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Harper, Clemson sharp in rout of Furman

Sep 15, 2007 - 11:58 PM CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) -- Cullen Harper and Clemson capped a three-game season-opening homestand in style.

Harper threw three touchdowns to three different receivers and reserve quarterback Willy Korn also tossed a score as the 20th-ranked Tigers routed Furman of the Football Championship Subdivision, 38-10, on Saturday afternoon.

James Davis also ran for a TD for Clemson (3-0), which routed Louisiana-Monroe, 49-26, last week after starting the campaign with an emotion victory over Florida State in the annual "Bowden Bowl" matchup.

But Clemson coach Tommy Bowden did not assume another blowout win.

"Playing a I-AA team, you should win by a lot. However, the parity in college football is evening out," Bowden said. "I did not come into this game thinking we were (guaranteed a win).

"Furman has beaten Georgia Tech and NC State in the past. Furman also has a great coaching staff, and a great program full of traditions. I did not feel secure about the win until the end of the game."

It will only get tougher for the Tigers, who follow this contest with back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference road games at North Carolina State and No. 15 Georgia Tech.

"The players are looking forward to the road games the next consecutive weeks, especially because of the conference play," Bowden said. "A lot of our players will enjoy the road games, because the other fans' boos will excite the guys and motivate them to come out with a victory.

"We will also use the a lot more of our newcomers as we get into conference play."

Harper was 17-of-20 for 274 yards, connecting with Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham and Jacoby Ford for scores in a near-perfect performance. His final drive was an eight-play, 76-yard jaunt - capped by a 23-yard TD to Kelly to make it 31-3.

Korn took over, hooking up with La'Donte Harris on a 42-yard TD pass with 10:49 left on his first throw of the game to give the Tigers a 35-point advantage.

Albeit against overmatched Furman, Clemson looked impressive early on Saturday, embarking on an eight-play, 66-yard drive in the first quarter. Davis capped the drive with a two-yard plunge to make it 7-0 with 9:54 left.

"I thought we performed well against Furman today," Bowden said. "Furman made the game close today, even though we came out with a 38-10 victory. We played a nine-man front allowing for deep passes.

"Despite, Furman's possession time and our five turnovers, we capitalized on big plays to go to 3-0."

Mark Buchholz added a 22-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the opening period to give the Tigers an early 10-point advantage en route to a 17-3 halftime lead. Clemson then outscored Furman, 21-7, in the second half to secure the victory.

Brantley Kendall ran for a 26-yard touchdown for the Paladins (1-2), who committed four turnovers - including two fumbles and two interceptions.

"First of all, I just told our football team how proud of them I was," Furman coach Bobby Lamb said. "I told them I wanted them to do one thing, and that was to compete for four quarters, and that's what we did. Our guys never quit.

"We made some great plays and moved the ball down the field."