COLLEGE FOOTBALL : South Roundup : Clemson Goes for Fake Punt and Florida State Pulls Out 24-21 Victory

Bobby Bowden called the play, but he didn’t have to run it.

Blocking back LeRoy Butler ran 76 yards on a fake punt to the Clemson 1-yard line and Richie Andrews kicked a 19-yard field goal with 32 seconds left as No. 10 Florida State knocked off No. 3 Clemson, 24-21, Saturday at Clemson, S.C.

“This was the most pressure that I’ve ever had in my life,” Butler said. “Nervous ain’t the word. I didn’t have butterflies, I had lizards. I had everything in my stomach. I knew the game depended on me.”

Bowden installed the play this week with the idea of springing it on Clemson (2-1).

Said Bowden: “We were liable to use it any time in the second half. We were just waiting for the right opportunity. All our offensive coaches, we decided that we were gonna use it now.

“If we miss it, they’re going to hit a field goal and win. I just wanted somebody to win the game.”

Butler’s run came with 91 seconds left as Florida State (2-1) faced fourth and four on its own 21.

Clemson’s Tracy Johnson tied it on a 19-yard run with 2:32 left.

Florida State’s Deion Sanders returned a punt 76 yards in the third period to make it 14-14.

The Seminoles took a 21-14 lead on Dwayne Williams’ 1-yard run with 8:27 left.

So. Mississippi 35, Virginia Tech 13--Simmie Carter returned a blocked punt 60 yards for a touchdown and James Henry scored on a 44-yard punt return as the Golden Eagles beat the Hokies at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Virginia Tech (1-2) was within 14-13 when Carter scored, and Henry, who scored on punt returns in an NCAA-record three consecutive games last year, made it 28-13 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

N.C. State 14, Wake Forest 6--Preston Poag threw for one touchdown and ran for another as the Wolfpack downed the Deacons in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Raleigh, N.C.

Wake Forest (0-2) had a chance to tie the score late in the game, but safety Jesse Campbell intercepted Mike Elkins’ pass in the end zone for the Wolfpack (2-0).

Duke 41, Citadel 17--Anthony Dilweg passed for 410 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils past the Bulldogs at Durham, N.C.

The Citadel (1-2) pulled to within 17-14 on Vernon Jones’ 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but Dilweg connected on touchdown pass plays of 5 and 65 yards as Duke (3-0) pulled away.

Louisville 29, Memphis State 18--Deon Booker ran 154 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Cardinals downed the Tigers at Louisville to end a five-game losing streak.

Memphis State (1-2) went ahead, 15-9, when John Norman scored on a 3-yard run with 2:27 left in the second quarter, but Louisville (1-2) took the lead for good when Booker scored from the 1 with 54 seconds left in the half.

South Carolina 17, East Carolina 0--Todd Ellis threw two touchdown passes to freshman Robert Brooks, including a school record 97-yard scoring play, to spark the No. 15 Gamecocks past the Pirates at Columbia, S.C.

East Carolina (1-2) limited South Carolina (3-0) to just five plays in the third quarter but couldn’t mount a scoring drive.

Virginia 17, Georgia Tech 16--Mark Inderlied kicked a 35-yard field goal with 9 seconds left at Charlottesville, Va., to rally the Cavaliers past the Yellow Jackets in an ACC opener.

Thomas Palmer gave Georgia Tech (2-1) its only lead of the game, 16-14, on a 47-yard field with 47 seconds left, but Tyrone Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards propel Virginia (1-1) toward the winning kick.

Tulane 20, Kansas State 16--Michael Pierce caught two touchdowns passes from Terrence Jones, including a 1-yarder in the left corner of the end zone with 14 seconds left, and the Green Wave defeated the Wilcats at New Orleans.