The Clemson Tigers opened their 2018 football season with a 48-7 victory against the Furman Paladins on Saturday afternoon.
Kelly Bryant and the offense were not sharp early as the Tigers turned the ball over on downs on their first drive. The Tigers regained possession after the defense forced a three and out, looking to get their offense in a rhythm. Bryant settled in and delivered a beautiful 40 yard touchdown pass to Amari Rodgers giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
The defense was tough again forcing the Furman offense to punt on 4th and 38. Amari Rodgers ignited the crowd for a second time with a 62 yard punt return that put the Tigers in the red zone. The offense took over, but Bryant again struggled and the Tigers were forced to settle for a field goal.
After another stop by the defense, Clemson regained possession and freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence took the field for the first time as a Tiger. Lawrence was able to move the ball into Furman territory, but a sack forced Clemson to settle for a field goal. Kicker Greg Huegel converted once again on a 49 yard attempt which tied his career long.
On the following drive, Lawrence and Etienne lead the Tigers on perhaps the best drive of the game moving the ball 95 yards down the field. The drive included a 42 yard completion to Cornell Powell and concluded with a 6 yard touchdown pass to Diondre Overton. With the score, Lawrence notched his first career touchdown pass and gave the Tigers a 20-0 lead with 2:54 remaining in the first half.
The Tiger defense shut down the Furman offense once again after a sack by Shaq Smith forced a three and out. Lawrence looked more and more confident with every pass he threw, leading the Tigers to another touchdown in just over a minute of play. Travis Etienne finished the drive with a run right up the middle to give the Tigers a 27-0 lead going into halftime.
After forcing a Furman punt, Bryant opened the second half for the Tigers. After moving the ball into Furman territory, a sack forced a turnover on downs. The Tigers wasted no time on their next drive however as Bryant picked apart the Furman defense. He recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season after breaking free down the sideline for a 35 yard score.
The Tiger defense began to take over the game in the second half recording two more sacks on the following drive. The Tigers proceeded to explode for a 92 yard drive in just three plays. Freshman Lyn-J Dixon had two electric runs that brought the Tigers all the way to the 15 yard line. On the ensuing play, Lawrence hit freshman Justyn Ross for his first career touchdown reception.
The Tigers added on early in the fourth with Lawrence’s third touchdown of the game, and cruised to a comfortable victory. Furman recorded their only score of the game with just over a minute to play as quarterback JeMar Lincoln hit Ryan DeLuca over the middle.
The Tigers will certainly look to build upon their performance against Furman before they take on the Texas A&M Aggies next week. Kick off will be at 7 pm next Saturday in College Station, TX.
