CLEMSON, S.C. — Duke coach Manny Diaz didn’t need to likelihood additional time at Clemson’s Dying Valley. His group made positive he would not must.
Nate Sheppard had a 3-yard landing run with 40 seconds left and Duke adopted with a two-point conversion from Darian Mensah to Sahmir Hagans to win at Clemson for the primary time since 1980 with a 46-45 victory Saturday.
“Going additional innings at Dying Valley is not actually an excellent plan,” Diaz mentioned.
Profitable in regulation someplace you hadn’t in 45 years? “This can be a main step for our program,” Diaz mentioned.
The Blue Devils (5-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Convention) trailed 45-38 and began the game-winning drive on their 6-yard line. Mensah led an 11-play drive wherein he transformed two fourth downs to arrange Sheppard’s TD run.
There was no hesitation from Duke’s Diaz who stored the offense on the sphere and Mensah quicky discovered Hagans for the decisive factors.
It was a unusual recreation of dramatic momentum swings. Duke seemed unstoppable in gaining 199 yards within the first quarter to steer 21-7. However Clemson wakened with three straight TDs to steer 28-21. The Tigers seemed in management once more with six minutes left till Duke’s last drive.
“We simply stayed poised and confirmed our confidence,” Mensah mentioned.
It was one other low second in a horrible season for Clemson (3-5, 1-4), the defending ACC champions and a classy choose to win Dabo Swinney’s third nationwide title. The Tigers have misplaced 4 dwelling video games for the primary time since 1998.
They’re on tempo for Swinney’s worst season since 2010 when the Tigers had been 6-7 and the coach thought his time on the college was completed. As a substitute, he gained eight ACC titles and nationwide championships after the 2016 and 2018 seasons.
“I really feel like I am in 2010 once more,” Swinney mentioned.
After Duke took the ultimate lead, the Tigers tried a desperation, go the ball to anybody open play because the clock ran out. When Duke lastly stopped the play, the sidelines jumped into joyous celebration. In any case, it had been greater than 4 a long time for the reason that soccer Blue Devils had left Dying Valley with a victory.
Mensah completed with 361 yards passing and a career-best 4 landing passes.
Clemson piled up the yards and factors, too – 560 yards and its most factors this season – however couldn’t get the essential stops to keep away from a 3rd straight dwelling loss.
Cade Klubnik, in his first recreation again since getting injured towards Boston School final month, handed for 385 yards and two touchdowns for Clemson.
Receiver Antonio Williams caught 10 passes for 139 yards, operating for one rating and catching one other.
Probably NFL first-round defensive lineman Peter Woods added a 1-yard rush off a direct snap for Clemson.
Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz mentioned this season has made him sick. “It is not like we’re not working towards. It is not like we’re not working,” he mentioned. “It hurts.”
The takeaway
Duke: The Blue Devils pulled out all of the stops to snap a 15-game shedding streak right here. They completed 5-of-5 on fourth downs, 4 of these coming within the first half. Hagans additionally had a 100-yard kickoff return rating within the third quarter.
Clemson: Issues cannot get a lot decrease for the Tigers, on the verge of their worst season of Swinney’s 17 full seasons. They play Florida State subsequent week and have street video games at Louisville and rival South Carolina.
Within the ACC combine Duke’s late rally stored the Blue Devils within the hunt for a spot within the league’s title recreation subsequent month. Coming off a loss to Georgia Tech two weeks in the past, the Blue Devils might’ve fallen out of the hunt. As a substitute, they’re assured of larger video games forward.
Duke soccer landmarks The Blue Devils gained their fifth straight ACC street recreation, one thing that they had not completed since a stretch from Sept. 1961 by means of Sept. 1963. Duke had misplaced 15 straight video games at Dying Valley since its final win in 1980.