Another week, another win: Clemson 9-0 after whipping Wofford
Clemson entered the championship phase of its season with yet another record-breaking performance, as the Tigers blasted Wofford 59-14 Saturday afternoon at Death Valley.
The Tigers played their starting offense the entire first half and one drive in the third quarter, with Trevor Lawrence and company scoring touchdowns on seven of their eight possessions.
Lawrence accounted for four touchdowns, passing for 218 yards and three scores and rushing for 33 yards and a TD as Clemson led 49-0 early in the third quarter before Wofford finally got on the board.
No. 4 Clemson (9-0, 6-0) scored 45 points for the fourth consecutive game for the first time in school history in the win and also topped 600 yards of offense in back-to-back games for the first time ever. The undefeated Tigers will find out where they stand in the first College Football Playoff rankings this coming week.
“November football, it’s a little crisper in the air and things kind of ramp up a little bit. I think you saw that with our team,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Today was a day where a lot of history was made, to be honest with you. Super proud of our offense.”
Tigers running back Travis Etienne had a career day, needing only nine carries to reach 212 yards and two touchdowns. Etienne now has 48 rushing touchdowns for his career, breaking the school record previously held by former Tigers star James Davis.
The Tigers finished with 702 yards of offense while holding Wofford to 256. Clemson held its opponent to under 300 yards of offense for the ninth consecutive game in the win.
“Super proud of our guys. Obviously it was a team that didn’t match up great with us on paper, but I’ve been in a lot of those games over the years and you’ve still gotta play well,” Swinney said. “I’m just really proud of the mindset that our team had. Unbelievably focused, great energy.”
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Travis Etienne reached 200-plus yards for the second time this season and the third time in his career. Etienne is the only running back in Clemson history with three 200-plus yard games.
Play of the game: Clemson was already leading 21-0 early in the second quarter when Travis Etienne sprinted 86 yards nearly untouched for a touchdown. Etienne broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and was off to the races, scoring his second touchdown of the day.
Stat of the game: 438: Clemson had 438 yards of offense in the first half alone as the Tigers jumped out to a 42-0 halftime lead.
OBSERVATIONS
Clemson came out focused: The Tigers had their foot on the gas from the opening snap, quickly grabbing control and never looking back.
Another Potter miss: Tigers kicker B.T. Potter missed another short field goal as he was wide right on a 35-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter. Potter did bounce back to make a 35-yard field goal later in the game, but he needs to be more consistent.
Tigers still working on depth: Clemson allowed a pair of second half touchdowns, as Ryan Lovelace scored on a 20-yard run in the third quarter and D’mauriae VanCleave caught a 79-yard touchdown pass later in the third.
NEXT
Who: No. 4 Clemson (9-0, 6-0) at N.C. State 4-4 (1-3)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
Where: Raleigh, N.C.
TV: ABC
This story was originally published November 2, 2019 at 6:59 PM.
