Wake Forest University
Clemson
Deacons Fall at No. 3 Clemson 56-7
9/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 28, 2013
By Gary Petit, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
CLEMSON, S.C. - The No. 3-ranked team in the country lived up to its status as Clemson rolled to a 56-7 victory over Wake Forest Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
The loss drops the Deacons to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in the ACC. Clemson remains unbeaten at 4-0 and 2-0 in the conference.
For the Deacs, senior quarterback Tanner Price was 14-of-22 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He is now second alone in school history with 45 career TD passes. Fellow senior Michael Campanaro hauled-in seven passes for 75 yards. He is also second in school history with 194 career receptions.
Sophomore wide receiver Sherman Ragland III, playing in his first game this season, caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter for his only catch of the game. That was the first touchdown of Ragland's career.
On the ground, backup quarterback Tyler Cameron led the Deacs with 21 yards on six carries. Deandre Martin and John Armstrong each finished the game with 18 yards.
Tiger quarterback Tahj Boyd was 17-of-24 for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran a team-high 17 times for 69 yards and another score. Sammy Watkins caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Clemson came out of the gate on fire, scoring on its first three possessions. Boyd hit Watkins on the third play of the game for a 64-yard score and then Zac Brooks capped a 10-play drive with a 10-yard run, giving the Tigers a 14-0 lead just over five minutes into the game. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Boyd hit D.J. Howard on a swing pass, who then broke a couple of tackles and went 75 yards for a score.
The Wake Forest defense then stepped-up and forced three-straight 3-and-outs by the Tigers. That allowed the Deacs to dent the scoreboard as Price found Ragland for a 10-yard TD strike, cutting the lead to 21-7. That was Ragland's first-career touchdown.
The Tiger offense then regained its footing in the second quarter as Boyd scored on a 2-yard run and he later hit freshman wide receiver Michael Williams for a 14-yard score with just 29 seconds left in the opening half. Boyd threw for 286 yards and three scores in the first half and the teams went to the locker room with Clemson in front 35-7.
The second half wasn't much better for the Deacs as Clemson tacked on two more touchdowns in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by C.J. Davidson and an 18-yard connection between Jordan Leggett and Cole Stoudt. Davidson plunged-in from 1-yard out with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of 56-7.
The Demon Deacons return home next Saturday to host in-state foe NC State. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff and will be televised on the Regional Sports Network.
