Clemson holds on for ugly win over Troy

Saturday was supposed to be a day for the Clemson offense to get going against a Sun Belt opponent after a lackluster performance last weekend at Auburn. Instead, as the fourth quarter began the Tigers were clinging to a 13-10 lead over five-touchdown underdog Troy.

Clemson ended up taking a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter before hanging on for a 30-24 win, but not before several tense moments at Death Valley.

“I thought (Troy) played well enough to win today, and I thought we played bad enough to lose in a lot of areas,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said.

For most of the day, Clemson’s offense looked nothing like the one that put up more than 500 yards of offense 11 consecutive games to end the 2015 season. The Tigers finished with 414 yards and committed three turnovers against the Trojans.

Deshaun Watson and his receivers were out of synch for most of the afternoon. Watson completing 51 percent of his passes, needing 53 attempts to total 292 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

“The timing’s off a little bit, but we’ll fix it and get on the same page,” Watson said. “We’re better than what we’ve showed the past couple of games. We just missed some opportunities.”

Watson was slowed by several dropped passes, seven by Swinney’s count, and a running game that couldn’t get going.

Other than Watson, five Clemson players carried the ball 20 times for 67 yards.

“I don’t know that we can play worse to be honest with you. I really don’t know if we can play worse,” Swinney said of the offense. “It’s very frustrating because we’re a rhythm offense, and we’re not making the routine plays. Our philosophy is make the routine plays all the time and the impossible most of the time. That’s what we talk about, and we’re not making the routine plays.”

Clemson led 13-10 at halftime thanks to a diving 35-yard touchdown catch by Hunter Renfrow in the corner of the end zone early in the second quarter.

The Tigers added two Greg Huegel field goals in the first half, while Ryan Kay made a field goal for Troy. The Trojans also scored on a Jabir Frye 66-yard run on fourth-and-1.

After a scoreless third quarter, Clemson extended its lead to 20-10 early in the fourth when defensive lineman Christian Wilkins caught a 1-yard pass from Watson.

The Tigers all but put the game away with 10 minutes remaining when Deon Cain caught a 23-yard touchdown pass to give Clemson a 27-10 lead.

Troy added a couple of scores late, while Huegel added a late field goal to go 3-for-3 on the day.

Clemson recovered Troy’s on-side kick attempt with less than a minute left to clinch the victory.

TURNING POINT

With Clemson leading 13-10 early in the fourth quarter, Tigers running back Tyshon Dye was stuffed for no gain at the 1-yard line and a Troy defender stripped the ball at the end of the play and raced 99 yards toward the other end zone. While Dye’s knee didn’t touch the ground, officials ruled a whistle had been blown and Clemson retained possession. The Tigers scored on the next play.

THREE POINTS

Star of the game: Christian Wilkins: The defensive lineman finished second on the team in tackles with seven, had half a tackle for loss and also caught a touchdown pass.

Play of the game: Hunter Renfrow made a spectacular catch to get Clemson on the board, hauling in a Deshaun Watson pass on a scramble drill in the corner of the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown.

Stat of the game: 4:01 – The game lasted four hours and one minute, making it the fourth-longest game in Clemson history.

OBSERVATIONS

Clemson was sleep walking: The Tigers were out of rhythm from the start and didn’t play with much emotion on either side of the ball.

Troy actually didn’t play well: Despite playing the No. 2 team in the country to a six-point game, Troy made plenty of mistakes. The Trojans committed 11 penalties for 95 yards, turned the ball over three times, and finished 0-for-2 on field goal attempts.

Clemson’s offensive line struggled: Deshaun Watson was running for his life for much of the afternoon and took several hits.

NEXT

Who: Clemson vs. SC State

When: Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson

TV: ACC Network

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Clemson holds on for ugly win over Troy."