The Power Five championship games so far this weekend have mostly been runaways and No. 3 Clemson appeared to be doing their part early on to add the ACC title game to that list.
The Tigers jumped out to a three score lead on Saturday night before Virginia Tech clawed their back into the contest and cut the Clemson lead to 21-14 heading into halftime.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson continued to make a late season run at the Heisman Trophy with a performance to match in the half, going 14-of-19 for 117 yards and two scores through the air while adding another touchdown on the ground. Tight end Jordan Leggett caught both of Watson’s passes in the end zone and led the team with 44 yards receiving.
Virginia Tech couldn’t get much going on either side of the ball before the second quarter, giving up over five yards per play and committing several big penalties on defense while failing to move the ball effectively on offense. The Hokies first touchdown only came as the result of both a fake punt and a fullback pass to get the team into the red zone, where Travon McMillian punched it in at the goal line from one yard out.
Things started to turn around in the second quarter though, as Bud Foster’s defense tightened up and the offense finally started to click. There was no run game to speak of for the Coastal Division champions but the passing game picked up as the game went on and added a second touchdown to cut into the lead late.
There’s still plenty of time for Virginia Tech to make things even more interesting since they get the ball to start the second half. On the flip side, all Clemson likely needs to make the College Football Playoff is a win so if they can regain the momentum they had early in the game, they’ll be well on their way.