Prior to the Orange Bowl, Joe Milton declared his intention to “put on a show” for his community. At Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night, the quarterback for Tennessee accomplished precisely that.
Approximately an hour north of the stadium, Milton was born and reared in Pahokee. He led No. 6 Tennessee over No. 10 Clemson with three touchdown passes and 251 yards of passing.0
After taking over for an injured Hendon Hooker in November, the Orange Bowl MVP improved to 2-0 in his starting debut. The Volunteers (11-2) had their best record since 2001 under Milton’s leadership.
After the victory, Milton remarked, “It was a statement game for Tennessee as a team and also a statement game for me playing at home.”
The Clemson Tigers (11-3) never looked to be able to get back as things went south early on.
B.T. Potter, the kicker for Clemson, missed his first three – goals, preventing points from being scored for a squad that gained 484 yards on 101 plays but had trouble getting into the end zone.
On the following play, Potter attempted a 55-yard field goal but failed.
The kicker for Clemson missed two more field goals in a row in the second quarter, from 49 and 42 yards out, before finally making up ground with a 31-yarder with 3:52 remaining before halftime.
Tennessee capitalised on Clemson’s kicking misfortune, jumping out to a 14-0 lead after Milton’s 50-yard connection to Squirrel White set up Jabari Small’s 2-yard touchdown run.
For Clemson, Potter opened the second half with a 40-yard field goal.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik, making his first career start, gave Clemson a spark in the fourth quarter when he sprinted into the end zone for a 4-yard score. The Volunteers’ lead was reduced to seven points by Shipley’s 2-point conversion, but the defence was unable to stop them in the following series.
On fourth and 6, Milton found Ramel Keyton wide open for a 13-yard pass. The very next play, they connected for a 46-yard touchdown to seal the victory.
