Boyd right at home as Clemson routs Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- It was home sweet home again for Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd.
Boyd remained unbeaten against teams from his home state in a big way Saturday, passing for 377 yards and three touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Tigers rolled to a 59-10 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Virginia.
Boyd connected on 22-of-27 passes for 278 yards in the first half as the Tigers bolted to a 35-7 lead and coasted from there in front of 46,959 fans at Scott Stadium.
"It makes it sweet to win in Virginia, but we just wanted to come out and play the type of football we're capable of playing," Boyd said. "November is when we want to play our best. Hopefully we put a stamp on it today and we're going to take off from here. It's time to let it all loose."
Boyd appeared to do exactly that against the Cavaliers.
The senior, who also had a one-yard touchdown run, capped his day by lobbing a 96-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins on the Tigers' third play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
That play, the second-longest from scrimmage in Clemson history, gave Watkins eight catches for 169 yards. Watkins has 22 catches for 332 yards over his last two games and has five 100-yard games in his last five.
Saturday's final score against Clemson was identical to No. 2 Oregon's victory at Virginia on Sept. 7, but Cavaliers coach Mike London didn't want to get drawn into a comparison.
"I don't know how they'd stack up against Oregon," the Virginia coach said. "But I do know this -- (the Tigers) do so many things that affect how you play."
Clemson improved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, while Virginia, which lost its fifth consecutive game, slipped to 2-7, 0-5.
The Tigers, who have a bye week before hosting Georgia Tech in a Nov. 14 Thursday night game, won their eighth consecutive road game, the third-longest streak in school history.
Clemson also notched its 16th straight win by double digits against an unranked team. It is the second-longest such active streak in the nation, trailing on Alabama's 25-game streak.
"The thing Clemson has is an accomplished veteran at quarterback and vertical threats in the passing game," London said. "You can't miss tackles against them and you can't be slow or they exploit that. They're very fast."
It didn't take long for that to become evident. Boyd struck quickly, connecting with Watkins for a 33-yard touchdown on the Tigers' fifth play of the game.
Virginia tied the game, 7-7, on a six-yard touchdown run by quarterback David Watford, but it was all Clemson from there.
Third-team running back C.J. Davidson scored on a two-yard run to give the Tigers the lead for good, and then Clemson scored on each of its final three possessions of the first half to take command.
Roderick McDowell scored on a 10-yard pass from Boyd and ran 25 yards for another touchdown, then Boyd scored on a one-yard keeper for a 35-7 lead.
Boyd played only one series in the second half on a day when he continued a record-breaking senior season. Boyd broke the ACC record for touchdown responsibility, with his four scores giving him 116, three more than Philip Rivers had at North Carolina State.
"Those senior guys know the end is coming and I think they all have a great appreciation for what they have been able to accomplish," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "They want to finish strong."
Clemson's defense also enjoyed a productive night, holding Virginia to only three points over the final 50 minutes. The Tigers forced 12 Virginia punts and held the Cavaliers to 277 total yards while forcing two interceptions and a fumble.
One week after completing a school-record 43 passes against Georgia Tech, Watford was only 16-of-35 for 130 yards with an interception.
Kevin Parks was the lone bright spot for the Virginia offense, with 16 rushes for 82 yards and three receptions for 20 more.
"It was a great road win for us," Swinney said. "I like how our guys showed up. It was probably our cleanest game in a while as far as putting it all together."
NOTES: A school-record 19 Clemson players have scored a touchdown this season; the previous high was 17 players during the 2006 season. ... Clemson won the first 29 games in the series before Virginia finally broke through in 1990; the Cavaliers are 8-9-1 against the Tigers since. ... Clemson third-team quarterback Chad Kelly, the nephew of former NFL great Jim Kelly, scored his first career touchdown on a 38-yard run with 12:37 left in the game. ... Virginia has only eight seniors on its roster, which is tied for second-fewest in the nation with Central Florida, trailing only South Carolina with five. ... Virginia sophomore quarterback David Watford entered the game leading the ACC and ranking 10th nationally with 23.9 completions per game. ... Virginia safety Anthony Harris is tied for the national lead with six interceptions, two more than the entire Virginia team had in 2012.
