South Roundup : Clemson Runs Over Maryland, 31-7

Clemson used a punishing ground game to wipe away the fears of Coach Danny Ford Saturday as the seventh-ranked Tigers beat Maryland, 31-7, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Clemson, S.C.

“I was very concerned about this game coming into it because I haven’t been able to read this team yet, but I thought we played a pretty sound game,” Ford said after the Tigers ran their record to 4-0. “I don’t have a lot of complaints now.

“We had to shift a couple of guys around this week because of injuries, and it’s nice to be where we are now. We’ll see another good team next week at Duke, and another after that and so on. Everybody is gunning for us every Saturday.”

Maryland Coach Joe Krivak said the Tigers just had too much talent in too many places for his Terrapins.

“It was a combination of things. They have a great defense and great team speed. We did a good job, but they exploited our weak side on the option. This is the best team we’ve played to date,” said Krivak, whose Terrapins have already played No. 9 West Virginia and No. 18th N.C. State.

“We dropped more balls out there today than we had all year.” Krivak said. “Clemson had a lot to do with that. They’re always there pressuring. The holes don’t remain open for long. They pound you.”

The Tigers stayed on the ground, gaining 243 yards rushing compared with 70 through the air as they controlled the tempo against a Maryland defense that had given up only 24 points in three previous games.

The game was the ACC opener for Clemson, whereas Maryland dropped to 0-2 in the conference and is 1-3 overall.

N.C. State 40, North Carolina 6--For the alumni, the big victory means state bragging rights for another year. For the 18th-ranked Wolfpack team, it just means there are seven more games left to win.

“The rivalry is mostly for the fans. Our main objective was this was our fourth conference win,” quarterback Shane Montgomery said. “Because it’s Carolinas adds a little bit more to it.”

Montgomery again led the effort, throwing three touchdown passes for 222 yards. Two of the scoring passes went to Chris Corders.

All the Wolfpack victories have come against ACC opponents. Three more league games remain, and if N.C. State wins them all, it will win its first conference title in 10 years.

“Our goal is to go to a major bowl and compete for a national championship,” Montgomery said. “We can’t do that unless we get these next two games. We can go 7-0 in the conference, but we lose these next two games, that’s going to hurt us.”

The next two games are against Kent State and Middle Tennessee.

“We can’t relax against anyone,” N.C. State Coach Dick Sheridan said. “We’re not an overpowering team.

North Carolina (1-2), which lost its second straight game, was playing its ACC opener. The offense sputtered after a first-quarter drive was stopped by a fumble, and the Tar Heels reached Wolfpack territory only twice more. For the first time since 1975, North Carolina left Raleigh a loser.

North Carolina avoided the worst shutout in the history of the series on Aaron Staples’ one-yard run on a fourth-and-one with 2:44 left to play.

Florida State 59, Tulane 9--Freshman running back Amp Lee scored a six-yard touchdown on his first collegiate rushing attempt and scored an 88-yard touchdown on his first catch as the Seminoles beat the Green Wave at Tallahassee, Fla.

Peter Tom Willis passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns, and backup quarterback Casey Weldon completed three touchdown passes for 161 yards.

Virginia 49, Duke 28--Shawn Moore passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Cavaliers won an ACC game at Charlottesville, Va.

The Cavaliers, running up their highest point total since a 69-9 rout of James Madison in 1979, improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. Duke fell to 1-3 and 0-1.

Moore, who completed his first 13 passes, finished the game 14 of 15 for 295 yards, including two touchdown passes to Herman Moore and one to Bruce McGonnigal. Shawn Moore also rushed for 38 yards to account for 333 yards in total offense.

Virginia Tech 23, Temple 0--Freshman tailbacks Tony Kennedy and Vaughn Hebron ran for a touchdown apiece, Mickey Thomas kicked three field goals and the Hokie defense held the Owls to 104 yards at Blacksburg, Va.

Linebacker Randy Cockrell forced a fumble that set up a touchdown, recovered a dropped punt that led to a field goal and stopped a Temple drive with an interception.

Temple (0-4) got off to a rough start and never got on track. On the opening play, quarterback Victor Lay bobbled the lateral on a flea-flicker, Cockrell knocked the ball out of his hands on the tackle and Tech (2-1-1) recovered at the 20-yard line.

South Carolina 21, Georgia Tech 10--Harold Green rushed for 139 yards and Collin Mackie kicked two field goals as the Gamecocks won at Columbia, S.C., on a breezy, clear evening just one day after Hurricane Hugo blew through the state.

The victory avenged the Gamecocks’ loss last season, when they were ranked eighth and unbeaten. South Carolina is 2-1-1. Georgia Tech is 0-3.

East Carolina 56, Illinois State 10--Travis Hunter passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns to lead the unbeaten Pirates over the Redbirds at Greenville, N.C.

The Pirates (3-0) haven’t won their first three games of the season since Pat Dye led East Carolina to a 3-0 start en route to an 8-3 record in 1977.