry Butler (2,223) for 11th on Clemson’s leaderboard for career receiving yards.
Ross extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 35. He is one game shy of tying Jerry Butler (36 consecutive games from 1975-78) for the third-longest streak of consecutive games with a catch in school history.
Tight end Jake Briningstool recorded his first career reception on an 11-yard pass from Uiagalelei in the second quarter.
Safety Andrew Mukuba recorded Clemson’s first takeaway of the game in the fourth quarter, recovering a fumble by Florida State’s Treshaun Ward. It was the first fumble recovery of Mukuba’s career.
Clemson recorded a takeaway for a ninth consecutive game, dating to last season, for the first time since in 2019.
Clemson won the game despite finishing minus-one in the turnover margin. It was Clemson’s 36th victory in a game in which it lost the turnover margin under Dabo Swinney.
Linebacker Barrett Carter scored a three-yard fumble return touchdown on the game’s final play. It was Clemson’s first defensive touchdown of the season and its first since an interception return touchdown on Dec. 5, 2020 at Virginia Tech.
Florida State scored a fumble return touchdown earlier in the contest, making the game Clemson’s first in which both teams scored a defensive touchdown since 2014 against South Carolina State (Jadar Johnson 60-yard interception return touchdown for Clemson; Dominique Mitchell 35-yard fumble return for SC State).
Clemson recorded a season-high six sacks, its most since last year’s ACC Championship Game against Notre Dame. Entering the game, Clemson’s season high in sacks was four, set in home games against Georgia Tech and Boston College.
Defensive end Myles Murphy recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks, surpassing his 2.0 sacks in his first career game at Wake Forest in 2020.
Linebacker Trenton Simpson added a sack and has now recorded a sack in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
Defensive end Xavier Thomas recorded a sack to give him a single-season career-high 4.5 sacks on the year.
Linebacker Baylon Spector, defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and defensive tackle Etinosa Reuben all added a half-sack each. For Reuben, the half-sack was the first of his career.
Defensive end Xavier Thomas forced a fumble on a third-quarter sack, his career-hgh second forced fumble of the season and the fourth forced fumble of his career.
Clemson recorded a fourth-down stop on fourth-and-1 on Florida State’s first drive of the second half. Clemson had entered the game tied for 105th in the FBS in fourth-down defense, as opponents were 6-for-9 on the year.
Murphy recorded a blocked PAT on Florida State’s first attempt in the first quarter. It was Clemson’s first blocked kick of the season and the first of Murphy’s career.
The blocked PAT by Murphy was Clemson’s first blocked placekick since Bryan Bresee blocked a field goal attempt at Wake Forest in the 2020 season opener. It was the first blocked PAT since Christian Wilkins blocked a Louisville PAT on Nov. 3, 2018.
Punter Will Spiers started his 64th game to add to his school record for career starts. Wide receiver/holder Will Swinney's career total as Clemson's primary holder parallels Spiers' run as starting punter.
Spiers, Swinney and linebacker James Skalski each playing in their 64th career games to extend their school record for most career games played.
Clemson’s final PAT of the game was the 500th placekicking point for which Swinney has held in his career.
Punt returner Will Brown recorded a career-long 17-yard punt return in the second quarter.
Captains for the contest were defensive tackle Tyler Davis, defensive end K.J. Henry, offensive lineman Will Putnam and wide receiver Will Swinney.

MORE CLEMSON FOOTBALL COVERAGE HERE

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