Humanitarian Bowl

2001

 

Clemson 49

Louisiana Tech 24

 

Clemson Fight Song

 

 

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Even in the snow, Woodrow Dantzler was dazzling. Dantzler tied a school record with four touchdown passes and Clemson coach Tommy Bowden got his first postseason victory as the Tigers beat Louisiana Tech 49-24 in the Humanitarian Bowl on Monday. With snow falling from kickoff into the third quarter, Dantzler completed 15 of 23 passes for 218 yards. He ran 15 times for 57 yards before leaving with the Tigers leading 42-10 after the third quarter.

 

This fall, Dantzler became the first Division I-A player to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. He went out with a bang in his final performance, throwing two scoring passes in the first six minutes of the third quarter as the Tigers (7-5) extended a 14-10 halftime lead.

Dantzler found tight end Ben Hall for a 5-yard score. Later, he threw in the flat to Bernard Rambert, who was almost stopped short of a first down near midfield but broke away from a mass of tacklers and sprinted 62 yards for a TD.

The Bulldogs (7-5), champions of the Western Athletic Conference in their first season in the league, tackled poorly in the cold weather and quarterback Luke McCown's two third-quarter interceptions led to two Clemson TDs.

Dantzler was voted Clemson's most valuable player.

Everything went right for the Tigers in the third. They made it 42-10 when receiver Airese Currie hid a handoff from Dantzler, stood still while the play flowed deceptively to the right and then raced left for a 19-yard score (video).

The 32-degree weather was better suited for the Winter Olympics than a college bowl game, with the blue turf at Boise State's Bronco Stadium looking more like a frozen hockey pond.

It was the Clemson's first game in the snow since 1936. Louisiana Tech's last snow game was the 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl in Murfreesboro, Tenn., when Terry Bradshaw directed a victory over Akron.

The Tigers made the best of it. Someone built a snow-statue replica of Howard's Rock, the good luck charm that Clemson players touch before each home game. They did it in Idaho, too, although the "rock" fell after too much contact.

Bowden is the first Clemson coach to reach bowl games in his first three seasons, but he was 0-2 until this year. The Tigers also snapped a string of five straight bowl losses.

 

Tech defense buries Dantzler. Tech's Erick Franklin is tackled by Tavaghn Monts.

 

Attendance: 23,472

 

Scoring Summary

First Quarter
LT- FG Scobee 29
CU- Bailey 10 pass from Dantzler (Hunt Kick)

Second Quarter
LT- McCown 11 run (Scobee Kick)
CU- Crosby 53 pass from Dantzler (Hunt Kick)

Third Quarter
CU- Hall 5 pass from Dantzler (Hunt Kick)
CU- Rambert 62 pass from Dantzler (Hunt Kick)
CU- Rambert 21 run (Hunt Kick)
CU- Currie 19 run (Hunt Kick)

Fourth Quarter
CU Hamilton 57 pass from Simmons (Hunt Kick)
LT- Daigre 34 pass from McCown (Simon reception for 2 pt. conversion)
LT- Smith 2 run (2 pt. conversion failed)
 

Individual Statistics
 

Rushing
CU- Rambert 16-101, Jasmin 16-83, Dantzler 15-57, Currie 2-31
LT- J Smith 14-57

Passing
CU- Dantzler 15-23-218, Simmons 1-4-57
LT- McCown 25-52-328, Causey 4-7-73

Receiving
CU- Hamilton 4-94, Crosby 4-69, Rambert 3-77
LT- Daigre 10-178, Simon 7-96, Harris 4-31, Curry 3-20

 

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