Clemson thumps Georgia Tech

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney warned his team that if it had a letdown Saturday against Georgia Tech, the Tigers could easily end up on the wrong end of rout, much like they did last year in a 28-6 loss in Atlanta.

The Tigers apparently heeded his warning.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns and Clemson’s defense throttled Georgia Tech’s potent option rushing attack Saturday in a 43-24 victory at Memorial Stadium.

The sixth-ranked Tigers improved to 5-0 and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play while Georgia Tech slipped to 2-4, 0-3. It was Clemson’s 33rd consecutive win against an unranked opponent, the second-longest such streak in the nation.

Clemson, which has led the Football Bowl Subdivision in tackles for losses each of the last two seasons, had 11 tackles for losses and held the Yellow Jackets to 71 yards rushing.

Georgia Tech entered the game ranked sixth nationally with an average of 311 yards per game.

Clemson running back Wayne Gallman rushed for more than 100 yards for a third consecutive game and set the tone for the day when he swept left for a 66-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game.

Gallman finished with 115 yards on 13 carries.

“The best part of our team is we’ve been able to run the football,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “With our ability to stop the run, that’s a pretty good combination.”

Clemson added Greg Huegel’s 21-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage before a fumble by the Tigers deep in their own territory resulted in a 39-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.

But Clemson scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run by Gallman, then recorded a safety on a bad snap on a Georgia Tech punt to push the lead to 17-3 by quarter’s end.

The Tigers outgained Georgia Tech 196-10 in the first quarter.

Watson completed nine consecutive passes during one stretch over the first and second quarters, the last to tight end Jordan Leggett for a 29-yard touchdown and a 26-3 lead on the third play of the second quarter.

Watson completed 21-of-30 passes in amassing his season-high yardage total.

Georgia Tech responded with a 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Thomas to wide-open Clinton Lynch to cut the Tigers’ lead to 26-10 with 5:27 left in the first half.

However, the Tigers closed the half with a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 16-yard scoring toss from Watson to Leggett that provided a 33-10 halftime cushion.

Clemson had 318 total yards at the half while holding the Yellow Jackets to 109 total yards, including 46 on the ground.

“We had so many negative yardage plays,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “For us, we have to establish the run, and we couldn’t do it.”

Clemson didn’t allow the Yellow Jackets a first down until the second quarter, and that came on a penalty.

The Tigers, who wound up with a 537-230 yardage advantage, held Tech without a third-down conversion on its first 10 attempts; the Yellow Jackets finished with one successful third-down try in 12 attempts.

“We’ve gone from being one of the best third-down teams to one of the worst,” Johnson said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my coaching career, being as inept as we are on offense.”

In the second half, Clemson continued its assault as senior running back Zac Brooks scored on a 35-yard run and senior kicker Ammon Lakip added a 42-yard field goal.

The Yellow Jackets had two second-half touchdowns, the first coming when defensive tackle Adam Gotsis recovered a fumble in the end zone after a bad snap by Clemson, and the second on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to Ricky Jeune with 8:52 left.

“When you run the triple option and you can’t the run the football, it’s going to be a long day,” Swinney said. “I really hate we gave up a couple of discipline plays, but it’s kind of a double-edged sword when you play those guys.

“They’ll big-play you in a heartbeat if you’re not disciplined, but as far as the overall day, we were dominant.”