Clemson 52, South Carolina State 13
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Tajh Boyd played less than a half, but that was all that was necessary.
Boyd ran for an early touchdown, then took the majority of the day off as No. 4 Clemson cruised to a 52-13 victory against South Carolina State at Memorial Stadium.
Boyd failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 17 games, dating back to a loss at N.C. State on Nov. 19, 2011, so his backup came on and provided most of the Tigers' fireworks.
Cole Stoudt, the son of former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt, completed 19-of-20 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns as Clemson improved to 2-0.
Stoudt broke the record for the highest completion percentage in Clemson history, set by Woody Dantzler against The Citadel in 2000. Coincidentally, Dantzler served as a Clemson honorary captain for Saturday's game.
Fifteen players caught passes for Clemson, which led 38-7 at halftime. Germone Hopper and Martavis Bryant, neither of whom had a reception in the Tigers' opener, were the leading receivers. Hopper grabbed six passes for 66 yards and two scores and Bryant caught four passes for 87 yards.
Clemson, which is enjoying its highest ranking in 25 years, improved to 27-0 all-time against FCS opponents. It was just the second meeting between the Bulldogs and Tigers, who claimed a 54-0 decision in 2008.
Clemson's offense remained prolific, despite several starters seeing limited playing time. The Tigers' up-tempo, no-huddle offense ran 95 plays and amassed 502 yards. Fourth-team running back C.J. Davidson, who did not have a college carry until Saturday, was the leading rusher, with 63 yards on 13 attempts.
Clemson's defense did its part, too. Cornerback Martin Jenkins had a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Darius Robinson followed with a 35-yard TD interception return of his own less than five minutes later to provide the Tigers with an early 24-0 cushion.
S.C. State struggled to gain any semblance of offensive consistency, managing just 76 yards on 45 rushes and totaling 233 yards.
One bright spot for the visiting Bulldogs was senior Tyler McDonald. McDonald, who had four receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown in S.C. State's opener last Saturday, scored on catches of 63 and 51 yards and finished with four receptions for 138 yards.
NOTES: Clemson has been ranked in 31 consecutive polls, which is the third-longest streak in school history. ... Clemson's Chandler Catanzaro has made 20 of his last 21 field goals over the past two seasons. ... S.C. State punter Nick Belcher punted 10 times for an average of 39.7 yards per attempt. ... Free safety Kimari McFadden led the Bulldogs with 15 tackles, including 11 unassisted.
