Clemson needs 2OT to beat Wake
DJ Uiagalelei kept delivering the ball on target downfield for No. 5 Clemson in a shootout with No. 21 Wake Forest.
That offered enough cover for a defense that struggled for stops — right up until finally coming up with the winning play to cap a double-overtime classic.
Nate Wiggins broke up Sam Hartman’s fourthdown pass in the end zone to help the Tigers hold off the Demon Deacons 51-45 on Saturday. That marked their 14th straight win in the series, this one coming in a tense road game pairing two of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top teams.
Uiagalelei threw for 375 yards and five touchdowns to lead Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC), including the goahead score over the middle to Davis Allen to start the second overtime.
“Honestly, man, that was a crazy game,” Uiagalelei said, adding: “You could just see the heart of our team — the heart of the offense, the heart of the defense. When plays had to be made, we made the plays. That just shows a great sign of a good football team.”
Or, at the least, plenty of perseverance — particularly for Wiggins.
He had been targeted frequently by Hartman and the Wake Forest receivers but came through to knock away Hartman’s final ball for A.T. Perry. He fell to the end zone turf, then sprung up to join his team in celebration after a wild shootout between the reigning Atlantic Division champion Demon Deacons and the preseason league favorite Tigers.
Before that stop, Wiggins had thrice been flagged for pass interference in an injury-battered secondary and was beaten on Donavon Greene’s 25-yard TD haul.
“The only good thing about the game (defensively) is we gave up six touchdown passes — we didn’t give up seven,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said with a chuckle. “That’s the only good thing I can say. And they never quit and they kept battling and they played one more play — and Nate came up with it right there at the end.”
Hartman threw for 337 yards and the six TDs to set a program record for Wake Forest (3-1, 0-1), including two each to Greene and Jahmal Banks. But the Demon Deacons stalled out near midfield on a potential winning drive to end regulation, then couldn’t stop the Tigers in the first OT after starting off with Hartman’s TD throw to Perry.
“That locker room right now is hurting,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “It’s a football team that has invested a lot and they care a lot and expected to win this game.”
No. 1 Georgia 39, Kent St. 22: Brock Bowers scored two more touchdowns and the host Bulldogs survived a sloppy performance and surprisingly gritty effort from Kent State, holding off the Golden Flashes. The 4-0 Bulldogs turned it over three times, struggled in the red zone, were burned on a fake punt and gave up several big plays to 1-3 Kent State in what was easily their worst performance
Aof the season. Was it bad enough to knock Georgia out of the top spot in the rankings?
No. 4 Michigan 34, Maryland 27: Blake Corum rushed for a careerhigh 243 yards and two touchdowns and the host Wolverines topped the Terrapins in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Corum had a career-high 30 carries. He became the first Michigan back to rush for 200 yards since Karan Higdon in 2017. J.J. McCarthy completed 18 of 26 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines. Taulia Tagovailoa completed 20 of 30 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown but was also picked off twice for the Terrapins.
No. 14 Penn St. 33, Cent. Michigan 14: Sean Clifford completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards with four total touchdowns and the host Nittany Lions beat the Chippewas.
No. 17 Baylor 31, Iowa St. 24: Blake Shapen threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears held on to beat the host Cyclonesin the Big 12 opener for both teams. The loss snapped the Cyclones’ 11-game home winning streak against conference rivals. Shapen completed 19 of his 26 passes, connecting
AAAwith 11 different receivers.
Texas Tech 37, No. 22 Texas 34 (OT): Trey Wolff kicked a 20-yard field goal in overtime to give the host Red Raiders a wild victory over the Longhorns. The Red Raiders overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the second half but let a lead slip away in the final seconds. Texas’ Bijan Robinson fumbled on the first play of overtime. Donovan Smith led the
Red Raiders to the 1-yard line before Wolff’s winning kick in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
No. 24 Pittsburgh 45, Rhode Island 24: Tailback Israel Abanikanda rushed for four touchdowns and quarterback Kedon Slovis returned from injury to help the host Panthers defeat the Rams. Abanikanda had 19 carries for 177 yards. That tied for second-most TDs in a game in program history and matched Darrin Hall’s four against North Carolina in 2017. Marquis DeShields scored a pair of touchdowns for Rhode Island, the alma mater of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. The Rams, playing their first game against a ranked FBS opponent, trailed by 10 points at halftime before Pitt pulled away after the break.
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