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Harper sets school record as Clemson hammers Louisiana-Monroe

Sep 8, 2007 - 11:16 PM CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) -- Clemson did have a bit of a letdown against Louisiana-Monroe, but it lasted only nine minutes.

Junior quarterback Cullen Harper set a school record with five touchdown passes as the Tigers routed Louisiana-Monroe, 49-26, on Saturday.

Playing a trap game following a big victory over Florida State on Monday, the Tigers (2-0) came out sluggish. Clemson fell behind, 7-0, with just under six minutes to play in the opening quarter.

But that would be the extent of the Tigers' troubles, as the team went on to open up a 28-10 halftime lead en route to the convincing win.

"We had two games in one week, and we've never done that," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. "I don't think I've ever had that as an assistant or a head coach.

"You're never sure what you are going to get after a big game like the one we had against Florida State on Monday. In all, I'm very pleased to have two wins in a week."

Harper, who finished 20-of-26 for 270 yards and was not intercepted, did most of his damage in the first half, when he threw for four scores - a school record for one half.

After Calvin Dawson's one-yard plunge gave the Warhawks a 7-0 lead at the 5:46 mark of the first quarter, Harper and the Clemson offense caught fire.

On the second play of the Tigers' next drive, wide receiver Jacoby Ford took a reverse and raced 29 yards to the Warhawks 19 yard line. Two plays later, Harper tossed a screen pass to Tyler Grisham, who plowed his way into the end zone from 14 yards out.

Clemson's defense then forced a three-and-out and on the opening play of the following drive, Harper threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ford, who was well beyond the secondary thanks to a play-action fake.

Harper extended Clemson's lead to 21-10 when he connected with tight end Brian Linthicum from eight yards out with 4:46 to play in the second quarter.

Aaron Kelly made it an 18-point game with just under two minutes to play in the half when he hauled in Harper's fourth touchdown of the half from six yards out.

It was more of same in the second half, as Harper hooked up with C.J. Spiller on a 68-yard touchdown on Clemson's first play of the third quarter at the 13:44 mark.

In two games as Clemson's starter, Harper has thrown seven touchdowns and has yet to be intercepted. His five touchdown passes broke the previous school record of four, which had been held by five players.

"I'm very pleased with how (Harper) played," said Bowden, who improved to 62-38 in 100 games at Clemson. "They loaded nine guys in the box at times, so we had the opportunity to throw it a bit. He did a good job executing and making his throws ... (Harper) has shown a lot of character, and this is only going to help him."

With the game well in hand after three quarters, Harper gave way to freshman Willy Korn, who capped his first drive under center with a one-yard touchdown run.

James Davis, who led Clemson with 73 rushing yards on eight carries, contributed a 16-yard TD as the Tigers started the year 2-0 for the second time in three seasons.

Dawson was the lone bright spot for the Warhawks (0-2) as he piled up 120 yards on 28 carries against a Clemson defense that had allowed 114 rushing yards total against Florida State. The effort marked the seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game for the senior and the 10th of his career.

The Warhawks' Frank Goodin finished with 107 yards on 10 carries, earning most of that on a 48-yard score late in the game. Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster struggled as he finished 11-of-26 for 139 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

"We play these types of games for a couple of reasons. Number one, it keeps the program going," Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie said. "Number two, I think our players enjoy coming into 80,000 people and playing in these venues. It builds character.

"Our players find out what the speed of the game is all about when they come and play Clemson, Alabama and Texas A&M. Our guys look forward to it."

This was be the first meeting between the schools and the first of two straight non-conference games for Clemson, which hosts Furman next Saturday.