Clemson Tigers @ Maryland Terrapins Football Recap

Clemson 56, Maryland 45

The columns were written. The dirt shoveled on the Tigers’ national-title hopes.

Clemson was being “Clemson” – living up to a well-earned reputation of falling flat in big-time situations.

The home Terps mounted an eight-play, 80 yard drive to open the second half and take a commanding 35-17 lead on a young Tigers team.

But thanks almost single-handedly to the second-half performance by freshman receiver Sammy Watkins – this wasn’t another “Clemson” performance in a 56-45 Tigers win.

The 18-point comeback, in a game where the teams combined for 101 points, surprisingly enough, wasn’t sparked by the Clemson offense.

In fact, they went three-and-out after the aforementioned Maryland scoring drive and punted again, giving a Terrapins offense, which hadn’t been stopped all night, the ball again.

Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown fired a first-down pass, which Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland cut-in on off a Terps crossing pattern to pick off and return it to the Maryland 15-yard line.

The only Terps’ turnover of the night set up Watkins’ first acrobatic touchdown catch, a 13-yard grab on third-and-eight to draw within 11 points, but Maryland (2-4, 1-2 ACC) answered again – another 80-yard drive, this time, only managing a field goal.

The tide was turning.

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After Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) hit back with a field goal, the defense stepped up again – stopping their first drive on downs of the second half, which broke the game wide-open.

The quarterback Tajh Boyd to Watkins connection came up big again – a 51-yard reception preceding the second-acrobatic touchdown catch by Watkins – tip-toeing the back of the endzone for the score to bring Clemson the closest since Maryland’s first score, down 38-35 going into the fourth quarter.

Another Clemson defensive stand kept the second-half scoring run going strong, this time with a sustained drive of 12 plays and 80 yards punctuated by another Boyd touchdown pass – a 12-yard throw to receiver Jaron Brown capturing the Tigers’ first lead since mid-first quarter, 42-38.

The Terps weren’t going quietly into the night though, as Maryland's Brown connected with tight end Matt Furstenburg for a 32-yard touchdown off a middle-screen - knifing through the Clemson defense to regain the Maryland lead, 45-42 with 7:35 to go.

It lasted 11 seconds.

After muffing a punt earlier which set up a Maryland touchdown, Clemson’s Watkins went untouched 89 yards on the ensuing kickoff to give the Tigers a 49-45 advantage with 7:24 left in the game.

Six minutes to go, the Terps faced a fourth-and-nine from the Clemson 41-yard line – the rushing-centered attack had carved up the defense all night, but this time, they needed a clutch pass and instead, the Tigers received a clutch pass breakup by cornerback Coty Sensabaugh.

Clemson running back Andre Ellington put the exclamation mark on the comeback three plays later with a 44-yard dash to the endzone for your final score, 56-45.

Name a Clemson school record, and it was probably set by Watkins Saturday night. Through seven games, he surpassed the mark for freshman receiving yards (624), and against Maryland, his 345 all-purpose yards broke the single-game record set by C.J. Spiller.

After five turnovers in their first six games, two against the Terps in the first quarter, a pick-six and muffed punt, put the Tigers in an early 14-3 hole.

Ellington rushed for a career-high 212 yards and punched in two touchdowns, while after a rough start, Boyd was 13-for-17 with 172 passing yards and three touchdowns in the second half (26-for-38 with 270 yards, four touchdowns and a pick on the game).

By: Brandon Rink
DFN Sports Staff Writer