On a night where it seemed as if records were being broken with each passing minute, West Virginia shocked Clemson 70-33 to become champions of the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl.
Both teams were expected to put up lofty offensive statistics, but nothing could have prepared fans, players and coaches for the historical and relentless offensive onslaught the Mountaineer offense would use to set the new record for most points scored in a bowl game in history.
West Virginia scored 49 points in the first half – the most ever for any half of a bowl game. Junior wide receiver Tavon Austin, who finished the game with 11 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns, tied a BCS record with three touchdowns in the first half.
Austin’s four receiving touchdowns set a new Orange Bowl and BCS record.
The two teams combined for 69 points in the first half alone – the most in any half in BCS history.
Junior quarterback Geno Smith, who won Most Outstanding Player honors, completed 31-of-42 passes for 402 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Smith’s six touchdowns broke an Orange Bowl and BCS record held by former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who threw for five scores against Oklahoma in the 2005.
Smith’s 402 passing yards were the most in Orange Bowl history – surpassing former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, who threw for 369 yards against Alabama in 2000.
“Never could I have imagined we would’ve done it like this, but you know, it’s all about getting the victory,” he said.
Seven players recorded receptions for the Mountaineers, including redshirt sophomore Stedman Bailey, who caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt senior Willie Milhouse grabbed three catches for 72 yards and a score.
The Mountaineer rushing attack, missing its leading rusher in freshman Dustin Garrison, was able to find stability and effectiveness in the combination of junior Shawne Alston and freshman Andrew Buie.
Alston ran tough in the trenches, rumbling for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
The fleet-footed Buie displayed great poise and awareness, finishing the game with 45 rushing yards and – more importantly – zero turnovers.
Smith was impressed with how both running backs played and admitted their efforts made his job easier.
“The run game helped out a lot,” he said. “(Alston) and (Buie) stepped up big tonight, and we just continued to believe and trust our coaching and execute the game plan.”
Clemson started out hot, drawing first blood on a 68-yard touchdown scamper by redshirt junior running back Andre Ellington. He would finish the game with 116 yards and a touchdown on only 10 carries.
The Tigers jumped ahead to an early 17-14 lead, but they could not sustain any momentum and spent the majority of the first half watching West Virginia light up the scoreboard.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney pointed to his team’s inability to keep momentum as a primary reason why his team struggled.
“We got off to a good start, but we couldn’t keep the momentum on defense,” he said. “Then we got to turning it over and that’s about as good as an offensive performance as I’ve seen from a football team.”
“We felt like we were going on the right foot, but like I said, we turned the ball over and that’s not acceptable.”
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd completed 24-of-46 passes for 250 yards – including two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins led the Tigers in receiving with 10 catches for 107 yards and a score.
All-American freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins was limited to just five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.
“They ran a lot of coverages on me and I couldn’t really get open today,” he said. “They basically just kept behind me and bottled up (Boyd) and the rest of the receivers.”
After moving ahead to a 21-17 lead, it appeared the West Virginia defense was about to cave and continue the trend of switching scores with Clemson.
After driving the field, Clemson was positioned to punch the ball in on a short run inside the one yard-line, but redshirt sophomore safety Darwin Cook recovered an Ellington fumble and dashed 99-yards for a score – giving West Virginia a 28-17 edge.
It was a lead the Mountaineers would never relinquish.
Senior defensive end Bruce Irvin, who recorded a sack and a forced fumble in the game, tagged the Cook fumble recovery as the key play of the night.
“That took the heart right out of them,” he said. “Darwin Cook made a heads-up play. He might have been the only one in the stadium who knew the ball came out.”
Cook’s touchdown was the first fumble returned for a score since Eric Wicks scored on a 44-yard return against Louisville in 2007.
Cook set records for the longest defensive play and longest defensive scoring play in school history.
West Virginia would finish the second quarter with four touchdowns in the final 4:49. The 35-point, second quarter outburst was the highest scoring quarter since 2001, when the Mountaineers scored 31 points in the second quarter against Rutgers.
With the victory, the Mountaineers earned a victory in a third different BCS bowl. Head coach Dana Holgorsen became only the third first-year coach to win a BCS game.
After the game, Holgorsen deflected any attention placed on him and instead gave the credit to his team.
“It isn’t about me,” he said. “It is about our seniors. Those guys have been through a lot. They have laid a lot of groundwork. They have been a part of three BCS bowl wins in six years.”