Clemson Surprises Both Its Coach and Florida State, 34-23

Clemson Coach Danny Ford didn’t like his chances coming into Saturday night’s game at Florida State. But his team surprised him.

“We had to have some people play better than they’re able and to have some others whip some people, and we did a pretty good job of accomplishing that,” Ford said after the 10th-ranked Tigers defeated Florida State, 34-23.

Terry Allen scored three touchdowns in the first half, including a 73-yard scoring run, that sparked the Tigers to a 28-10 halftime lead.

“Clemson’s better than I thought they were,” Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. “That was just a good whipping.”

Freshman linebacker Wayne Simmons also scored on a 73-yard run after intercepting a Peter Tom Willis pass that helped Clemson take a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Allen, who sat out Clemson’s opener for disciplinary reasons, scored Clemson’s first two touchdowns on one-yard runs. He finished with 130 yards in 20 carries.

Although the Tigers (2-0) led only 7-0 after one quarter, they dominated Florida State through the early going, racking up 148 yards offense before the Seminoles got their initial first down.

Florida State (0-2) closed within 21-7 when Dexter Carter scored on a two-yard run with 1:34 left in the first half, but Allen answered with his 73-yard run to give the Tigers a 28-7 lead.

Bill Mason kicked a 28-yard field goal on the final play of the half to pull Florida State within 28-10.

The Seminoles drove 77 yards on the opening kickoff of the second half to cut their deficit to 28-16 on Paul Moore’s one-yard run. Willis, who passed for 242 yards, was sacked looking for a receiver on the two-point conversion attempt.

Florida State threatened again on its next offensive series, but Moore fumbled at the Clemson 17 after a 20-yard run.

“Getting the fumble sure helped out,” Ford said. “They are a tremendous offensive football team, and they kept me scared to death the entire game.”

Clemson’s Chris Gardocki added field goals of 29 and 26 yards in the fourth quarter.

Florida State’s final touchdown came with five seconds left when reserve quarterback Casey Weldon threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Chris Parker.

Florida State totaled 378 yards offense and 25 first downs.