CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant entered Saturday night's game against Georgia Tech surrounded by plenty of questions about his health.

He left the game having answered them all.

Bryant passed for 207 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 7 Tigers cruised past Georgia Tech 24-10 in an ACC game.

Bryant, who was returning to action for the first time since suffering a concussion in Clemson's loss at Syracuse on Oct. 13, showed no lingering effects from that head injury nor an ankle injury that knocked him out of the Wake Forest game Oct. 7.

Bryant also rushed 12 times for 67 yards, leading the Tigers in rushing for the third time this season.

"I was really proud of Kelly," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "He came out attacking from the opening snap. We ran the ball effectively all night and got big runs from Kelly and all the backs. We're at our best when we're playing with good tempo and are balanced."

Clemson, which is 14-1 in night games over the past two seasons, improved to 7-1, 5-1 ACC while beating Georgia Tech (4-3, 3-2) for the fifth time in their last six meetings.

Swinney is 5-1 against Georgia Tech at Memorial Stadium, with the lone defeat coming in the seventh game of the 2008 season, five days after he was named the Tigers' interim coach.

Swinney moved into a tie for fifth place with his 96th ACC victory, sharing that spot with two former Clemson coaches -- Danny Ford and Frank Howard. Swinney and Ford have 96 wins and 29 losses, but Ford's record also includes four ties.

Ford, who guided Clemson to its first national title in 1981, was honored before the game for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Once the game began in a steady rain, it was all Clemson. The Tigers scored on their second play from scrimmage, bolted to a 21-3 halftime lead and then turned the game over to a stingy defense.

Clemson held Georgia Tech, which entered the game second nationally in rushing at 372.8 yards per game, to 198 yards on the ground and 230 total yards, with 103 of those coming in the final quarter.

"We got rattled a little bit, especially in the first half," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "They're fast on defense. We're not the only people they do that to."

Clemson had 11 tackles for loss and four sacks, and held the Yellow Jackets to 3 of 15 on third-down conversions.

Bryant got Clemson off to a good start offensively, passing for two touchdowns in the first half. He was on target from the outset, connecting with wide receiver Deon Cain for a 38-yard touchdown on the Tigers' second play of the game.

After Georgia Tech recovered a fumble at its own 26-yard line to thwart Clemson's second possession, KirVonte Benson broke free for a 65-yard run to set up a 25-yard field goal by Brenton King four plays later.

But Clemson answered quickly, driving 55 yards in eight plays and scoring on a 20-yard pass from Bryant to tight end Milan Richard. It was the first touchdown reception of his career for Richard, whose uncle -- former University of Georgia All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker -- was among the crowd of 80,346 at Memorial Stadium.

Clemson extended its lead to 21-3 late in the first half, driving 71 yards in 10 plays to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Travis Etienne with 3:26 left.

"I thought we were ready to play, but clearly we weren't," Johnson said. "We couldn't win any one-on-one plays, any one-on-one blocks.

"Defensively we missed a ton of tackles and gave up some big plays to dig ourselves a hole. We actually played decently in the second half on defense, but we were so far behind it didn't matter."

Bryant finished 22 of 33 through the air, including 14 of 19 for 149 yards in the first half.

Clemson, which was off last week, also flexed its defensive muscle in the opening half, holding the Yellow Jackets to three first downs and 110 total yards. The Tigers had seven tackles for loss, including two sacks.

Benson had 129 yards rushing on 16 attempts for Georgia Tech, but that was about the only bright spot for the Yellow Jackets. Marshall, who entered the game as the ACC's leading rusher at more than 117 yards per game, managed only 23 yards on 15 carries and was 3 for 13 passing for 32 yards.

Clemson's Alex Spence added a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter for a 24-3 advantage. Tech's lone touchdown came on a 22-yard run by Marshall with 4:43 remaining.

"We're right where we want to be," Swinney said. "It's November and we're moving into the next phase of our journey. If we want it, we can go get it. We're one of the teams that has a chance. It's up to us to take advantage of it."

NOTES: Clemson LB Dorian O'Daniel had 33 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks in four career games against Georgia Tech. ... DE Austin Bryant has a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. .. .WR Hunter Renfrow has 12 third-down receptions this season, including 10 of which have gone for first downs, which ranks 10th nationally. ... Georgia Tech RB KirVonte Benson's 65-yard run in the first quarter was the longest of his career and the longest allowed by Clemson's defense this season. ... QB TaQuon Marshall has 12 rushing touchdowns this season and is only the third quarterback in Tech history to rush for double-digit touchdowns in a single season. ... DT Antonio Simmons forced a fumble to end Clemson's second possession, his team-best second forced fumble of the season.