|
 Boyd led the eighth-ranked Tigers to a 55-31 victory over Georgia
Tech on Thursday night, throwing four touchdown passes to move past
ex-North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers for the most in
Atlantic Coast Conference history.
Boyd was grateful for the record and even more pleased he
accomplished it under offensive coordinator Chad Morris.
"It's pretty sweet," Boyd said. "It's a special thing. It's special
for me, special for the team, special for coach Morris because we've
grown so much as people in general and players under his system."
Boyd also ran for a touchdown.
As Boyd's career comes to a close, he's doing all he can to bring
the Tigers a special season although he threw a scare into just
about everyone at Death Valley as he lay on the turf in pain after
injuring his collarbone. But after some X-rays in the locker room,
Boyd was his spirited self on the sidelines — and even asked Morris
if he could go back in down the stretch just to loosen up.
Of course, Morris said "No." Clemson was already ahead 41-24.
Don't expect Morris to ease up on the reins this week in prepping
for FCS opponent Citadel. "I think he's all right," Morris said of
Boyd. "We won't do anything different than we normally do in
practice. He's not live. He's going to throw it a little bit and run
it a little bit."
Boyd's a big reason why the Tigers did not collapse after the
demoralizing loss to Florida State nearly a month ago. Boyd was
chased around and beaten down in a 51-14 loss to the second-ranked
Seminoles, who scored the most points by an opponent in Death
Valley's history.
It took some time to get Boyd and the Tigers cranked up again. They
started slowly at Maryland a week later before pulling away in the
second half for a 40-27 victory. The Tigers built on that the next
week, bombarding Virginia 59-10 as Boyd threw for 377 yards and
three touchdowns.
Morris says Boyd is his own worst enemy at times, trying too hard to
make the perfect play instead of simply enjoying the game.
Boyd acknowledged that, too, and has worked to bring the fun back to
his game.
"It was about getting in the zone, feeling good about ourselves,
feeling good about the game plan, feeling confident," Boyd said.
"That's what we wanted to do."
[to top of second column] |
Five things we learned from Clemson's victory: BOYD'S PLAY: Tajh Boyd continued his bounce back from the Florida
State loss that damaged his reputation nationally and dropped him
out of the Heisman Trophy race. Boyd has thrown for 300 yards the
past three games, all Clemson's victories, and might've gone for 400
against Georgia Tech if not for hurting his collarbone and coming
out as a precaution.
CLEMSON'S GOT RECEIVERS: Sammy Watkins had two touchdowns and his
seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season. But he was far from
the only standout receiver. Martavis Bryant caught five passes for a
career-high 176 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown pass from Boyd
after Georgia Tech had cut a 20-point lead to 20-7. Freshman Mike
Williams had three grabs for 45 yards, including a pretty 4-yard TD
catch.
GEORGIA TECH'S STRUGGLES: The Yellow Jackets have an offense made
for perfect for ball control and playing keep away. They don't have
one built to dig their way out of big deficits. Georgia Tech didn't
have a first down in the opening half and had three three-and-outs
as Clemson build a 20-0 lead. While the Jackets had a nearly
9-minute edge in time of possession, they couldn't strike quickly
enough or trade jabs with the high-flying Tigers.
"We didn't make very many plays tonight," Georgia Tech coach Paul
Johnson said. "If we make two or three plays on their deep balls
then we have a chance."
DEFENSIVE CLEMSON: The Tigers have struggled to contain Georgia
Tech's option game in recent years — the Yellow Jackets came in with
a 4-2 edge since 2008 — but defensive ends Corey Crawford and Vic
Beasley controlled the line of scrimmage and pressured Tech
quarterback Vad Lee all game. Clemson did allow Robert Godhigh to
account for 229 yards of offense and two touchdowns. Still, it was a
strong showing for a group that was a national joke after allowing
70 points in the Orange Bowl to West Virginia two seasons ago.
CLEMSON'S PATH: Tigers coach Dabo Swinney sounded hollow after
Florida State when he said his team would bounce back. Now, Clemson
is a victory away from a third straight season with 10 or more wins,
something that hasn't happened since it was the ACC's top dog under
Danny Ford in the late 1980s. After FCS Citadel next week, Clemson
tries to break a four-game losing streak to rival South Carolina
with a BCS spot on the line. [Associated
Press; PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
