West Virginia Routs Clemson 70-33 in Orange Bowl

Free Airline Virginia Mountaineers were difficult to decelerate, and just the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Prepare.

Geno Cruz tied the record for just about any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and also the No. 23-rated Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record Wednesday evening using their high-powered offense. But safety Prepare made the pivotal abide by coming back a fumble 99 yards for any touchdown to interrupt the overall game open and help rout No. 14 Clemson 70-33.

Prepare collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring among the Mountaineers' five TDs within the second quarter, including three within the final 2:29 for any 49-20 lead. It had been the greatest-scoring half with a team inside a bowl game.

"I usually imagined making great plays," Prepare stated. "If you feel it'll happen, it'll happen."

Tavon Austin tied an archive for just about any bowl game with four touchdown catches. Cruz went 31 for 42, coupled with 401 yards passing to interrupt Tom Brady's Orange Bowl record. Cruz also went for any score, helping West Virginia break the bowl record for points established six nights earlier when Baylor beat Washington 67-56 within the Alamo Bowl.

"Never could we imagine we'd set up 70 points," Cruz stated.

The Mountaineers (10-3) won within their first Orange Bowl appearance and enhanced to three- in Bowl Championship Series games.

"The men desired to are available in making a statement, and the only method that you can do that's should you play well on the 3 sides from the ball," coach Dana Holgorsen stated.

Clemson (10-4) lost playing in the initial bowl in 3 decades.

"We are a much better team than we performed tonight," coach Dabo Swinney stated. "Way too many mistakes. But we'll return.Inch

The offensive showcase was the most recent inside a succession this bowl season, and possibly the final. Defense is anticipated to dominate within the final BCS game Monday evening when Louisiana Condition faces Alabama for that national title.

Tacklers had their hands full - in other words, they did not - on the chilly evening in Miami. Cruz and Austin combined on scoring passes of 8, 27, 3 and 37 yards, and Shawne Alston obtained on two short runs for West Virginia, which totaled 589 yards and 31 first downs. Cruz was selected the game's outstanding player.

Even if Clemson handled to corral the Mountaineers, the play wasn't always over. Andrew Buie folded on the defender but never was downed, so he woke up and went for the next 18 yards.

Clemson could not take care of the Large East Conference co-champions, although Andre Ellington did score the game's first points on the 68-yard run. First-team All-People in america Sammy Watkins and Dwayne Allen combined for just seven catches for 87 yards.

"We type of got lower once they obtained a lot of points in this almost no time,Inch Watkins stated.

Among the flurry of points, it had been an opposing player who emerged with second-longest scoring play in Orange Bowl history.

Clemson was near using the lead within the second quarter when Ellington went in the middle and disappeared right into a heap in the 1. A teammate signaled touchdown, however the ball came loose and Prepare snapped up it, then required served by only the finish zone before him.

"I saw the ball come loose," he stated. "I snapped up it. I did not hear a whistle, and so i went."

After Prepare entered the aim line, he gleefully hopped on mascot Obie, a smiling orange, plus they both tumbled towards the turf. Obie rose unhurt and started again her responsibilities.

Prepare and Obie met around the area after the overall game and shared a hug.

"I did not know you had been a woman,Inch he told the mascot. "I am sorry.Inch

Cruz, waiting in the sideline, viewed a relevant video replay of Cook's touchdown in disbelief.

"Crazy, guy," Cruz stated. "After I saw that, I understood things were breaking our way."

The possibility 14-point swing appeared to deflect the Tigers, who had moved the ball almost when needed to that particular point.

"It had been quite a large moment," Swinney stated. "They had not really stopped us. Which was huge. It snowballed rapidly."

The Tigers were condemned when quarterback Tajh Boyd committed subsequent turnovers on consecutive Clemson plays.

After Cruz went 7 yards on the keeper for any 35-20 lead, Pat Burns intercepted Boyd's pass. Cruz turned single-yard touchdown pass to Austin and, around the next play, a phone call was overturned, using the replay official identifying Boyd had lost a fumble.

Alston then went for any 1-yard touchdown with 4 seconds left within the half.

"Momentum thrown not within our favor, also it was tough to recapture," Boyd stated. "West Virginia is a superb offense. You will never fall behind them. We could not stop them. Men were gassed. Their legs were going. It had been a difficult loss - pretty embarrassing."

Defensive worries were not new for that Tigers, who won their first Chesapeake Bay Conference title in two decades but threw in the towel a minimum of 30 points in six regular-season games.

Clemson stored pace for some time, leading 17-14 after one period. It had been the greatest-scoring first quarter and first half in Orange Bowl history.

West Virginia went ahead the very first time at the start of the 2nd period with an 80-yard touchdown drive assigned by Austin's 27-yard catch, making the score 21-17. Cook's takeaway touchdown came next, and also the Mountaineers were ready to go.

"You do not score 70 points when you are good on offense," Holgorsen stated. "You score 70 points when you are good on the 3 sides from the ball."