No. 2 Clemson gets scare from Troy

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Troy coach Neal Brown said his team didn't play its best Saturday, and that probably came as disconcerting news to No. 2 Clemson, which was pushed to the limit by the upstart Trojans at Memorial Stadium.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson threw three touchdown passes, including two in the final quarter, as the Tigers plodded their way to a 30-24 victory against the Trojans.

Clemson (2-0) was clinging to a 13-10 lead entering the final quarter against Troy (1-1), which battled the Tigers on even terms throughout, but Watson lobbed a 1-yard scoring pass to defensive end Christian Wilkins with 13:50 left in the game, then connected with wide receiver Deon Cain for a 23-yard touchdown four minutes later to give the Tigers some breathing room -- at least temporarily.

Troy scored twice in the game's final five minutes to make it close, with the final touchdown coming with 44 seconds left to cut the Trojans' deficit to six points.

Clemson's Cain recovered an onside kick attempt with 43 seconds left and the Tigers kneeled once to run out the clock.

"It's a great win -- they're all great," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "Hats off to Troy. They were good enough to win today. That's a football team that fought harder than we did."

Brown said he was glad to see his team show plenty of grit.

"With 44 seconds to go, it was up in the air with an onside kick, so that is what our program wants to be," Brown said. "We built this team when we went Division I on having the mantra, 'We will go anywhere and compete down to the very end.' We did that today."

That the Trojans did.

Troy, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, gouged Clemson for 386 yards and 21 first downs.

"Our defense played great for 58 minutes," Swinney said. "But I'm really disappointed with the finish. And our offense never got into rhythm. I believe there were eight dropped balls."

Despite the miscues, including an early celebration fumble by wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud at the Troy 1-yard line that negated a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the first half, Clemson began to pull away in the fourth quarter.

The versatile Wilkins, who also logged seven tackles on defense, became the first defensive lineman in Clemson history to catch a touchdown pass, snagging a lob from Watson on a fourth-and-1 play out of the "jumbo" package.

It was his first touchdown catch, but the second career reception for Wilkins, a 310-pound sophomore who had a 31-yard reception on a fake punt in last year's Orange Bowl.

Cain followed with his scoring catch and Greg Huegel added a 34-yard field goal as the Tigers' lead swelled to 30-17.

"Seventeen points by the offense in the fourth quarter was huge," Swinney said. "We had three straight scoring drives. Hopefully we can pick up there next week."

Watson, a junior, improved to 20-2 as a starter. He completed 27 of a career-high 53 pass attempts for 292 yards. He was intercepted twice.

McCloud had seven receptions for a career-high 86 yards while Artavis Scott had seven catches for 71 yards.

Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers completed 24 of 42 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted twice. Both of his touchdowns went to wide receiver Deondre Douglas, who had 11 catches for 93 yards.

"Our players competed and fought all the way to the very end," Brown said. "We played the No. 2 in the country and gave them everything they wanted. We didn't play our best in any phase -- offensively, defensively or special teams. We did not play our best."

But the Trojans certainly played well enough to keep things interesting.

Troy, which was looking for its second victory against a ranked opponent in school history, took the first lead of the game on a 39-yard field goal by Ryan Kay for a 3-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first quarter before Clemson evened the score with a Greg Huegel 26-yard field goal three minutes later.

An interception by Clemson's Kendall Joseph early in the second quarter set the Tigers up near midfield, and it took Clemson just four plays to score, with Watson connecting with Hunter Renfrow for a 35-yard touchdown. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Renfrow has had at least one touchdown reception.

Troy's Jabir Frye broke free on the Trojans' ensuing possession, bouncing outside on a fourth-and-1 play and racing 66 yards to tie the score at 10-10.

Clemson took a 13-10 lead into halftime after Huegel booted a 32-yard field goal on the Tigers' next possession.

NOTES: Clemson WR Ray-Ray McCloud had eight receptions for a career-high 86 yards. ... Clemson S Van Smith, who had 16 tackles a year ago, posted a career-high 13 tackles. ... Clemson QB Deshaun Watson became the fourth quarterback in Clemson history to surpass 6,000 career passing yards. ... Troy defensive coordinator Vic Koenning served as defensive coordinator at Clemson from 2005-2008. ... Troy QB Brandon Silvers threw his 34th career touchdown pass and ranks seventh the school's all-time list. ... Troy RB Jabir Frye's 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was a career long.