Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Clemson Tigers Match Player Stats On Sep 12, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 12, 2015

CLEMSON, S.C. - Charone Peake, filling in for injured wide receiver Mike Williams, caught four passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as No. 12 Clemson rolled to a 41-10 victory against Appalachian State at Memorial Stadium.

Williams, a preseason All-ACC selection, is out indefinitely after suffering a small fracture in his neck in the Tigers' season-opening game, but Clemson didn't miss a beat against the Mountaineers, improving to 2-0 heading into Thursday night's nationally televised game at Louisville.

Appalachian State (1-1), seeking its first win against an ACC opponent since a 20-16 victory at Wake Forest in 2000, entered the game riding a seven-game winning streak - tied for fourth-longest nationally - but fell victim to a 28-point second quarter that saw the Tigers score four touchdowns in less than 10 minutes.

Clemson led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, but defensive tackle Carlos Watkins appeared to wake the Tigers up by intercepting a Taylor Lamb pass and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown with 11:42 left in the first half.

Linebacker Ben Boulware intercepted another Lamb pass two plays later, setting up a 24-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson to Peake.

Wayne Gallman added a 23-yard touchdown run and Peake and Watson hooked up for a 59-yard touchdown to cap the flurry. The 59-yard score was the longest reception of Peake's career, and his 86 receiving yards also established a career high.

Watson, the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, had another strong performance, completing 19-of-26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He played two series into the second half before giving way to back-ups Nick Schuessler and Kelly Bryant.

Appalachian State, which had 633 yards (390 yards rushing) in a 49-0 victory against Howard last week, managed 298 total yards - 203 on the ground.

Clemson's defense harassed Lamb all afternoon and recorded nine tackles for loss, including six in the first half, and intercepted the sophomore three times.

The Mountaineers avoided the shutout by driving 62 yards in 14 plays late in the third quarter before settling for a 31-yard field goal by Zach Matics and added a 1-yard touchdown pass from Lamb to tight end Barrett Burns with 10:59 left.

Clemson also got a pair of field goals from walk-on kicker Greg Huegel, who converted from 39 and 47 yards.

NOTES: Clemson's 28-point second quarter was the most the Tigers had scored in a single quarter since a 52-6 romp against The Citadel in 2013. ... Clemson DE Shaq Lawson, a preseason All-ACC pick, had three tackles for loss - all in the first half. ... Appalachian State has faced a nationally ranked Clemson team in each of its five meetings all-time against the Tigers and lost them all. ... Appalachian State junior RB Marcus Cox notched his 16th career 100-yard game, leading the Mountaineers with 104 yards on 25 carries.