Louisiana State Tigers vs Clemson Tigers Match Player Stats On Dec 31, 2012

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 31, 2012

No. 13 Clemson 25, No. 7 Louisiana State 24: Chandler Catanzaro booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift Clemson to victory at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

Clemson (11-2) outscored LSU 12-0 in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points in the final 2:47. DeAndre Hopkins caught 13 passes for a Chick-fil-A Bowl-record 190 yards and two touchdowns. Tajh Boyd completed 35 of 49 passes for 339 yards - although none bigger than the 26-yard strike to Hopkins on fourth-and-16 on the final drive.

Freshman running back Jeremy Hill rushed for a season-high 125 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns for LSU (10-3).

Boyd hit Hopkins on a 12-yard seam route with 2:47 remaining to pull Clemson within two, but then threw incomplete under pressure on the ensuing two-point conversion. LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger threw two incomplete passes on the next possession, allowing Clemson to get the ball back at its 20 with 1:39 remaining and all three of its timeouts.

Despite out-gaining LSU 240-95 in total yards during the first half, Clemson still trailed at the break for the first time this season. Hopkins caught an 11-yard touchdown reception from Boyd with 5:43 remaining in the first half, but the extra-point attempt was blocked - leaving Clemson behind 14-13.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hopkins finished with 1,404 receiving yards this season, breaking the schoolกฏs single-season record set last year by teammate Sammy Watkins (1,243). Watkins suffered a right ankle injury on the second play against LSU and did not return, finishing the season with 708 receiving yards. กญ LSU punter Jamie Keehn, who replaced suspended All-American Brad Wing, averaged 44.4 yards on nine punts. กญ Catanzaro had made 143 of 145 extra points in his three-year career before his second-quarter kick was blocked by defensive lineman Bennie Logan.