![]() | |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) -- Brandon Streeter threw for a career-high 343 yards as Tommy Bowden got his first win as Clemson coach in grand style, 33-14 over 19th-ranked and Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia. The Tigers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) scored on their first three possessions, racing to a 17-0 lead and never looking back. Clemson recorded its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating North Carolina State in 1997 and avoided its first 0-2 start in 24 years. Streeter, who recorded his school-record third career 300-yard game, had an 18-yard TD pass to Brian Wofford 3:01 into the contest and added a 15-yard scoring pass to Pat Cyrgalis with 3:44 to go in the opening quarter. Streeter's previous high was 329 yards against North Carolina State last season. Bowden, who came to "Death Valley" after guiding Tulane to an 11-0 mark last season, became the first Clemson coach to win his ACC opener since Red Parker led the Tigers to a 32-27 win over Virginia in 1973. "I think we took a step in the right direction today," Bowden said. "We appreciate what our fans mean to us, and they are going to have a little more patience a little while longer because there is a lot of work to be done with this team." Travis Zachery, suspended for Clemson's season-opening loss to Marshall for violating team rules, added a two-yard touchdown run early in the second half and Javis Austin scored from three yards as the Tigers scored the first 33 points of the game. Virginia (1-1, 1-1) ended up with a split of its two-game road trip against conference opponents. The Cavaliers started their season with a thrilling 20-17 victory at North Carolina last week. It marked the first time an ACC school opened with consecutive conference road games since the Tar Heels did so in 1969. "We are now in dire straits," Cavaliers coach George Welsh said. "We just did not execute. We tackled like a high school team. We didn't hit anybody. We just had one of those days. A lot of this game is in the head, and we were just not there." Linebacker Braxton Williams set up the Clemson offense, sacking Virginia quarterback Dan Ellis on the first possession of the game. Defensive tackle Jason Holloman recovered the fumble at the Virginia 43, and Streeter went 4-for-5 for 41 yards on the ensuing drive, finding Wofford to make it 7-0. Streeter picked up where he left off on the second Clemson possession, going 5-for-5 for 64 yards, including a 35-yarder to Justin Watts to the Virginia 44. He capped the drive by finding Cyrgalis, a freshman fullback who had his first collegiate touchdown. Tony Lazzara added a 33-yard field goal with 11:08 left in the first half and booted a 21-yarder with 52 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive and extend Clemson's lead to 20-0. Streeter had 232 yards passing in the first half, completing 17-of-23 passes. Wofford, who finished with a career-high 143 yards on eight receptions, had seven for 101 in the first 30 minutes. "I thought Streeter did an outstanding job with his passing, hitting his receivers who managed to run a good route and shaking their defensive man," Bowden added. "Brandon works real hard during the week, and it was great to see it pay off for him today." Clemson continued its methodical dominance of the Cavaliers, taking the second-half kickoff 77 yards in nine plays. Streeter completed 5-of-6 passes for 64 yards before Zachery bounced off right tackle from two yards to make it 27-0. Ellis went 19-of-33 for 233 yards with one touchdown for Virginia, which surrendered five sacks. Clemson, which won the first 29 games of the series, holds a commanding 33-5-1 record in the all-time rivalry.
|