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ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler's 11-yard touchdown run on the second possession of the first overtime lifted 25th-ranked Clemson to a wild 47-44 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over No. 11 Georgia Tech. After Luke Manget booted a 33-yard field goal to open overtime, Dantzler called his own number and went straight up the middle to give Tommy Bowden one of his biggest wins in three years at Clemson (3-1, 1-1 ACC). "It was a big win," Bowden said. "A win in the conference is always a big win. But the people back home will get a blast out of this." At the very least, it was the Tigers biggest road victory since topping then-No. 8 North Carolina, 10-8, in 1981. "Let me say that it is probably the biggest road win for Clemson in 20 years," added Bowden, whose team lost to Virginia last week. "That was a big win for this team as far as making a statement." It was the fourth touchdown of the day for Dantzler, who also scored on a 38-yard run on the last play of the first half while throwing for scores of 55 and 63 yards, respectively, after the intermission. Travis Zachery rushed for a pair of TDs for Clemson, which trailed, 19-7, with 2:28 remaining in the opening half following a one-yard TD run by Georgia Tech's Joe Burns and a two-point conversion. Burns rushed 30 times for 126 yards. However, Dantzler's 38-yard TD scamper cut the deficit to five points entering the locker room, giving the visitors a chance to complete the comeback over the final 30-plus minutes. Dantzler comleted 18-of-32 passes for 254 yards. Although he was sacked six times, he still led the Yellow Jackets in rushing with 164 yards on 25 carries. Zachery added 79 yards on 22 attempts. "I wasn't sure how this team would respond after losing last week," said Bowden. "This is a defining game that makes a statement about this team and your ability to draw some strength from within." Manget connected on four field goals, but it was not enough for the Yellow Jackets (3-1, 0-1), who had won four in a row over the Tigers but lost on Saturday despite scoring 15 fourth-quarter points. "Another great Clemson-Georgia Tech game," Yellow Jackets coach George O'Leary said. "Give credit to Clemson, especially Woodrow Dantzler, because they played exceptionally. They made the plays when they had to make them." Clemson grabbed the lead early in the second half when Dantzler hit Matt Bailey for a 55-yard score, but Georgia Tech regained a 26-21 advantage as George Godsey hit Kelly Campbell for a 35-yard TD. Godsey was 17-of-27 for 216 yards and a pair of scores. He threw one interception. "I think there was a period during this game when we started dragging a bit," said Godsey. "But there is next week. The sun will come up tomorrow. You have to give the Clemson players a lot of credit." Zachery capped drives of 13 and 18 plays -- each covering 80 yards -- with two short touchdown runs in a seven-minute span bridging the final two quarters as Clemson grabbed a 34-26 advantage with just over 12 minutes left. Scoring runs, however, by Burns (one yard) and Sidney Ford (10) again swung the momentum in favor of the Yellow Jackets, before Dantzler's 63-yard TD strike to J.J. McKelvey gave Clemson back the lead at 41-38. Manget's 20-yard field goal with six seconds left in regulation forced overtime. It marked the sixth straight year the Georgia Tech-Clemson game was decided by three points.
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