David D’Annibale, Staff Writer |
The Clemson Tigers defeated the Boston College Eagles 34-28 to improve to 7-0 on the season. Clemson sent out freshmen quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to start in place of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was out due to testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. Despite having no experience as a starting quarterback in college, Uiagalelei led the team to victory by throwing for 342 passing yards and two touchdowns.
In the first quarter, the Eagles struck first by scoring on a quick four-play drive ending with Zay Flowers catching an eleven-yard touchdown, giving them a 7-0 lead. Clemson responded with a touchdown drive of their own that ended with running back Travis Etienne catching a thirty-five-yard touchdown pass from Uiagalelei, tying the game at 7-7. Boston College regained the lead on the next possession after a short 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown from running back David Bailey, making the score 14-7. On Clemson’s next drive, the offense was at the opposing teams’ goal line, but the Eagles were able to cause a fumble that was pickup by Brandon Sebastian and returned for a 97-yard touchdown and had a 14-point lead. Clemson cut into the lead on the next drive after kicker B.T. Potter made a 33-yard kick. Boston College responded with a long seven-minute drive that resulted in another touchdown giving them an 18-point lead, scored by CJ Lewis. With a minute left before halftime, the Tigers were able to get into field goal range and add three points after Potter made a 50-yard kick to make the score 28-13.
Despite a dominant first half by Boston College, the Eagles offense struggled and were shut out by the Tigers defense in the second half. On Clemson’s first drive, the team was able to score a touchdown making the score 28-20 after Uiagalelei rushed it in from 30 yards away. After a defensive stop by Clemson, the offense scored another touchdown to make the score 28-26 after they failed to convert the two-point conversion. In the fourth quarter, Clemson regained possession after a defensive stop and capitalized by taking their first lead of the game after Etienne scored his second touchdown, giving the Tigers a four-point lead after the kicker missed the extra point kick. Neither team was able to put any points on the board for ten minutes in the quarter until Clemson’s defense caused a safety to add two points to their lead. The final score of the game was 34-28.
After the victory, Clemson remained the number one ranked team in the country and will take on top-ranked Notre Dame in a crucial matchup that could affect seeding. The Tigers may be without Lawrence for their next game with a negative COVID-19 test. Boston College record is now 4-3 on the season and will take on Syracuse next week.
Leave a Reply