No. 1 Clemson defeats Florida State 23-13 to earn ACC Atlantic title
When Jimbo Fisher met Dabo Swinney at midfield following No. 1 Clemson’s 23-13 win, Florida State’s coach had one message for the Tigers:
“Now, go win the whole thing.”
For the first time since 2011, Florida State was unseated as the champion of the AAC Atlantic Division, and Clemson will represent the division in the ACC title game. Clemson also will continue to be the nation’s No. 1 team after a hard-fought game that saw the Tigers score the game-winning touchdown and get a game-sealing fumble recovery in the final 2:34 of the contest.
“Give credit to Florida State, they’ve been a great champion in this league, they’ve represented this league, but tonight, it was our time and we’re division champs!” Swinney said during his on-field interview. “I’m really proud of our team. It was a hard-fought game. This is what championship football’s all about, baby. You’ve got to win in the fourth quarter and our guys just made the plays when they had to make them.”
Florida State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first minute of the game after running back Dalvin Cook broke free for a 75-yard score. The two teams traded field goals and Florida State went into the half up 10-6.
Offensive consistency was tough for both teams. While Cook looked good early, the Clemson defense settled down and limited his yardage in the second half. Cook still finished with 21 carries for 194 yards and a score, but 115 of those yards came on his first two carries of the game.
Florida State quarterback Sean Maguire, who was starting his second consecutive game in place of injured starter Everett Golson, struggled to find rhythm and so did his receivers. Travis Rudolph, who was great a week ago, has six catches for 87 yards but also had the game-sealing fumble with 2:15 remaining.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had little trouble moving the Tigers up and down the field, but struggled in the red zone, which led to three field goals. However, he did help orchestrate the game-winning 60-yard drive that culminated in a 25-yard pass to Wayne Gallman.
The win marked only the second time since Florida State joined the ACC that Clemson has won the Atlantic Division. The Tigers last won the division in 2011.
Clemson will face North Carolina, which defeated Duke on Saturday, in the ACC championship game in Charlotte on Dec. 5.
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
– – – – – – –
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
