Sapp Leads White to Victory in Sons Bowl

CLEMSON, S.C. — Patrick Sapp threw for 580 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the White team to a 70-58 victory over the Orange at the eighth annual Clemson Sons Bowl. The flag football game held between former Clemson football players was held at Memorial Stadium on Saturday prior to the annual Spring Game.

The two teams combined for 1,325 yards, 712 by the Orange and 613 by the White. There were 17 touchdowns scored by 10 different players.

Chris Chancellor was a top player for the White team as well, as the former Clemson defensive back returned two interceptions for scores, one of 32 yards and one of 50 yards, and also scored an offensive touchdown on a 52-yard pass reception from Sapp.

Airese Currie led the Orange team with a pair of 80-yard touchdown receptions, one from Chuck Lynch and another from Rush Lowther, and had seven catches for 256 yards overall. He had the two touchdown catches and a pair of two-point conversions for 16 total points scored.

The leading scorer in the game was actually Harold “Dutch” Coleman, who played the first half for the White team and the second half for the Orange team. The 1991 Clemson letterman had three touchdown catches and a pair of two point conversions for 22 total points. Reggie Merriweather also played for both teams and had a pair of touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.

Michael Allen, a defensive back in his time at Clemson, was the top passer for the Orange team, completing 14-23 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns. 

The White team dominated the first half behind Sapp’s passing and Chancellor’s defense and led 44-12 at intermission. The teams got together and made a couple of personnel trades and invoked an old football rule that had been used in the 1960s for the North-South All-Star College Football Game. If a team scored and still trailed by at least 14 points, they retained possession of the ball.

That rule allowed the Orange team to go on a 30-6 run in the third quarter and close the gap to 50-42 entering the fourth. It was 64-58 in favor of the White team with less than four minutes left in the 60 minute game that was played with a running clock. 

But, Sapp hit John Thompson for a 77-yard scoring pass when an Orange defender went for the interception. That score gave the White team a 70-58 lead, the eventual final score.

Prior to the Sons Bowl, the football lettermen gathered at midfield to present longtime Clemson Athletics official Bill D’Andrea with a plaque for his 30 years of service to the department. That included many years as director of the Tiger Letterwinners Association.   

The group also paused for a moment to remember Charlie Bussey, who passed away last week. Bussey was Clemson’s first Academic All-American in any sport in the 1950s as an All-ACC player for Frank Howard’s Tigers. He was director of the Tiger Letterwinners Association for 14 years.

Sons Bowl Statistics

White 70, Orange 58

April 11, 2015

Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

Scoring Summary

White:  Coleman 5 pass from Sapp (Coleman from Sapp), 8-0

Orange:  Rabon 9 pass from Lowther (Pass fail), 8-6

White:   Merriweather 59 pass from Sapp (Chancellor from Sapp), 16-6

Orange:   Jewell 9 pass from Allen (Pass fail), 16-12

White:  Bell 66 pass from Sapp (Pass fail), 22-12

White:  Reames 15 pass from Sapp (Pass fail), 28-12

White:  Chancellor 32 Int return (Coleman from Sapp), 36-12

White:  Merriweather 2 pass from Sapp (Merriweather from Sapp), 44-12

Orange:  Currie 80 pass from Lynch (Pass fail), 44-18

White:  Chancellor 50 int return (Pass fail) 50-18

Orange:  Coleman 15 pass from Allen (Currie from Allen) 50-26

Orange:  Coleman 15 pass from Allen (Currie from Allen) 50-34

Orange:  Currie 80 pass from Lowther (Jewell from Lowther) 50-42

White:  Chancellor 52 pass from Sapp (Kerr from Sapp) 58-42

Orange:  Lynch 25 pass from Allen (Jewell from Allen) 58-50

White:  Thompson 3 pass from Sapp (Pass fail) 64-50

Orange:  Lynch 6 pass from Lowther (Merriweather from Lowther) 64-58

White:  Thompson 77 pass from Sapp (Pass fail) 70-58

Rushing

White:  none

Orange:  Mitch Belton 1-40; Airese Currie 1-(-3)

Passing

White:  Patrick Sapp 23-31-580-8-0; Rashard Hall 5-6-33-0-0

Orange:  Michael Allen 14-23-306-4-2; Rush Lowther 12-19-289-3-1; Chuck Lynch 1-4-80-1-0

Receiving

White:  John Thompson 5-132-2; Chris Chancellor 3-126-1; William Bell 4-87-1; Reggie Merriweather 4-77-2; Joe Don Reames 2-41-1; Rashard Hall 2-41; Dutch Coleman 2-37-1;  Rick Wyatt 2-22; Gary Massey 1-20; Mike Webber 1-17; Tee Carrigan 1-10; John Price 1-3

Orange:  Airese Currie 7-256-2; Chuck Lynch 4-108-2; Dutch Coleman 4-65-2; Donnie Jewell 3-39-1;  Rush Lowther 2-63; George Rabon 2-15-1; Reggie Merriweather 1-53; Tim Parr 1-36; Richard Butler 1-20; Scott Higgins 1-12; Mitch Belton 1-8;

Interceptions

White:  Chris Chancellor 2-82-2; Rashard Hall 1-21

Orange:  None