Clemson Tigers vs N. Texas Mean Green Football Recap

Clemson 35, North Texas 10

Clemson must be disappointed at this effort after all the high hopes it had when it found out Kyle Parker was coming back. 

Despite the lopsided score, the game was close throughout, to the extent that it can be close with a 25-point final margin and a touchdown scored in every quarter (two touchdowns in the second quarter for the Tigers).  Clemson was actually outgained by North Texas.  Parker was a pedestrian 9-for-17 for 170 yards with 2 TDs and an INT.  Clemson actually had three players who averaged double figures per carry, though one of the three had just one rush.  Andre Ellington had 12 rushes for 122 yards and 2 TDs, one of which was a huge 60-yard scamper.  Jaime Harper had 9 carries for 102 yards and a 49-yard dash and a TD.  All in all, the Tigers had a tolerably effective game on the offensive side of the ball, though their effort was certainly not spectacular considering the quality of the opponent.

Defensively, the Tigers really struggled on Saturday.  While Clemson gave up only 10 points, the Mean Green from Denton, Texas, were able to gain all sorts of yards.  North Texas had 269 yards passing and 193 yards rushing, exposing Clemson as having a shaky passing AND rushing defense.  Lance Dunbar carried the load on the ground for UNT, with 23 rushes for 116 yards.

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The game started out with a quick Clemson score.  On the second play from scrimmage, Ellington busted loose for his 60-yard TD run.  On its subsequent possession, UNT managed to burn five minutes while gaining only 19 yards on nine plays, and Clemson got the ball back at its own 20.  The Tigers did nothing with the ball and punted, giving UNT the ball at its own 28.  UNT again burned a lot of clock, but ended up with just 30 yards on 11 plays with no points to show for it.  Likewise, in the second quarter, UNT came up with a 10-play drive that held the ball for nearly seven minutes, but the march gained only 36 yards, and the visitors from the Sun Belt Conference were forced to punt once again.

Clemson made UNT pay with another big play, this time a 70-yard pass from Kyle Parker to Brandon Clear for a TD.  In the next series, UNT drove 66 yards for a quick touchdown  before the half (a drive that took 1:30, ending with just over a minute left) to cut the Tigers’ lead to just 14-7, but Clemson scored even more quickly to extend its lead to two touchdowns at the half after starting at UNT’s 49-yard line due to a 25-yard return by Marcus Gilchrist and a UNT unsportsmanlike penalty.  Parker passed 24 yards to Dwaine Allen and then Jaime Harper added a 17-yard run before Harper capped the drive with an 8-yard pass to Harper for the score just before the half.

In the third quarter, the teams traded possessions a couple times before Clemson again capitalized on good field position, scoring a touchdown on a 4-play, 48-yard drive, capped by an Ellington touchdown run from 14 yards.

UNT closed the third and opened the fourth quarter with an impressive, 72-yard drive inside the Clemson 10, but the Mean Green had to settle for the field goal.  Clemson answered, again aided by great field position.  I tried to find the average starting field position stats, but couldn’t.  Clemson must have had a HUGE edge in this department.  It seemed like the Tigers were always starting at midfield.  Starting at its 49, Clemson scored a final touchdown on a Harper rushing score with about nine minutes to go.

By: John Cary
DFN Sports Staff Writer