Clemson: 0
Georgia Tech: 51

William Alexander began his 25th and final season as the head coach of Georgia Tech when his Yellow Jackets faced the Clemson Tigers in Atlanta to begin the 1944 season.

Both teams started out slow, as Clemson punted on their first four drives, while Tech punted twice and threw one interception. Having done well in the field position battle, Tech took over on the Clemson 32 yard line after the Tigers’ fourth punt. An offsides penalty on the Jackets would back them up to the 37 before Red Broyles hit J.E. Daniel on a 30 yard pass to the 7 yard line. Two short runs would give Tech the early 6-0 lead after the extra point was missed; the touchdown was scored by Dinky Bowen.

From this point on, it was all Tech. The Jackets added another first quarter touchdown on a 46 yard touchdown pass from W.O. Ritter to M.J. Logan. They would score again on a drive that carried into the second quarter. The latter score came on a 3 play, 52 yard drive highlighted by a 25 yard pass from Ritter to Phil Tinsley that advanced Tech to the Clemson 5 yard line. Ritter added 5 yards on the ground for the touchdown to make it 19-0 after the extra point attempt was blocked. Tech would take this lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, Tech picked up just where it had left off. Taking over after a Clemson punt, the Jackets drove to the Tiger 2 yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert for the score. It was not long after that Clemson would punt again. This time, Tech took advantage as Broyles led the offense 30 yards to the 14 yard line on one pass and two runs. Bowen capped off the drive with a 14 yard touchdown run to give the Jackets a 26-0 lead. After another Clemson punt, Tech would increase its lead to 32-0 on a 6 play, 63 yard drive. Ritter scored on a 2 yard touchdown run and the third quarter came to a close shortly thereafter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers embarked on their only serious scoring threat of the game. Taking over at its own 18 yard line, Clemson quickly advanced to the Tech 22; it was the first sign of life shown by the Clemson offense all afternoon. It was then that Broyles intercepted the Tiger pass one yard into the end zone and raced 101 yards for the Tech score, increasing Tech’s lead to 38-0. The Ramblin’ Wreck’s final two touchdowns came on a 24 yard run by Ritter and a 30 yard run by Carver to increase the lead to 51-0. The blowout was a fitting start to coach Alexander’s final season on the flats.

References:
Troy, Jack. “Tech Smothers Clemson, 51-0.” The Atlanta Constitution. 1944 Oct. 1