Spiller delivers knockout blow
Spiller's 40-yard reception on a screen pass with Clemson leading 17-0 early in the third quarter Saturday looked like it would be go a long way in sewing up the victory for the Tigers. That didn’t turn out to be the case.
Spiller was knocked out of bounds at the 21, and the play was negated due to a holding penalty. The junior running back stumbled across the field and looked like he wouldn’t make it to the Clemson sideline.
"I thought it was his hamstring, because that's what's been hurt, but it ended up he just got knocked a little cuckoo, but he shook it off," Clemson interim coach Dabo Swinney said.
Did he ever.
Spiller returned to the game, despite an announcement by the PA announcer that he would not. In the fourth quarter, the junior set a school record, and his long kickoff return set up the winning score to give Swinney his first victory, 27-21.
"They finally let him go back in there, and boy, oh, boy, the game ball ought to go to them trainers,” Swinney said. “Twenty-eight was the difference down the stretch for sure."
With Spiller on the sideline, Boston College linebacker Mike McLaughlin returned an interception 30 yards to set up the Eagles' first touchdown, which cut the lead 17-7 with 9:44 to play in the third quarter.
Re-enter Spiller. He had two receptions at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The second one allowed him to set the Clemson record for receiving yards in a game by a running back. Spiller had 105 to eclipse the previous record of 100, set by Jackie Culvert in 1950.
Spiller was not done.
After Boston College grabbed a 21-17 lead on Brandon Robinson’s 15-yard touchdown reception, Spiller returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards. That set up Clemson’s game-winning touchdown, a 4-yard catch by Aaron Kelly with 7:10 remaining.
"I knew they were trying to kick it over there to Jamie (Harper), so we had been working on switching (positions) all week," said Spiller, who finished with 62 yards rushing on eight carries and had six receptions. "I just tried to use my speed as much as possible. ... Jamie made a good block up front to spring me loose, and I just tried to do the rest."
Spiller, who missed the Georgia Tech game two weeks ago with an injured hamstring, said he had no doubt he would return from the injury Saturday.
"If my head was still hurting, I would've told them I was ready to go. I was over there still reading the signals that they were calling plays on," he said. "Sometimes you have to play with a little pain."
Saturday, he was a pain for Boston College.
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