Clemson 41, Appalachian State 10 In Three Things

1. Deshaun Watson threw three touchdown passes with two in the second quarter from 59 and 24 yards out, and Carlos Watkins came up with a pick six on the way to a 31-0 halftime lead.
2. Watson’s third touchdown pass came on a 41-yard Artavis Scott catch in the third. The Tigers cruised from there.
3. Appalachian State finally got on the board with a field goal in the third, and got in the end zone on a one-yard Barrett Burns catch in the fourth.

Clemson

It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was close. Appalachian State was able to run a little bit, but it has one of the Sun Belt’s star ground games that’ll tear up just about everyone. Fortunately, the Tiger D was able to overcome a few problems with four takeaways and limiting the Mountaineers from going on long drives. As long as Watson is rolling like he did, the Tigers will bomb their way to wins.

– Deshaun Watson completed 19-of-26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns with a pick, and he ran for 17 yards

– With Mike Williams done, the passing game spread it around a bit more. Charone Peake caught four passes for 86 yards and two scores, and Artavis Scott caught six passes for 73 yards and a score.

– Nine penalties for 75 yards and two turnovers

Appalachian State

ASU can’t make mistakes against teams like Clemson – or anyone. The Tigers had a lot to do with that, but the four turnovers and 12 penalties never gave the Mountaineers a chance. The running game worked, and Marcus Cox was terrific at times, but with three of the next four games on the road, the team has to be tighter.

– Marcus Cox ran 25 times for 104 yards

– Taylor Lamb has to be sharper. He completed 9-of-28 passes for 95 yards and as core with three picks, and ran three times for eight yards

– ASU averaged just 3.3 yards per pass and finished with 298 total yards