ACC Bowl Notes |
Standings:
ACC Games
Schedule:
Mazda Tangerine Bowl - Dec. 22 - NC State (7-5) vs. Kansas (6-6) ESPN 5:30
Continental Tire Bowl - Dec. 27 - Virginia (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (8-4) ESPN 11:00am
Toyota Gator Bowl - Jan. 1 - #23 Maryland (9-3) vs. #20 West Virginia (8-4) NBC 12:30
FedEx Orange Bowl - Jan. 1 - #9 Florida State (10-2) vs. #10 Miami (10-2) ABC 8:30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Jan. 2 - Clemson (8-4) vs. #6 Tennessee (10-2) ESPN 4:30
Humanitarian Bowl - Jan. 3 - Georgia Tech (6-6) vs. Tulsa (8-4) ESPN Noon
Six ACC teams earn post-season bowl bids.
For the third straight year, the ACC will have at least six teams in post-season play ... 19 of 27 ACC teams have earned bowl bids the last three years ... ACC sets two attendance records in 2003 - total attendance (3,006,841) and per game average (51,842) ... NC State’s Philip Rivers named ACC Player of the Year while Florida State’s Darnell Dockett earns ACC Defensive Player of the Year laurels ... Clemson’s Tommy Bowden accorded ACC Coach of the Year honors and Georgia Tech’s Reggie Ball named ACC Rookie of the Year ... Florida State ninth and Maryland 24th in latest AP poll ... NC State’s Philip Rivers is second on the NCAA career total offense list (13,087) and passing (13,009) ... six current ACC quarterbacks ranked among top 15 all-time ACC career passing efficiency leaders ... Maryland’s Nick Novak moves into fourth on the ACC career scoring list with 310 points ... NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery has at least one pass reception in 38 straight games and is sixth on the ACC’s career receiving yardage list with 2,948 yards.
Game Previews:
Mazda Tangerine Bowl
14th Annual - Monday, December 22
Kansas (6-6, 5-3 Big 12) vs. NC State (7-5, 4-4 ACC)
ESPN; 5:30 p.m.
Florida Citrus Bowl (65,438)
THE GAME: NC State will be making its fourth-straight bowl appearance, fifth in six years, and 22nd overall when the Wolfpack square off with Big 12 foe Kansas in the 14th annual Tangerine Bowl ... State is 10-10-1 in post-season play, including a 0-1 mark in the Tangerine Bowl - losing to Pittsburgh 34-19 in 2001 ... Kansas is bowl eligible for the first time since 1995 ... this game marks only just the second meeting between the two schools ... the first meeting was a 31-17 NC State win in the 1973 Liberty Bowl ... Chuck Amato, an assistant coach in that 1973 Liberty Bowl, is 33-17 in his fourth year at NC State while Kansas head coach Mark Mangino is 8-16 in his second year with the Jayhawks ... Amato and Lou Holtz are the only two coaches in NC State history to take their first four teams to bowl games.
Fast Facts:
*NC State’s Philip Rivers and Kansas’ Bill Whittemore are both ranked among the nation’s passing leaders ... Rivers, the 2003 ACC Player of the Year, is ranked second nationally in passing efficiency (166.7) while Whittemore (163.8) is fifth ... Rivers and Whittemore have combined this season to complete 68.2 percent of their passes for 6,158 yards, 45 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.
*Sophomore T.A. McLendon leads the Pack in rushing with 536 yards and seven TDs ... McLendon has 26 career touchdowns in his first two years at State ... the Wolfpack is 7-0 when McLendon rushes for 100 yards or more.
*The two teams are a combined 0-3 in overtime games this season ... NC State lost a pair of six-point extra period decisions at No. 3 Ohio State and at 11th-ranked Florida State while the Jayhawks dropped a 50-47 decision at Colorado.
*NC State All-ACC wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery has 73 receptions for 1,198 yards and nine TDs ... Cotchery has gone over the 100-yard mark in each of his last four games.
