Clemson vs. FSU: Score and Twitter Reaction

A mammoth ACC Atlantic Division clash saw No. 3 Clemson defeat No. 12 Florida State, 37-34, on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium. 

Quarterback Deshaun Watson hit tight end Jordan Leggett for a 34-yard touchdown with 2:06 left to secure the win after Clemson trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter.

Watson threw for 378 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and added 52 yards on the ground, while Leggett recorded 122 yards on five catches.

They had to outduel FSU's Dalvin Cook, who ran wild with 169 yards on 19 carries with four touchdowns.

Clemson didn't let the rowdy atmosphere in Tallahassee affect it, taking the opening drive and punching it in on a one-yard rush by running back Wayne Gallman, who gained 82 yards on the ground Saturday.

It was the perfect start, according to SportsCenter's Matt Barrie, who took a phrase from head coach Dabo Swinney in describing Clemson's first drive:

However, it played right to the script of KATC's Daniel Phillips' narrative:

The drive included a 4th-and-inches conversion from Florida State's 44-yard line when Gallman plowed ahead to keep the possession alive. On the next play, Watson hit Leggett for 41 yards to put the ball on the 1-yard line and set up Gallman's touchdown. 

Florida State looked destined to put up points on its opening drive, when it brought the ball down to the Clemson 23. But a loss of yardage from Cook and a sack of quarterback Deondre Francois took the Seminoles out of field-goal range.

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb was impressed with Clemson's defensive line, which was pushing around Florida State in the trenches: 

"

Clemson D-Line is eatin

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) October 30, 2016"

Watson continued to pick apart the Seminoles defense. He accounted for 69 of Clemson's 80 yards on its second scoring drive, which ended with a pass from last year's Heisman candidate to Hunter Renfrow from four yards out. 

It was a historic pass for Watson, as Scott Keepfer of the Greenville News noted:

NBC Sports Network's Ross Tucker couldn't find the right words to describe the game's first quarter:

Florida State received a much-needed spark when Marquez White picked off Watson in Seminoles territory to halt what looked certain to be another Clemson scoring drive.

With a bit of momentum, Florida State went 60 yards to halve its deficit as Cook capped the drive with a four-yard score with 8:20 left in the second quarter.

Cook's score was a surprising first for Florida State, per ChopChat.com:

Greg Huegel added a field goal with 1:49 left to put Clemson up 17-7. But Florida State rolled right down the field thanks to two plays that totaled 63 yards to help cut its deficit to three at halftime when Francois hit Nyqwan Murray for a five-yard touchdown pass and the receiver's first career score.

Florida State got the ball back to start the second half, much to the entertainment and delight of Yahoo Sports Radio's Mike Lindsley and Seminoles.com's Tim Linafelt:

But FSU could only muster a punt on the second half's opening drive before Clemson tacked on another Huegel field goal to go up six with 9:08 left in the third. 

After Florida State punted, Watson was picked off again when he threw it straight into the arms of Tarvarus McFadden. 

USA Today's Dan Wolken was not impressed with the Clemson quarterback:

On the next play, Cook made them pay, taking a handoff 43 yards to the house to help give Florida State a 21-20 lead. He showed supreme patience on the run, then bounced outside toward the right sideline and tight-roped his way to the end zone.

It got Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani hyped:

Josh Mansour of the Detroit Free Press basked in Cook's intangibles:

He one-upped himself two possessions later, though, going 70 yards with 43 seconds left in the third, this time streaking down the left sideline.

Cook almost left Linafelt speechless:

Warchant's Ryan S. Clark didn't even use words to describe it:

Kirpalani broke down Cook's monster quarter:

Clemson kept its composure and started the fourth quarter with a touchdown to stymie Florida State's momentum. Gallman finished off a 75-yard drive with a second-effort lunge from two yards out to make it 28-26 with 11:30 remaining.

It was Gallman's first multi-touchdown game since the 2015 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, according to Clemson Football. 

The Tigers couldn't tie the game, though, after a failed two-point conversion.

Their defense came up big with the help of Florida State's mental mistakes, including an illegal block that wiped out a 42-yard run from Cook, forcing the Seminoles to punt from deep in their own territory and give Clemson the ball near midfield.

The Tigers only went 23 yards, but it was enough for Huegel to give Clemson a one-point lead with 5:25 left on a 46-yard field goal, as Clemson Football shows:

After sustaining numerous hits, Francois took a shot with just over four minutes left that forced him out for a play. But he came back to hand off the ball to Cook for his fourth touchdown of the day, this one from eight yards out. 

WCCB Charlotte's Michelle Rotella was excited, to say the least:

After a failed two-point conversion, Clemson got the ball back down 34-29 with 3:23 left, which didn't give Seth Kaplan of Fox 9 a good feeling: 

Watson charged Clemson 75 yards down the field in just over a minute as he hit Leggett for a 34-yard score to go up one. 

ESPN Radio's Ian Fitzsimmons was loving every minute of this game:

Watson hit Mike Williams in the back of the end one for a two-point conversion to make it a three-point game with 2:06 to go. It was the Big Lead's Jason McIntyre's turn to question how much time Clemson used:

But Clemson's defense came up big one last time to quell Florida State on its final drive and ice the win.  

The victory ensured that Clemson kept its stronghold on the ACC Atlantic after Louisville narrowly escaped with a win against Virginia on Saturday. A defeat would have given the pair one loss each, but Clemson would have stayed ahead due to its 42-36 win over the Cardinals earlier in the month. 

With the playoff committee releasing its first poll Tuesday, it's a safe assumption that Clemson will remain in the Top Four.

Florida State's ACC hopes are all but crushed, as it remains three games behind Louisville for second place in the division. 

Postgame Reaction

Swinney was quick to point out that his team set school history with the win, per Marc Dopher of WYFF:

But it wasn't short of stress, per Aaron Brenner of the Post & Courier:

He still took a moment to sing the praises of his quarterback, per Brenner:

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher spent just a moment on his team after the loss, per TD Online's Jordan Culver:

But then he went after the officiating, as he was unhappy with the call that brought back Cook's big run, per Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times:

While the airing of grievances won't change the result, it could get him in trouble with the NCAA. Instead, Florida State might want to focus on salvaging this season, as its hopes of playing in a big-time bowl game are in serious jeopardy.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.