CLEMSON – The Tigers are on a course for Tampa Bay, and C.J. Spiller might be on track for New York.

Behind a career-day from Spiller, and an opportunistic Clemson defense, the Tigers defeated Florida State, 40-24, to remain in control of the Atlantic Division. With wins against N.C. State and Virginia the Tigers (6-3, 4-2 ACC) will advance to Tampa for their first ACC title game.

The Heisman hopeful Spiller produced career high in rushing yards (165) and all-purpose yards (312), and posed as the Heisman for ESPN’s cameras, following his game-sealing touchdown run with minutes to play.

Clemson students prematurely rushed onto the field before the game-clock expired, engulfing players like Michael Palmer, who said this is indeed a new Clemson team, living up to its potential.

Players like Charleston-area native Andre Ellington, who rushed in from 9 yards out to give Clemson a 27-24 lead, with 9:37 to play. A lead Clemson kept unlike past November slides, most notably against another high profile quarterback (Matt Ryan), on another ESPN night game with an ACC title game appearance at stake (Boston College – 2007) “It’s a two-horse race and we have a little lead (half-game over Boston College),” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “But at the Kentucky Derby they don’t throw the roses on you coming down the back stretch you gotta cross the finish line.”

On this night the Tigers got the best of the high-profile visiting quarterback.

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder entered Memorial Stadium as the ACC’s leading passer, and one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the country, featuring 13 touchdown throws against three interceptions.

He was intercepted four times Saturday night. The fourth came on the Seminoles desperate last drive, a sideline throw intercepted by DeAndre McDaniel with less than four minutes to play. McDaniel, a Tallahassee native, ran down the sideline and pointed at Ponder, the last defender guarding the goal line, who McDaniel leveled with a shoulder.

The play set up Spiller’s game-sealing touchdown, giving Clemson a 40-24 lead, a run in which the offensive line dominated the undersized front four as it had much the night, paving the way to 241 rushing yards and a 6.5 yard average.

“It wasn't pretty but we came back,” Guard Thomas Austin said. “ We got the turnovers we needed and really put them away. Just a great effort from our guys."

In what had been a back-and-forth game, a 58-yard Kyle Parker to Spiller touchdown pass via their trademark wheel route had given Clemson a 21-17 lead.

Spiller who Bobby Bowden and Spiller campaigned as Heisman favorite after the game.

“If he not on your Heisman list, turn your pens in,” Swinney said to the media.

For a while it looked like the month of November would again curse the Tigers.

Florida State had been selected as the preseason Atlantic division favorite in part because of a dominant offense line, which Clemson struggled with early, a Clemson defense with 280-pound dominant end Da’Quan Bowers. Florida State running back Jermaine Thomas finished with 119 yards on 26 carries.

Clemson against wasted excellent scoring opportunities, bringing up past demons of red zone execution.

Trailing 17-14 in the second, Clemson failed to produce any points from a first-and-goal at the 1. An Antoine McClain false start moved the Tigers back five yards, and on the following snap Kyle Parker lost a fumble.

Later in the quarter, following the team’s second interception of Ponder, Richard Jackson missed the first of two field goals, pushing a ball wide right from 38 yards out.

In the third quarter, after an illegal-man down field on Dwayne Allen erased a Parker to Michael Palmer go-ahead touchdown, Clemson settled for a 26-yard Jackson field goal, which Jackson pulled wide left.

The freshman quarterback Parker continued to dazzle and frustrate.

While losing a fumble and forcing a throw that was returned 52-yards for a touchdown in the first half, Parker finished with four touchdown throws including a fourth-quarter through to Durrell Berry to increase Clemson’s lead to 33-24 with 4:06 to play.

On Saturday he was found in the end zone at Memorial Stadium.

After briefly quitting the team earlier this season, upset with his lack of playing time, the 6-foot-4 junior continued his reemergence “I’ve walked in with this sign “Believe”’ Swinney said. “I’ve never had a meeting without it … getting the kids to have the mentality they can do something special.

“The kids are starting to believe.”

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