14th-ranked Tigers bury Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Tajh Boyd threw for a school-record 428 yards with five touchdown passes, Sammy Watkins added a school-record 202 yards receiving and No. 14 Clemson routed Wake Forest 42-13 on Thursday night.

Boyd was 27 of 38 and connected with Watkins for three plays of 50 or more yards, including a 61-yarder for a score.

Watkins finished with eight catches and Boyd added touchdown throws of 9 yards to Brandon Ford, 12 yards each to Sam Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins and 2 yards to Charone Peake.

The Tigers (7-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored the first 35 points, including a four-touchdown second quarter, in their fourth consecutive victory and fourth straight in the series with the Demon Deacons (4-4, 2-4).

Five days after Virginia Tech held Clemson to season lows in every significant offensive statistic except the final score, the Tigers rolled up 534 total yards.

Boyd broke Charlie Whitehurst’s 10-year-old record of 420 yards passing after Watkins took care of the school’s receiving mark of 197 yards set last month by Hopkins against Boston College.

Tanner Price was 27 of 44 for 232 yards for Wake Forest. He threw touchdown passes covering 8 and 18 yards to Tommy Bohanon.

The Demon Deacons had minus-23 yards rushing in the first half. They’ve played two Top 25 teams and have been outscored 94-13 while allowing 1,146 total yards.

Clemson was legitimately concerned after its lackluster 38-17 victory over the Hokies. In that game, the Tigers managed just 160 yards passing, 135 yards rushing and 295 total yards.

The defending ACC champions eclipsed last week’s yardage total by halftime.