Florida State Offense Sputters, but Defense Does In Duke, 44-7

Florida State’s offense didn’t do much Saturday at Tallahassee, Fla., but its defense didn’t let Duke do anything.

Led by defensive ends Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson, the Florida State defense set up three touchdowns and a field goal as the No. 3-ranked Seminoles defeated Duke, 44-7, in the season and Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

“We went into the game not wanting them to get any yards and with the goal of getting a shutout,” said Boulware, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound junior. “But at the same time they didn’t get 100 yards.”

Boulware and the 6-2, 250-pound Wilson combined to make 16 tackles, including four sacks, keeping pressure all afternoon on Duke quarterbacks Dave Green and Matt Rader.

“We got penetration up the middle all day,” Boulware said. “They kept pushing the quarterback out to me.”

A fumble by Florida State reserve quarterback Dan Kendra at his own seven late in the third quarter set up Duke’s lone score. Lamarr Marshall scored three plays later on a one-yard run.

Otherwise, the Blue Devils managed only 91 yards on offense, and had only 13 rushing yards in 47 carries while fumbling five times.

“The game went a lot like our practices have gone,” Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. “Our defense completely dominated.”

Florida State’s offense--annually among the nation’s best--suffered through one of its poorest days in years, totaling only 221 yards, 92 through the air.

“Looking back, I would say we were probably doing too many things,” Bowden said. “Probably doing so many things we couldn’t execute any of them.”

It was the first time in a dozen years Florida State failed to pass for 100 yards and its lowest total offense figure since 15 years ago against Florida.

“We can only get better,” said tailback Warrick Dunn, who was limited to 70 yards in 14 carries. “I’d rather start from the bottom and work our way up.”

Junior quarterback Thad Busby, bothered by a sore throwing arm in recent days, passed for only 75 yards.

Busby said his arm didn’t bother him.

“Our defense was getting us the ball in great field position,” he said. “If they do that every week, we’ll be all right.”

Busby passed for two first-half touchdowns and Dee Feaster returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown as the Seminoles took a 27-0 halftime lead. A year ago, Florida State scored 56 points in the first half against Duke and won the game, 70-26, while amassing 797 yards offense.

“You’ve got to hand it to our kids,” Duke Coach Fred Goldsmith said. “A team that gave up 800 yards last year gave up 221 today.”

But Florida State’s defense and special teams were too much for the Blue Devils.

Duke fumbles set up 17 Florida State points, while the Seminoles’ special teams led to 14 more.

No. 23 Virginia 55, Central Michigan 21--Joe Rowe scored on an 82-yard kickoff return and a blocked punt and Tiki Barber ran for two touchdowns as the Cavaliers won at Charlottesville, Va.

The victory made George Welsh the winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history with 99. Bill Dooley had 98 at North Carolina and Wake Forest.

Maryland 39, Alabama Birmingham 15--Brian Cummings threw two touchdown passes in an 18-point second quarter, and the Terrapins took advantage of a variety of mistakes by the Blazers for a victory at College Park, Md.

Maryland (2-0) managed only 36 offensive yards in a lackluster first quarter, then pulled away after Alabama Birmingham (0-2) began to resemble a team in its second game as a Division I-A team. The Blazers had four turnovers, including three fumbles, and kept a Maryland scoring drive alive with an illegal participation penalty.

Buddy Rodgers scored three touchdowns and Cummings was 17 for 24 for 205 yards. Geroy Simon caught nine passes for a career-high 136 yards.

Clemson 19, Furman 3--Raymond Priester ran for 118 yards and Clemson’s defense had 12 sacks, helping the troubled Tigers beat Division I-AA Furman at Clemson, S.C.

Furman kept within a touchdown through the first 40 minutes of its opening game, but the Tigers eventually pulled away to their 26th straight victory against the Paladins.

Emory Smith, younger brother of Dallas Cowboy star Emmitt Smith, scored on a two-yard run in the third quarter to put Clemson ahead 19-3.

It was the first offensive touchdown in 11 quarters for the Tigers (1-1), who were shut out in their last two games--41-0 by Syracuse in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day and 45-0 by North Carolina in their season-opener last week.

Georgia Tech 28, North Carolina State 16--C.J. Williams scored three touchdowns and the Yellow Jackets overcame three first-half turnovers to beat the Wolfpack at Raleigh, N.C.

The Yellow Jackets spotted the Wolfpack a 10-0 lead, then rallied against them for the second straight season, scoring 14 points each in the second and third quarters to break a five-game losing streak at Carter-Finley Stadium.

South Carolina 33, Central Florida 14--Duce Staley ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns and Anthony Wright threw for 236 yards as the Gamecocks beat Central Florida in their season opener at Columbia, S.C.

Central Florida (1-1) is playing its first year as a Division I-A independent.