OPENING GAME: Clemson at Florida

FINAL SCORE:
Clemson: 45 (1-0)
Florida: 35 (0-1)

Player of the Game: CJ Spiller (12 carries, 183 yards, 2 TD; 3 receptions, 47 yards; 98 return yards)

Recap: Clemson goes into the swamp and gets a hard-fought victory on opening night! Behind a balanced offensive attack, Clemson kept reeling off huge plays as the Gators were helpless against the vertical threat of Sammy Watkins and the speedy running of CJ Spiller. Spiller took the opening play from scrimmage 71 yards for a touchdown and had 141 yards, plus another score, after only four carries.

QB Watson shook over an injured head and was close to perfect for Clemson. Watson totaled 288 yards through the air on fifteen completions (22 attempts). However, a costly INT in the third quarter kept Clemson from blowing the game open.

On the other side of the field, Tim Tebow played valiantly. The Clemson pass rush was ferocious, but Tebow battled through (sacked twice though) to put up nearly 400 total yards of offense, over 300 of it through the air. He often made spectacular plays like the following:

RB Fason was effective but hardly utilized on the Gator offense (7 carries, 70 yards). He added a late touchdown that pulled the Gators within one score with 3:16 to play. The spectacular run featured an incredible juke move that fooled two Clemson defenders, while Fason still evaded a couple more that were incoming. 

However, Wayne Gallman broke a 12 yard TD run for Clemson, who marched right down the field. Although Tebow hit Percy Harvin (10 receptions, over 100 yards) for a 41 yard gain, getting the ball to the one yard line and setting up a Tebow TD run with 1:32 to go, the Gators could not stop Clemson when it mattered. After recovering the onside kick and making a few sizable runs down the field, Clemson turned to the play action game with 31 seconds to play and a 3rd and 2. The result? A third Watson to Watkins touchdown bomb!

Clemson has announced itself as an official contender in the Southeastern conference, while the Florida Gators playoff hopes are certainly not dashed. It's going to be a long and exciting season ahead, with Spiller and Watson looking like a monstrous backfield to contend with!

Statistics
Clemson:
TOTAL YARDS: 608
Offensive Yards: 498 (40 plays)
Rushing: 210 yards (18 attempts)
Passing: 288 yards (22 attempts)
3rd Down: 3-6 (50%)
4th Down: 1-1 (100%)
Penalties: 1 (5 yards)
Turnovers: 1
Time of Possession: 8:33

QB Watson: 214.1 Rating, 15-22 for 288 yards; 3 TD, 1 INT; 4 carries for 12 yards
RB Spiller: 12 carries, 183 yards, 2 TD; 3 rec, 47 yards; 98 return yards
RB Gallman: 2 carries, 15 yards, TD
WR Watkins: 3 receptions, 91 yards, 3 TD
WR Hopkins: 2 rec, 56 yards
WR Scott: 3 rec, 27 yards
WR Williams: 3 rec, 29 yards

LB Beasley: 4 tackles, INT, Sack
LB Goodson: 4 tackles, INT
DE Adams: 2 tackles, Sack

Florida:
TOTAL YARDS: 632 yards
Offensive Yards: 461 yards (56 plays)
Rushing: 146 yards (19 attempts)
Passing: 315 yards (37 attempts)
3rd Down: 8-10 (80%)
4th Down: 0-1 (0%)
Penalties: 1 (5 yards)
Turnovers: 2
Time of Possession: 11:27


QB Tebow: 141.5 rating, 20-37, 315 yards; 3 TD, 2 INT; 12 carries, 76 yards, TD
RB Rhett: 7 carries, 70 yards, TD
WR Harvin: 10 receptions, 155 yards, TD; 106 return yards
TE Hernandez: 3 rec, 39 yards, 2 TD
WR Green: 3 rec, 57 yards
WR Hilliard: 4 rec, 64 yards

S Black: 4 tackles, INT
CB Hargraves: 5 tackles
CB Haden: 4 tackles