Clemson senior quarterback Tajh Boyd rebounded from last week's brutal performance against Florida State by throwing for 304 yards and a TD and also rushed for a score, but he was overshadowed by two offensive teammates in the Tigers' 40-27 win at Maryland.
Junior wide receiver Sammy Watkins (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) had a career-high 14 receptions, for 163 yards. The yardage total is the second-highest in his career; he had 202 last season at Wake Forest. That game and Saturday's game were played on artificial turf. Watkins had 10 receptions for 127 yards in the first half against the Terps.
Senior tailback Roderick McDowell had the game of his life. He set a career high with 30 carries, and they went for a career-best 161 yards. McDowell scored two touchdowns, including a 45-yarder with five minutes left in the game that iced the win. McDowell's other TD came earlier in the fourth quarter.
Boyd was 28 of 41 (68.3 percent) against the Terps, and also threw an interception. In last week's loss to Florida State, Boyd was just 17 of 37 for 156 yards, a TD and two interceptions. His completion percentage Saturday was his third-highest of the season and the fourth time he completed at least 68 percent of his attempts.
"He didn't make many mistakes tonight," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told reporters afterward. "He played a really, really good football game."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
