Clemson terrorizes Wake Forest 31–17

Clemson terrorizes Wake Forest 31-17 By Terence Moor Staff Writer . , CLEMSON, S.C. - As if Wake For f1?. est, didn't have a lZrsVi enough problems en-I tiS) tering Death Valley mi ikMi'L on Saturday after- Ctemson noon, its opponents came prancing down the hill behind the east end zone wearing the orange pants they reserve for special games. And it was Halloween. ' The last time these teams met on such an occasion was 1981, when Clemson squeaked out an 82-24 victory. This time, the Tigers triumphed 31-17, and they did so with their third-string tailback terrorizing Wake Forest before an appreciative crowd bf 70,000. After starter Wesley McFadden dislocated his thumb during pre-game warmups, and after backup Terry Allen was sidelined because of a lack of stamina following the first half, Clemson coach Danny Ford made Joe Henderson his main man for the final 30 minutes. Henderson didn't disappoint First, he broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown run that featured three broken tackles and several moves reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, who attended the same high school as Henderson in Freehold, N.J. Then, nearly seven minutes later, Henderson was dancing again, this time for 48 yards and another touchdown. "The offensive line told me earlier in the half that they were over-pursuing on defense, that the cutback run was there for me to take," said Henderson, a sophomore, who finished with a game-leading 131 yards rushing. "Both times, I saw some daylight, so I just kept running." The win gives the Tigers a 13-1 record when they shelve their traditional white pants for orange. They did so against Georgia earlier this season and survived 21-20 on David TreadweU's field goal with no time left They did so Saturday because they wanted to atone for their 30-28 loss the week before to a weaker North Carolina State team. It wasn't easy for the Tigers. Wake Forest owned a 17-10 lead at half-time before Henderson ran Clemson to 7-1, 4-1 in the ACC. The Deacons dropped to 5-3 and 2-3 after their thira straight loss. "Power football is what Clemson does best and they just wore us down," said Wake Forest coach Bill Dooley. "They are big and strong, and they kept pounding at us, and finally, we just let the flood gates open" '" ' Clemson managed 240 of its 352 yards in total offense during the second half. As a result, Ford said , he sees better days ahead. His team moved 65 yards for a touchdown on its first possession bf the second half to tie the game at . 17-17. Then there were the Henderson touchdown runs, which, capped drives of 80 and 65 yards. "Offensively, it's probably the first time in two weeks that we had to take the football and make good, solid drives and score," said Ford. "Hopefully, we can get a little better every week, but our wins are very hard to get Everybody plays Clemson like it's the end of the world." Wake Forest partisans might say the same of Clemson in Death Valley. None of the players for either side was born the last time Wake Forest won here. That was in 1961. In fact the last time the Deacons won anywhere against Clemson was 11 years ago in Winston-Salem, N.C. At first the Tigers made this one look like more of the same for Wake Forest Clemson took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Donnell Woolford's 67-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Tigers' advantage jumped to 10-0 early In the second quarter on Treadwell's 37-yard field goal. The rout never came since Wake Forest responded with 17 straight points before halftime. There was Wilson Hoyle's 49-yard field goal and touchdown passes from Mike Elkins to Ricky Proehl of 40 yards and 23 yards. That was enough to make the crowd hiss the guys in orange costumes. "The first half was really embarrassing for us," said Clemson defensive tackle Michael Perry. "We came in at halftime and said, 'What's going on?' After we left the locker room, we knew we had them. We knew we were going to win." Wake Clem 17 22 30-66 60-281 First downs Rushes-yards Passing Return Yards Comp-Att-Int Punts Fumblat-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession '194 71 19 17-35-3 6-42 5-0 9-78 28:31 131 6-9-2 2-36 2-2 9-55 31:29 Wake Forest 17 0 0 - 17 7 ST 14 -SI Clem Woollord 67 punt return (Treadwell kick) Clem FQ Treadwell 36 Wake-Fa Hoyle 46 Wake-Proehl 40 pass from Elkins (Hoyle kick) Wake-Proehl 23 pass from Elkins (Hoyle kick) Clem-T. Allen 6 run (Treadwell kick) Clem Jo. Henderson 31 run (Treadwell kick) Clem-Jo. Henderson 46 run (Treadwell kick) A-70,000 MOTVIOUAL STATISTICS RUSHIN3 Wake Forest. Rivet 10-35, McQID 10-35. Clemson, Jo Henderson 20-131, T.Allen 14-65, T.Johnson 12-62. PASSINQ-Wake Forest, Elkins 17-34-2-194, McGllt 1-0-1-0. Clemson, Morocco 4-6-1-38, WH-llams 2-3-1-33. RECEIVING Wake Forest, Proehl 8-124, Jarvls 3-32. Clemson; Cooper 2-31, Lancaster M 1.

The Atlanta Constitution

Clemson terrorizes Wake Forest 31–17

Clemson terrorizes Wake Forest 31–17

The Atlanta Constitution