SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 22, 2014
Clemson 28, Georgia State 0: Tyshon Dye rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns, and the host Tigers forced three first-half turnovers to win for the seventh time in their past eight games.
Cole Stoudt, starting at quarterback for the injured Deshaun Watson, completed 19-of-29 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown for Clemson (8-3), which saw its six-game winning streak end in last week’s 28-6 loss at Georgia Tech. Dye, who missed all of last season with a back injury and had played in just one game this season due to an Achilles injury, sparked a rushing attack that averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
The Tigers defense overwhelmed the Panthers (1-10), intercepting three passes in the first half and holding Georgia State to 40 yards rushing. Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 13-of-29 passes for 115 yards and the three picks as the Panthers lost their 10th in a row.
A 21-yard punt set up Clemson’s first scoring drive, with Dye reaching the end zone on a 4-yard run, and Dye scored from 6 yards out four plays after Korrin Wiggins’ interception as the Tigers grabbed a 14-0 first-quarter advantage. Jayron Kearse picked off Arbuckle midway through the second quarter and six plays later, Wayne Gallman scored on a 9-yard run.
Garry Peters’ interception late in the half gave Clemson possession at its 47, and Stoudt capped an eight-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams to make it 28-0 at halftime. Williams finished with seven receptions for 87 yards.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Dye had rushed just five times for 14 yards this season. … Watson, who injured his knee last week, is expected to play in Clemson’s regular-season finale next Saturday against in-state rival South Carolina. … Clemson senior Daniel Rodriguez, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, caught one pass for nine yards and returned a punt 26 yards in the fourth quarter.