No. 2 Clemson, Bryant knock off No. 12 Hokies

The Tigers got off to a quick start, and Tech never recovered in a 31-17 defeat

September 30, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant threw for 186 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 94 yards, as the No. 2 Tigers knocked off No. 12 Virginia Tech 31-17 in an ACC game played Saturday evening at Lane Stadium.

With the loss, the Hokies fell to 4-1 overall, 0-1 in the ACC. Clemson, the defending national champions, moved to 5-0, 3-0 in league play.

The Tigers grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it, as they scored on their first two possessions. A 23-yard field goal by Alex Spence gave Clemson a 3-0 lead and then a 60-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to Tavien Feaster midway through the first quarter gave the Tigers a 10-0 edge.

The Hokies cut into that on a field goal by Joey Slye with 3:10 left in the first half, but the Tigers quickly answered, marching 75 yards in just 1:51 and scoring on a 1-yard run by C.J. Fuller.

Clemson took a 24-3 lead in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Tavien Feaster. The Hokies cut it to 24-10 early in the fourth quarter when a 43-yard punt return by Greg Stroman set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Sean Savoy.

The Tigers, though, put the game away nearly three minutes later when Dorian O’Daniel returned an interception 22 yards for the touchdown. Tech committed three turnovers in the game, which led to 14 Clemson points.

Josh Jackson paced the Hokies, completing just 29 of 42 for 251 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. Behind Bryant, Clemson finished with 332 yards of offense.

GAME NOTES

• Cam Phillips’ 6-yard catch midway through the first quarter extended his streak of catching at least one pass to a school-record 32 straight games. He broke the record last week against Old Dominion.

• The Hokies have scored in 288 straight games, which ranks as the seventh-longest in FBS history. Tech could move to sixth if it scores next week against Boston College. Tennessee’s streak ended at 289 games after the Volunteers were shut out by Georgia.

• Joey Slye’s four points against Clemson give him 364 for his career. He needs just eight points to surpass Shayne Graham (1996-99) as the Hokies’ all-time leading scorer.

• Stroman’s 55 yards on punt returns give him 870 in his career and moved him past Jayron Hosley, John Ludlow and DeAngelo Hall into third place on the school’s all-time list.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech hits the road for its first conference road tilt of the season when it takes on Boston College next Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Hokies have won two straight against the Eagles, including a 26-10 victory in their last trip to Chestnut Hill.

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