South Roundup : Clemson Goes a Long Way to Beat Georgia Tech, 33-12

Clemson got off on the right foot Saturday in defense of its Atlantic Coast Conference championship, thanks to some quick feet by its special team players.

Joe Henderson returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and Donnell Woolford scored on a 78-yard punt return at Clemson, S.C., as the No. 9 Tigers defeated Georgia Tech, 33-12.

It was the first time the Tigers have returned a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same game.

“We thought Georgia Tech would play the devil out of us, and I think they did,” Clemson Coach Danny Ford said. “We made some big plays on them, but sometimes some of you people write that big plays don’t count. But they do count because we made them.”

Ford said the Tiger offense is still having problems scoring, but he said that doesn’t take away from his club’s big plays.

“We’re not good at getting the football into the end zone right now,” he said. “But that’s like a guy wrote last week that if you take away . . . two long scoring runs against Virginia Tech, we don’t average but 2.3 yards a carry. But you can’t do that.

“If you’re hunting something to say bad, say this, ‘We’re not getting the football into the end zone.’ But don’t make up stats on me.”

Clemson didn’t need much of an offensive attack Saturday, thanks to the play of Woolford and Henderson.

Henderson’s kickoff return was the first for a touchdown since Hal Davis returned one against Georgia on Oct. 13, 1962, a span of 843 kickoffs.

Woolford’s first-quarter effort was the first scoring punt return for Clemson since Oct. 31, 1970, when Don Kelley returned a punt 85 yards against Maryland.

Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Ross said the play of Clemson’s special teams was the difference.

“If we had played well on special teams, we would have been in the ballgame,” Ross said. “But our special teams just totally broke down. Very poor.”

The victory by Clemson marks the first time since 1907 that it has beaten Georgia Tech in consecutive seasons. The Tigers are 4-0 this season, while Georgia Tech falls to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the ACC.

Clemson had a school-record 227 yards in punt returns, breaking the mark of 172 set in the Tigers’ season-opening 43-0 victory over Western Carolina.

Syracuse 35, Virginia Tech 21--Don McPherson passed for three touchdowns, two to Tommy Kane, and directed four second-half scoring drives at Blacksburg, Va., to lift the Orangemen to their best start in 27 years.

Syracuse, 4-0 for the first time since 1960, scored on four of its first five possessions in the second half to overcome a 21-7 halftime deficit.

The Orangemen limited the Hokies (0-3) to minus-1 yard rushing for the game and sacked Erik Chapman 6 times for 46 yards in losses.

After halftime, the Orangemen mounted scoring drives of 80, 71, 57 and 38 yards. McPherson completed 13 of 25 attempts for 186 yards. Chapman completed 15 of 32 for 214 yards, but had 2 intercepted.

Virginia 42, Duke 17--Scott Secules teamed with John Ford on touchdown pass plays of 42 and 54 yards and ran for two other scores as the Cavaliers routed the Blue Devils in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Charlottesville, Va.

Duke quarterback Steve Slayden completed 26 of 44 passes for 236 yards, but was intercepted twice by Virginia’s Kevin Cook.

The Cavaliers improved their record to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, while Duke fell to 3-1 and 0-1.

N. Carolina St. 42, Maryland 14--Red-shirt freshman Preston Poag, making his first start, completed 15 of 21 passes for 116 yards at Raleigh, N.C., as the Wolfpack raised its record to 1-3 overall, 1-1 in the ACC, and averted the school’s worst start in 16 seasons.

Maryland, a 15-point favorite, and was held to 16 first downs and 80 yards rushing and fell to 2-2 and 1-1.

East Carolina 16, Georgia Southern 13--Anthony Simpson scored on a two-yard run with 2:38 remaining to overcome Georgia Southern’s 13-10 lead at Greenville, N.C.