Fourth-ranked Clemson recovered Florida State’s onside kick attempt with 2:17 left in the game to hang on for a 34-28 win over the Seminoles in Tallahassee Saturday night. FSU quarterback Jordan Travis found wide receiver Kentron Poitier with a 25-yard touchdown pass with 2:17 left in the game to draw within a score of the Tigers at 34-28. With no timeouts left, the Seminoles' best option was to try the onside kick. Once Clemson recovered, they were able to run out the clock for the win. The Seminoles (4-3, 2-3 ACC) used a balanced offense to rack up 460 yards of total offense. Quarterback Jordan Travis was 24-of-42 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns and gained 64 yards on 14 carries with one rushing touchdown. Trey Benson led FSU with 69 yards on seven carries and Lawrance Toafili gained 68 yards on 11 rushes. Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was 15-of-23 through the air for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Will Shipley led the visiting Tigers with 20 rushes for 121 yards. Florida State opened the game with an impressive nine-play, 75-yard drive and took a 7-0 lead on Travis’ 20-yard run with 11:41 left in the first quarter. Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) evened the score at seven when Uiagalelei found Antonio Williams with a 59-yard touchdown pass with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter. The Seminoles went up 14-7 seconds into the second quarter on D.J. Lundy’s one-yard touchdown dive that capped a 15-play, 93-yard drive and bled 6:50 off the clock. Uiagalelei’s 7-yard touchdown pass tied it again at 14 with 8:19 left in the half, and a 47-yard field goal with 1:51 gave Clemson a slim 17-14 that looked like it was going to be the halftime score. But Clemson got the ball back with :47 left when they sacked Travis and recovered the fumble at FSU’s 42-yard line. The Tigers’ Shipley popped a 36-yard run, his longest of the game, to get Clemson down to FSU’s five where Uiagalelei ran it in for a 24-14 lead at the half. Clemson returned the second half kickoff 69 yards to Florida State’s 31 and scored on a touchdown pass on the next play to take a 31-14 lead. A 34-yard field goal with 7:32 left in the third quarter put the Tigers up 34-14 but would be the last points of the night for Clemson. FSU cut the lead to 34-21 with a 60-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. Taking over after a punt at their own 40, Travis engineered a 7-play, 60-yard drive with a 25-yard run by Lawrance Toafili the big play that put the Seminoles in scoring position. On third and goal, Travis rolled to his right and found Ja’Khi Douglas with a 6-yard touchdown pass with 9:22 left in the game. Florida State’s next game will be at home against Georgia Tech on October 29. Clemson hosts Syracuse next Saturday at noon on ABC.
