Top-ranked Clemson Tigers drub outmatched Charlotte 49ers
.JPG "Clemson’s Lyn-J Dixon (23) rushes while being defended by Charlotte’s Jacione Fugate.")
The top-ranked Clemson Tigers made quick work of the Charlotte 49ers in a 52-10 victory Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Getting explosive plays on both sides of the ball, Clemson (4-0) jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the second quarter. The 49ers (2-2) got their only touchdown in the third quarter on a quarterback keeper by Chris Reynolds from 8 yards out after the 49ers had recovered a muffed punt by Clemson.
Clemson scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 58-yard strike from quarterback Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins. On Charlotte’s next possession, Clemson’s K’Von Wallace picked off a Reynolds pass and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown.
The lead grew to 31-0 after Lawrence threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Cornell Powell and Lin-J Dixon scored on a 1-yard run, during which he flipped into the end zone.
The 49ers got their first points on a 24-yard field goal by Jonathan Cruz.
Penalties were a huge issue for Charlotte. The 49ers were flagged 11 times for 106 yards.
The 49ers were playing without three injured senior defensive starters — end Tyriq Harris (lower back), linebacker Jeff Gemmell (ankle) and safety Ben DeLuca (shoulder). True freshman linebacker Prince Bemah (knee) also missed the game.
The game changed when …
What appeared to be a fumble on Clemson’s first play of scrimmage by Travis Etienne was instead ruled stopped by forward progress. On the next play, Lawrence hit Higgins over the top for a 58-yard touchdown pass and the rout was on..
Helmet stickers
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson: The Heisman-candidate quarterback completed 7-of-9 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns in one quarter of action.
Benny LeMay, Charlotte: Senior running back was a bright spot for 49ers, rushing for 81 yards on 18 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
Making sense of the numbers
16:47-13:13: Charlotte’s time of possession edge in the first half, illustrating how effective Clemson’s big-play capability was.
125-7: Clemson is celebrating its 125th year of football this season; Charlotte is playing its seventh year of the sport.
In case you missed it
A few scenes from a Disney movie called “Safety” — based on the life of former Clemson player Ray Ray McElrathbey — were filmed at halftime. Included were “Tigers” actors running down the famous end zone hill (with the real crowd cheering) and several plays on the field.
This story was originally published September 21, 2019 at 10:41 PM.