The Clemson Tigers appeared to be dead in the water in the Meineke Car Care Bowl before suddenly lurching to life in the last two minutes and nearly pulling off a shocking upset. The Tigers, down 31-13 with two minutes to go, scored twice in just over a minute to get within five, but came one yard short of recovering the last onside kick, allowing Clemson to kill the clock.
Car Care Bowl, Clemson Vs. USF: Tigers Nearly Pull Off Incredible Comeback But Fail, 31-26
The South Florida Bulls found the end zone early in the fourth quarter, providing insurance points that turned-out to be the difference in the game. The Bulls used strong defense for much of the second half, keeping Clemson off the board until the final, furious two minutes.
The Tigers nearly completed the miraculous comeback, scoring with 1:47 left, recovering a beautifully placed onside kick and scoring again just one minute later to bring the score to 31-26. They very nearly recovered the next onside kick, but caught the ball after it’d only traveled nine and a half yards instead of the mandatory ten. South Florida got the ball and that was the end.
South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels called his own number to open the fourth quarter, finding the end zone on an eight-yard run. Clemson answered with two minutes left when Tahj Boyd hit Brandon Ford for six yards and a touchdown. The two hooked up again on the next possession, this time from 10 yards out, to give us the 31-26 final.
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