While the Boston College Eagles might have entered Alumni Stadium on Friday night boasting the nation's top defense in terms of yards allowed per game, No. 3 Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson was not fazed. Watson, a candidate for the top pick in this upcoming spring's NFL Draft, obliterated the Eagles defense to the tune  of 267 yards and four touchdowns through the air on 14-24 efficiency, leading his orange-clad brethren to a smashing 42-10 win. 

"Watson is a great player, a great quarterback," said Eagles defensive end Harold Landry. "Before this game they had only given up three sacks all year, mainly because of Watson. We just have to get better on defense, there's no magical formula for defending these guys." 

Watson, who also picked up 33 yards on nine carries, spread the wealth to his receivers on offense, hitting Deon Cain three times for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns, tight end Jordan Leggett twice for 66 yards and a score, Mike Williams twice for 59 yards and a touchdown, and Artavis Scott on four occasions for 45 yards. Running back Wayne Gallman enjoyed his 15th 100-yard rushing performance as a Tiger, rushing nine times for 109 yards and a score as well to pace Clemson to victory. 

"We let up some big plays, but aside from those big plays, we were playing hard, fast, and staying within the game," said Boston College head coach Steve Addazio. "We had some opportunity to create some big plays ourselves, but the last thing we needed was to allow those big plays." 

On the other side of the ball, the going was rough for Boston College quarterback Patrick Towles despite not turning the ball over on a single occasion. Towles completed just 11 of his 22 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown while struggling to move his team down the field consistently. Tight end Tommy Sweeney caught four passes for a team-high 48 yards, however, Towles could not establish a rapport with any of his targets out wide. 

Running-wise, rusher Davon Jones rushed 12 times for 48 yards while Jon Hilliman garnered 42 yards on 12 touches. 

Clemson out-gained the Eagles, 507-251, despite only possessing control of the ball for 21:52. In terms of first downs, the Tigers recorded 22 compared with the Eagles 15. 

Although the end result was not in their favor, the Eagles began the contest just as they designed, with their smash mouth defense forcing a quick three-and-out by Watson's troops. The Tigers stout unit returned the favor, however, Clemson punt returner Ray-Ray McCloud muffed the ensuing punt, setting up Boston College at the Tigers nine-yard line after a recovery by defensive back John Johnson. The Tigers limited Towles & Co. yet again, but kicker Mike Knoll knocked down a 21-yarder to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead. 

Big plays hand Tigers early advantage

Despite the early mishap, Clemson responded in full force as Gallman took off for a 59-yard touchdown just two minutes later, handing the Tigers a 7-3 lead six minutes into the contest. Towles failed to advance the Eagles yet again on the ensuing possession, and Watson, who tossed for 162 yards and two scores in the first half, obliged by finding Williams on a brilliant 50-yard diving catch to set Clemson up at the BC five-yard line. Watson and Williams connected yet again three plays later, with the two hooking up for a nine-yard touchdown on a fade route to provide the Tigers with a 14-3 advantage with 3:12 left in the first quarter. 

The deficit only grew on the first play of Clemson's subsequent possession. After calling the snap, Watson found tight end Jordan Leggett sprinting upfield virtually uncovered. Leggett hauled in the catch, juked a Boston College defender, and galloped to the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown, giving the Tigers an 18-point lead with the first quarter still winding down. 

The Eagles were able to muster some offense on their following drive, as wide receiver Jeff Smith garnered 26 yards on an end-around reverse to place Boston College in opposing territory and Towles hit wideout Michael Walker on the ensuing set of downs for a fourth-down conversion. Towles then connected with Sweeney on a 22-yard pass to plop the Eagles with a goal-to-go opportunity. Despite the promise showcased on the drive, Towles was unable to punch it in on a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line on consecutive plays on third and fourth down, handing it over to Clemson on downs. 

"I like to thing that I could have gotten in there. I thought I got in there on the first try," said Towles. 

Boston College established some trickery into their repertoire on the ensuing drive, with Towles pitching to Smith before running wide and hauling in a reception for a first down. However, a pair of sacks endured by Towles squashed any hope of an extensive journey down the field. The Eagles then coughed up another potential scoring opportunity to conclude the half, as Towles lost the handle on the football after a vicious hit by defensive back Ben Boulware at the 24-yard line of Clemson. This sent the Eagles into the halftime break still trailing 21-3. 

"The big thing was not scoring before the half," said Addazio.  

Watson, Cain combine to bury Eagles

The Tigers began the second half with a vengeance following a distasteful second quarter. Watson connected with Scott for consecutive pick-ups of 17 yards before hitting Cain on a back-shoulder fade for a 29-yard touchdown hook-up, giving Clemson a 28-3 lead with 11:38 remaining in the third quarter. Watson continued to command his troops down the field, picking up right where he left off on Clemson's next possession. He tossed to Leggett for 10 yards for a first down before Gallman took off for a gain of 19 deep into Boston College territory. Then, Watson found Cain on a quick slant pattern on third-and-one from the 16-yard line. The receiving threat then switched directions on a dime, leaving his defender in the dust for his second touchdown of the contest while upping the Tigers lead to 35-3. 

"Letting up a series of big plays at the start of the second half really hurt us," said Addazio. "We had some unbelievable things happen to us at the start of the second half." 

The Eagles managed to respond, however, with Jones chewing up yards on the ground to plant Boston College inside the red zone on a nine-play, 55-yard journey. Towles then found Jones on a 13-yard screen pass to set the Eagles up at the Clemson two-yard line, leading to a one-yard touchdown pass to fullback Bobby Wolford, Towles' seventh scoring toss of the season. 

Despite the switch in momentum, Watson would not be denied on his next chance to lead Clemson to the scoreboard. With his squad facing third-and-10 from the BC 41-yard line, he took off for a 16-yard scamper down the sidelines, creating the opportunity for running back Tyshon Dye to jog into the end zone from three yards out to give Clemson a 42-10 lead with 11:41 remaining. The Tigers were not finished there, with running back Tavien Feaster rushing 45 yards for a touchdown with 3:09 remaining in the contest, pushing the lead to 49-10. Then, defensive back Mark Fields picked off Eagles backup quarterback Darius Wade, returning it 42 yards for a score to push the gap to a whopping 46 points. 

"Our goals are still in front of us," said Addazio. "We have a bye week, a chance to get some guys healthy, and we are focused on getting win No. 4 against Syracuse."