Clemson Edges LSU 25-24 on Last-Second FG

By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA
Chandler Catanzaro was not about to let a blocked extra point earlier in the game get in the way of his last-second, game-winning field goal.

Catanzaro kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 14 Clemson a wild 25-24 victory over No. 9 Louisiana State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Monday night.

Catanzaro, a former walk-on from Greenville, S.C., made 16 of 17 field goals in the regular season.

The kick gave Clemson its first 11-win season since its 1981 national championship team.

And Tigers coach Dabo Swinney thinks this is only the beginning.

Trailing 24-22, Clemson (11-2) took possession on its 20 with 1:39 remaining. Tajh Boyd passed to DeAndre Hopkins for 26 yards on a fourth-and-16 play during the decisive 10-play drive.

Clemson reached 11 wins for only the fourth time in school history and the first time since the 12-0 1981 team.

Boyd completed 36 of 50 passes for 346 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He set career highs for attempts and completions while winning the game MVP award.

Hopkins had 13 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns. After the big fourth-down catch, he added receptions for 7 and 13 yards in the final drive. LSU safety Greg Reid was flagged for pass interference while defending Hopkins.

Jeremy Hill ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns for LSU (10-3), which carried a 24-13 lead into the final quarter.

After Hopkins’ second TD catch, LSU got the ball with 2:43 remaining and threw three straight passes. Only one was complete in the three-and-out series that took only about 1 minute off the clock, leaving Clemson with enough time for its winning drive against LSU’s exhausted defense.

Hill did not have a carry in the fourth quarter.

LSU’s three passes allowed Swinney to save his timeouts.

Boyd said having 1:39 to stage the final drive “is like having 10, 15 minutes for us.”

LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger was sacked six times and completed 14 of 23 passes for 120 yards. He also threw for a touchdown and an interception.

LSU scored 10 points off Clemson’s two lost fumbles, including one by Sammy Watkins on the second play of the game that set up Hill’s first touchdown.

Hopkins scored on an 11-yard reception in the second quarter and a 12-yard grab in the fourth. LSU’s Bennie Logan blocked Catanzaro’s extra point attempt following Hopkins’ first touchdown.

Clemson had a chance to tie it after Hopkins’ second TD, but Boyd’s pass for the 2-point conversion was incomplete.

Michael Ford had a 43-yard kickoff return for LSU to open the second half. On first down, Hill broke through the line for a 57-yard touchdown run. His 12th rushing touchdown broke Dalton Hilliard’s LSU record for a freshman set in 1982.

Clemson lost Watkins to a right ankle injury on his early fumble. X-rays were negative.

Clemson already was without backup receiver Martavis Bryant, who was suspended for the game for failing to meet academic requirements.

Clemson’s second costly fumble came midway through the third quarter. Andre Ellington ran for 8 yards but lost the ball on a hit by defensive end Sam Montgomery. Reid recovered the fumble at the Clemson 29, setting up Drew Alleman’s 20-yard field goal.

The injury to Watkins left the spotlight on Hopkins, Clemson’s leading receiver. He had catches of 17 and 12 yards as Clemson pulled even with an 11-play drive capped by Boyd’s 11-yard touchdown run.

After LSU regained the lead on Mettenberger’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry, Hopkins had a 31-yard catch to set up his 11-yard score late in the second quarter.

Hopkins’ sliding grab gave him TD receptions in 10 straight games to set an Atlantic Coast Conference record. Virginia’s Herman Moore had touchdown catches in nine straight games in 1990.