Kyle Parker threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, as the Clemson Tigers pulled away for a 40-24 win over the Florida State Seminoles in an ACC clash at Memorial Stadium.

Parker hit on 18-of-30 pass attempts and was intercepted once, as Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) captured its fourth straight victory. Tailback C.J. Spiller also had a big night, as he rushed for a career-best 165 yards and a score, while catching three passes for 67 yards and another touchdown. With the win, the Tigers now control their own destiny for the Atlantic Division title.

Quarterback Christian Ponder had a rough game for FSU (4-5, 2-4), as he threw for 264 yards and a score, but with four interceptions. Jermaine Thomas turned in 119 yards and a score on 26 carries, as the Seminoles saw their two-game win streak come to an end.

The Seminoles started the scoring with a 35-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins midway through the first quarter.

The Tigers responded three minutes later, as Dwayne Allen pulled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Parker. The extra-point failed, however, leaving Clemson with just a 6-3 edge.

Less than two minutes later, FSU regained the lead with a 49-yard scoring strike from Ponder to Lonnie Pryor. A 52-yard interception return for a score moments later by Jamie Robinson gave the Seminoles a 17-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Clemson scored the only points of the second quarter, as Xavier Dye snared a 43-yard touchdown pass from Parker early in the frame. Spiller converted a two-point try and the Tigers trailed just 17-14 at the break.

Spiller pulled in a 58-yard touchdown pass from Parker early in the third quarter and Clemson now held a 21-17 edge.

FSU would respond later in the frame, as Thomas plunged one yard for a score and a 24-21 lead.

The Tigers, however, would take over in the final quarter, scoring 19- unanswered points for the 40-24 victory. The outburst began with a nine-yard touchdown run by Andre Ellington and was followed with a two-yard touchdown pass from Parker to Durrell Barry. Spiller put the finishing touches on the game with a five-yard touchdown run with 3:29 remaining.

Clemson gained 483 total yards, including 241 rushing, and was aided by five FSU turnovers.

Game Notes

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@