Harper sets school record as Tigers rout Warhawks

Sep 8, 2007, 21:10 GMT

Clemson, SC - Cullen Harper threw a school-record five touchdown passes to lead 25th-ranked Clemson to a 49-26 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Memorial Stadium.

Harper completed 20-of-26 passes for 270 yards and his touchdown total eclipsed the record of four, set 10 times by five players. The last to accomplish the feat was Charlie Whitehurst, who did it four times, the last in 2003 against South Carolina.

C.J. Spiller had four catches for 87 yards with a score for Clemson (2-0), which had no letdown after opening its season with a 24-18 victory over Florida State this past Monday. James Davis added 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground in the victory.

'We had two games in one week, and we've never done that,' Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. 'I don't think I've ever had that as an assistant or a head coach. You're never sure what you are going to get after a big game like the one we had against Florida State on Monday. In all, I'm very pleased to have two wins in a week.'

Calvin Dawson was the lone bright spot for Louisiana-Monroe (0-2), rushing for 121 yards with a touchdown on 28 carries. Kinsmon Lancaster threw for 139 yards with a score, completing just 11-of-26 passes in defeat.

'I thought we played good Clemson team today,' UL-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie said. 'They're a very physical football team. They run the ball very well and they throw the ball well. I thought defensively they did some good things against us.'

Clemson started slowly and trailed 7-0 with just under six minutes to play in the first quarter after Dawson scored on a one-yard run for ULM, but the Tigers quickly answered with 14 points before the end of the stanza.

Harper hit Tyler Grisham with a 14-yard scoring pass on the next series and the defense forced a quick three-and-out. Harper then hooked up with Jacoby Ford for a 52-yard touchdown pass on the first play after the punt to make it 14-3.

Louisiana-Monroe followed with a 15-play drive, but only managed a 41-yard field goal by Cole Wilson early in the second quarter, and Clemson tallied two more touchdowns before the end of the half.

Harper threw an eight-yard TD pass to Brian Linthicum with 4:46 remaining in the half and found Aaron Kelly with a six-yard scoring strike just under three minutes later for a 28-10 cushion heading to the break.

The Tigers, after forcing a three-and-out by Louisiana-Monroe to start the third quarter, wasted no time on their opening possession as Harper completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to Spiller on the first play.

Wilson followed with a 23-yard field goal for the Warhawks, but Clemson followed with an eight-play drive for another touchdown. Davis capped the 77- yard march with a 16-yard touchdown run to give his team a 42-13 advantage.

Freshman quarterback Willy Korn scored on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter for the last Clemson points, but Louisiana-Monroe tacked on a pair of late scores for the final margin.

Lancaster threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Stringfellow and Frank Goodin added a 48-yard TD run.

Game Notes

The other Clemson quarterbacks with four touchdown passes in a game were Woodrow Dantzler, Willie Simmons, Nealon Greene and Bobby Gage...The Tigers rolled up 503 yards of offense, while the Warhawks finished with 419...Goodin rushed for 102 yards in defeat...Clemson next welcomes Furman to Death Valley, while Louisiana-Monroe tackles another ranked opponent in Texas A&M at College Station.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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