TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — EJ Manuel threw for a career-high 380 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 102 yards as fourth-ranked Florida State rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat No. 10 Clemson 49-37 on Saturday night.
The biggest Atlantic Coast Conference game in years was a wild one for a while. Then it was Florida State’s offense pulling away from Clemson and its fast-paced attack.
Chris Thompson ran for 103 yards and two scores and James Wilder Jr. added two touchdowns runs for the Seminoles, who broke open a close game with 35 second-half points. Thompson, who has 300 yards rushing in two ACC games, also caught eight passes for 79 yards.
Florida State (4-0, 2-0 ACC) trailed until late in the third quarter, taking its first lead at 35-31 on Manuel’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Smith. The Seminoles, who finished with 667 yards, built a 49-31 lead before Clemson scored late. Florida State is now the only remaining unbeaten team in the ACC.
Florida State, which just missed scoring 50 or more points for a fourth straight game, is averaging 56.2 points and 574.5 yards offense a game as it prepares to step out of conference play next weekend at South Florida.
Clemson (3-1, 0-1) built a 28-14 lead early in the third quarter on a 52-yard pass from All-American receiver Sammy Watkins to Andre Ellington.
The two teams combined for 1,093 yards offense as Clemson put up 426 yards against the nation’s top-ranked defense.
The two teams combined for 361 yards offense in a wild opening. The Tigers needed just 86 seconds to reach the end zone as DeAndre Hopkins blew past Florida State safety Terrence Brooks on a 60-yard scoring bomb from Boyd – the first touchdown scored against the Seminole defense this season. But more were to come.
A trick play set up Clemson’s second TD, a 6-yard run by Andre Ellington. Darrell Smith got a yard on a shovel pass from holder Spencer Benton on a fake field goal from the Florida State 15 two plays earlier.
Yet another trick play gave Clemson its 28-14 lead when Watkins took a lateral from Tajh Boyd and then threw back across the field to Ellington on a 52-yard scoring play. Although Watkins had 109 all-purpose yards, he was kept out of the end zone.
But Florida State responded quickly, sandwiching a pair of TDs around a 50-yard field goal by Clemson’s Chandler Catanzaro.
Clemson led 21-14 at the half, capitalizing on a fumble by Florida State’s Rashad Greene to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Boyd to Brandon Ford.


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