#4 FSU Extends Winning Streak To 10 With A 31-24 Win At Clemson
It had been seven straight meetings since Florida State last beat Clemson which came in overtime in Tallahassee, and it took overtime to break that streak on Saturday with the Seminoles winning 31-24 on the road to extend their winning streak to 10 games.
After Clemson missed a 20-yard field goal that would have given them a lead with 1:45 left in the game, FSU had an opportunity to break the 24-24 tie in regulation but eventually turned the ball over on downs after driving to the Tigers’ 39 with :18 left.
The home-standing Tigers won the coin toss and elected to go on defense first. After a 1-yard rush on the Noles’ first play in overtime, Jordan Travis lofted a perfect pass to Keon Coleman just over the goal line on the right side and he leapt over the defenders to make the 24-yard touchdown catch.
Clemson’s first play on their possession was an incompletion then Will Shipley nearly reached the first down marker with a 9-yard run up the middle. Facing third and short, the Tigers threw a completed pass to the left sideline where the Seminole defense stuffed it for no gain. Cade Klubnick’s pass on fourth down sailed over the head of a covered receiver to end the game 31-24.
FSU relied on the arm of Travis who completed 21-of-37 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns against a Tiger defense determined to stop the Seminole running game which managed just 22 yards on 20 attempts.
FSU receivers Coleman and Johnny Wilson each had five receptions with Coleman scoring two touchdowns and gaining 86 yards while Wilson had a team-leading 94 receiving yards.
Klubnick was 25-of-38 through the air for 283 yards and one touchdown. Shipley, who rushed for over 100 yards the last two times against FSU, was held to 67 yards on 18 attempts and the Tigers managed just 146 yards on the day.
Florida State’s defense was led by linebacker Kalen Deloach who had 12 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass broken up and caused a fumble on a crushing quarterback sack then picked it up and raced 56 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 24-24.
Clemson opened the scoring in the ACC showdown with a 30-yard field goal with 1:47 left in the first quarter. The Tigers drove 79 yards on 15 plays and burned just over six minutes off the clock. The drive included a fourth down conversion on 4th-and-1 on the FSU 49.
The Tigers took a 10-0 lead with 11:33 remaining in the half. A short punt set Clemson up at their 49 and they took seven plays to cover 51 yards with Klubnick scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak.
After gaining just 21 yards on its previous two drives, FSU’s offense put it together driving 75 yards on 13 plays to make it 10-7 on a seven-yard pass from Travis to a wide-open Coleman. The drive was not without its challenges as the Seminoles converted a 4th-and-1 on their own 47 when Travis kept the ball and stretched just over the line.
Clemson made it 17-7 on the ensuing drive on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Klubnick to Shipley who was split out on the right side. The 71-yard drive took just 7 plays. Klubnicks 33-yard pass to his tight end was the biggest play moving the ball to the Noles’ 12.
FSU struck like lightning on its next possession and needed to as it took over on its own 25 with 2:12 left in the first half. Travis completed passes of 11, 38 and 8 yards and Clemson was called for interference on another to put FSU at the 2. Travis followed the right side of the Seminole line into the end zone to make it 17-14 at the half.
Neither team could find any running room in the first half with FSU gaining just 20 yards on the ground to Clemson’s 36. Travis completed 12-of-17 for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Klubnick was 13-of-18 for 190 yards and a TD for the Tigers. Coleman led FSU receivers over the initial stanza with four catches for 69 yards.
Ryan Fitzgerald knotted the score at 17-17 with a clutch 48-yard field goal on the Seminole’s opening possession of the second half.
Clemson regained the lead 23-17 in the third quarter on an 11-play, 77-yard drive with Shipley scoring on a 1-yard run with 3:32 left. Klubnick completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive despite near sacks on three occasions.
In what will likely go down as one of the biggest plays of the season, DeLoach silenced a raucous Clemson crowd with a play defenders dream about. Right after a long Clemson run seemed to shift momentum even more the Tiger’s way, DeLoach drilled the Tiger quarterback on a blitz knocking the ball loose, bounced to his feet and grabbed the fumble for a 56-yard scoop-and-score to tie it up again at 24 with :31 left in the quarter.
With 1:45 left in the game, Clemson lined up for a chip shot field goal that would have given them a 27-24 lead but they missed wide left. FSU drove to the Clemson 39-yard line, but could not get in position for a field goal and the pass attempt on fourth down was incomplete with 18 seconds left setting up the dramatic overtime win.
