Tajh Boyd heard boos just two quarters into his first college start.
Two weeks later, Clemson is 3-0, ranked 21st in the AP Top 25, and Boyd is the ninth-rated passer in the country.
“If he keeps playing like he’s been playing, we’re going to be a tough team,” coach Dabo Swinney said.
Boyd owns the second-best single-game passing performance in school history, thanks to his 386-yard effort in the Tigers’ 38-24 upset of Auburn on Saturday. That surpassed his total from last year, when he threw for 329 yards as a redshirt freshman backup.
Boyd took over the starting job in the spring and is quickly establishing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC, although he hasn’t faced a strong defense like he’ll see when the Tigers play No. 11 Florida State on Saturday.
“Tajh is doing a great job. He’s playing well,” Swinney said. “He’s been outstanding. I couldn’t be more proud to see where he is, mentally and physically. I’m most proud of his leadership because he’s making everyone around him better.”
Boyd leads the ACC with 911 yards and 10 touchdown passes, is second in total offense (315.7 yards a game) and is third in passing efficiency (173.8).
He struggled early in his first start, against Troy on Sept. 3, and the Tigers were booed when they trailed 16-13 at halftime. But Boyd threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter and led Clemson to 30 second-half points for a 43-19 victory.
As good as Boyd has been, Swinney saw some things Saturday that hint even better times might be in store for the Tigers.
“There were four or five plays where we had guys on the same page in a way that I hadn’t seen in a game yet,” he said. “We had some big plays in that game that were a result from that kind of chemistry.”
Burning question
How did FSU defensive end Bjoern Werner, who was born in Berlin, begin playing football?
Werner, a defensive end who terrorized Oklahoma with six tackles, including two for loss and a sack Saturday, played soccer growing up in Germany until a friend introduced him to flag football when he was 12.
He initially played safety and receiver, but quickly outgrew those positions, and moved on to tackle football when he was 15.
Werner found a student exchange program and played his sophomore season in Salisbury, Conn. He went back to Berlin for his junior year and returned to Connecticut his senior season.
At 6-foot-4, 274 pounds, Werner was recruited by several schools, but eventually chose FSU over Oregon. He played in all 14 games as a freshman in 2010, finishing with 20 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.
Werner leads the Seminoles with 3 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks this season.
In focus
Maryland coach Randy Edsall knew exactly how he was going to use running back D.J. Adams (Norcross) this fall. He just had to wait to get him on the field.
Edsall suspended Adams for the season-opening win over Miami because he violated team rules, but Adams returned against West Virginia on Saturday. Adams, who set a school freshman record with 11 touchdowns last season, had 12 carries for 64 yards and two scores in the 37-31 loss.
“It was good to get him back,” Edsall said this week. “He is one of the guys who is a downhill runner. He isn’t an east-to-west guy. He is going to hit it downhill because he is tough. He has good quickness. He has the ability to make people miss. He has some burst and explosion to get through some of those holes to go along with his great vision.”
Davin Meggett will continue to be Maryland’s featured runner, but Adams, who is 5-10 and 220 pounds, is the Terrapins’ short-yardage back, mainly because, as quarterback Danny O’Brien told the Washington Post, “he seems to always fall forward.”
Etc.
Bryan Davis (Lithia Springs) is the second-string right guard at Boston College. ... Maryland’s Devin Burns (Carver-Columbus) has moved from quarterback to receiver after redshirting last season. “Devin is continually learning and getting better,” Edsall said. ... Linebacker Ebele Okakpu (Roswell) is the only player from Georgia on North Carolina’s roster. ... Safety Matt Daniels (Fayette County) led Duke with nine tackles in a win over Boston College. ... Art Norman (Chamblee) has five tackles and two sacks in two starts at defensive end for N.C. State. ... Receiver Miles Gooch (Towers) has seen action for Virginia, but hasn’t caught a pass.
By the numbers
23 Tackles by Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly in a 20-19 loss to Duke.
55.3 Average rushing yards allowed in three games by Virginia Tech. The Hokies have held their opponents to 166 yards on 83 attempts (2.0 yards a carry).
Quotable
“Statistics don’t tell the whole tale. We’ve done some good things on defense. The part that’s killing us is the big plays. Wofford had two pass completions the whole game, but for 127 yards. Auburn had two runs for about 100 yards. When you’re giving up chunk plays, your stats aren’t going to be good.” — Swinney on Clemson’s defense, which is giving up an average of 419 yards a game, 10th in the ACC
“I was dreaming about getting 200 [yards], but 180 was good enough.” — Miami running back Lamar Miller, who rushed for a career-high 184 yards in a 24-6 victory over Ohio State
Schedule
Friday
North Carolina State at Cincinnati, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday
North Carolina at Georgia Tech, noon (ESPN)
Temple at Maryland, 12:30 p.m. (WUPA)
Massachusetts at Boston College, 1 p.m.
Southern Mississippi at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. (SPSO)
Tulane at Duke, 3:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.
Florida State at Clemson, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Kansas State at Miami, 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
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