Led By Deshaun Watson, No. 5 Clemson Beats Georgia Tech 26-7

Deshaun Watson and the No. 5 Clemson Tigers defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27-6 on Thursday night to record their first victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta since 2003.

Led By Deshaun Watson, No. 5 Clemson Beats Georgia Tech 26-7

Watson completed 32 of 48 passes for 304 yards, including a pair of touchdowns during a dominant first half that made it seem like a matchup between a top-ranked school and a scout team, rather than a top-ranked school and a fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member. The Tigers also posted a 56 percent conversion rate on third downs.

Following sluggish wins over Auburn and Troy, and an easy 59-0 rout of FCS school South Carolina State that meant nothing, Clemson (4-0, 1-0 ACC) will now gear up for a great showdown with No. 3 Louisville.

“We came in focused that first half,” Watson said. “We just wanted to finish the deal.”

The 21-year-old QB tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams and a nine-yard pass to Jordan Leggett with just 4 seconds remaining before halftime to cap an incredibly lopsided meeting that wasn’t wholly reflected in the 23-0 lead. Wayne Gallman added a 1-yard TD run.

The Tigers also held the hosts to 124 total yards and just two third-down conversions on 12 attempts.

At the half, Clemson led 347-22 in total yards and 19-3 in first downs, having run 56 plays to just 21 for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1 ACC) were out-gained 442-124 overall.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve won here,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ll take it.”

Thursday’s game also seemed like a repeat of lat year’s meeting at Clemson, when the Tigers jumped to a 33-10 halftime lead on route to a 43-24 victory. Clemson completely dominated the line of scrimmage in both instances.

“They’ve done it to us two years in a row up front,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “They kicked our butts.”

Watson and the Tigers offense did look shaky at times, however. The Clemson QB had a bad red zone interception on an apparent miscommunication that somehow still resulted in two points for his team. Watson also didn’t look particularly sharp in the red zone except in the first drive of the game. Lance Austin caught the interception, but was inadvertently hit by teammate Corey Griffin, a move that knocked the ball loose.

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, narrowly avoided its first home shutout since 1957, when Dedrick Mills scored on a 2-yard run with 13:21 left.

The Tigers will next host the Louisville Cardinals on Oct. 1, while the Yellow Jackets will host the Miami Hurricanes that same day. Georgia Tech won its first three games this season against Boston College, Mercer and Vanderbilt.

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 22: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Clemson Tigers looks to pass as he is pressured by KeShun Freeman #42 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 22, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)