No. 6 Tennessee tops No. 10 Clemson 31-14 in Orange Bowl

No. 6 Tennessee tops No. 10 Clemson 31-14 in Orange Bowl


MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The only thing that stopped Tennessee lovers from singing “Rocky Top” as time was expiring Friday evening was the need to have to serenade Joe Milton with some thing else.

“M-V-P!” they chanted, more than and in excess of. With excellent purpose.

Milton — who regained the starting up job only after his close mate Hendon Hooker obtained damage late in the yr — led Tennessee to one particular of its greatest times in the final pair many years. He done 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns, and No. 6 Tennessee under no circumstances trailed on its way to a 31-14 victory around No. 10 Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

“I trust myself, I have confidence in my coaching and I just enable it take place,” Milton said.

The Volunteers finished 11-2 for the first time due to the fact 2001, and capped a year when they defeat Alabama, LSU and Clemson — applications that put together to acquire 6 of the seven most modern School Football Playoff nationwide titles.

“All the adversity this group’s faced through their occupations, what they’ve performed the past 23 months, I could not be prouder of a team of persons,” explained Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, who won a countrywide title as an Oklahoma player in the Orange Bowl.

Squirrel White, Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton experienced the scoring catches for the Volunteers. Jaylen Wright rushed for 89 yards and Jabari Compact had a landing run for Tennessee.

Cade Klubnik, building his very first commence for Clemson, concluded 30 of 54 passes for 320 yards with two interceptions. But Clemson (11-3) just retained coming up vacant on prime scoring probabilities the Tigers received into Tennessee territory on nine of their first 10 belongings — and turned these excursions into only two industry plans.

Clemson concluded with 484 yards on 101 plays, and nevertheless dropped by 17.

“You never get any factors for yards,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney claimed. “The title of the game’s details. … You have to complete and execute and we did not do that.”

Klubnik ran in from 4 yards out to get Clemson within just 21-14 with 10:01 left, but Milton connected with Keyton for a 46-property rating on the up coming Tennessee possession. The Volunteers intercepted Klubnik on a desperation fourth-down heave about a moment afterwards, just about sealing the consequence.

“Wish we could have despatched out these seniors with a acquire,” Klubnik explained. “I assume we gave it all we had right until the past engage in.”

In this very orange Orange Bowl — both of those groups have it as their major coloration — it was the Tennessee hue that was excellent. Hooker was there, obtaining flown in about a 7 days ago to be with his group and enable Milton get ready for the recreation.

“Blood cannot make us nearer,” Milton mentioned. “That’s my brother ’til the conclude.”

Milton opened the scoring with a 16-garden move to McCoy, and Small’s 2-property hurry pushed the guide to 14- with 9:03 still left in the 50 percent. The nation’s most prolific offense was not at its very best — Tennessee led the nation this 12 months in yards and details for each sport — but it did not have to be.

Clemson bought the ball seven moments in the 1st fifty percent, receiving inside of Tennessee territory all seven instances and having to the Vols 25 on 4 situations.

Somehow, that only turned three factors.

The other six belongings: a stuffed fake area-intention run by Drew Swinney, the son of the Clemson coach a punt 3 missed discipline objectives by B.T. Potter — the most prolific kicker in faculty record — and a brutal remaining push when Klubnik was tackled on a keeper with 6 seconds remaining. Clemson was out of timeouts, could not get the field-aim unit on the subject and went into halftime trailing 14-3.

“Lot of missed chances,” Dabo Swinney explained.

Potter opened the next half with a 40-yarder — the 73rd discipline aim of his occupation, a school file for the Tigers. But White caught a 14-lawn move with 5 seconds left in the 3rd, offering the Vols a 21-6 direct going into the fourth.

When it was over, Milton took a knee, tucked the activity ball underneath his remaining arm and simply would not allow it go. He’ll enter 2023 as Tennessee’s presumed starter — and expectations will be significant for a method that went 20-27 in the four seasons prior to Heupel’s arrival, went 7-6 very last year underneath him and now gained an Orange Bowl.

“It’s been a exciting climb,” Heupel reported. “The greatest is nonetheless to come.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Tennessee: Peyton Manning was on the sideline pregame and experienced a prime seat for the contest. When he acquired proven on the in-stadium screens in the course of the second half, he pointed to his Tennessee hat and nodded knowingly as the Vol enthusiasts roared.

Clemson: The a few huge performs that the Tigers will lament aren’t difficult to discover. The phony discipline-aim run was just one, Klubnik’s time-administration blunder to stop the initially 50 percent was a different, and the 3rd was a determination to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Vols 31 late in the third. Will Shipley was stopped on a operate left, and four performs later, Milton discovered White for the 21-6 direct.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Tennessee may perhaps climb a place or two, relying on what transpires in the University Soccer Playoff games. It’ll be the Vols’ most effective finish in at the very least 20 several years they were being No. 4 in 2001 and No. 1 in 1998.

Clemson will be section of the last poll for the 12th consecutive year, extending the longest this kind of operate in faculty historical past.

UP Up coming

Tennessee: The Vols open up 2023 against Virginia on Sept. 2 in Nashville. It’ll be Virginia’s to start with sport because the shooting that killed three gamers and led to the cancellation of the Cavaliers’ last two video games of 2022.

Clemson: A 7 days A person sport in opposition to an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent awaits, likely to be declared in January. Clemson’s initially nonconference video game is Sept. 9 in opposition to Charleston Southern.

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