Continental Tire Bowl
2nd Annual - Saturday, December 27
Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-2 Big East) vs. Virginia (7-5, 4-4 ACC)
ESPN; 11:00 a.m.
Ericsson Stadium (73,367)
THE GAME: Virginia will be making its 14th bowl appearance - all in the last 20 years, when the Cavaliers take on Pittsburgh in the second annual Continental Tire Bowl ... the Panthers will be making their fourth-straight bowl appearance and 23rd overall ... Virginia is 5-8 in post-season play, including a 48-22 win over West Virginia in last’s year Continental Tire Bowl, while Pittsburgh is 10-12 ... the bowl match-up marks the first time the teams have met since an 18-7 Pittsburgh win in 1955 ... the Panthers won 26-0 in 1953 in the only other meeting of the two schools.
Fast Facts:
*The two teams have one common opponent in 2003 - Virginia Tech ... Pitt beat the Hokies 31-28 (N8) while UVa posted a 35-21 win in the season finale (N29).
*Virginia senior QB Matt Schaub is currently ranked 11th on the ACC career passing efficienecy list (138.5), 13th in passing yardage (7,258) and 13th in total offense (7,323) ... Schaub has thrown a TD pass in each of his last nine games and in 29 of his last 32 games and is tied with Shawn Moore (1987-90) as UVa’s all-time leader with 55 career TD passes.
*UVa QB Matt Schaub is ranked 19th nationally in total offense (269.2) while Pittsburgh’s Rod Rutherford is 10th (297.7) ... the two senior signal callers have combined to complete 64.6 percent of their passes for 6,141 yards, 52 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
*A pair of talented sophomores lead their respective teams in receiving ... All-ACC tight end Heath Miller leads the Cavaliers in receiving with 65 catches for 751 yards and five TDs ... WR Larry Fitzgerald has 87 receptions for 1,595 yards and 22 scores and has had at least one TD reception in an NCAA-record 18 straight games.
Toyota Gator Bowl
59th Annual - Thursday, January 1
West Virginia (8-4, 6-1 Big East) vs. Maryland (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
NBC; 12:30 p.m.
Alltel Stadium (76,976)
THE GAME: 23rd-ranked Maryland will be making its third-straight bowl appearance (following a 10-year hiatus) and 20th overall when the Terps face Big East co-champions West Virginia in the 59th annual Toyota Gator Bowl ... following last year’s 30-3 win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl, Maryland is now 7-10-2 in post-season play, including a 2-0-1 mark in previous Gator Bowl appearances ... the 20th-ranked Mountaineers are 9-13 all-time in bowl games ... Ralph Friedgen is 30-8 in his third season at Maryland while Rich Rodriguez is 65-52-2 in 11 years overall and 20-16 in three seasons at West Virginia ... this is the 42nd meeting between the two long-time rivals ... following the Terps’ 34-7 win back on September 20, the series currently stands at 20-19-2 in Maryland’s favor.
Fast Facts:
*Ralph Friedgen and Rich Rodriguez are two of only 17 Division I-A head coaches currently at their alma maters.
*Maryland QB Scott McBrien is currently 10th among ACC career pass efficiency leaders (139.6) ... in his career, McBrien has thrown for 4,788 yards - the second most by a left-handed quarterback in ACC history - and 31 touchdowns.
*The Mountaineers opened the season at 1-4 before winning their final seven games to finish at 8-4 ... the Terps won nine of their last 10 games after starting 0-2 ... since October 11, the two teams are a combined 12-1.
*In the regular season meeting, Maryland‘s Scott McBrien threw for 220 yards and one TD as the Terps out-gained West Virginia 498-156 before a sellout crowd (51,973) at Byrd Stadium.
*Over the last four games of the regular season, Maryland averaged 264.8 yards per game rushing and had two backs eclipse 200 yards - Josh Allen totaled a league-high 257 yards against Virginia (N13) and Bruce Perry had 237 in the season finale against Wake Forest (N29).Virginia and 47-57 in nine seasons overall ... Walt Harris is 44-39 in seven seasons with the Panthers and 55-63 in 10 years overall ... two of Virginia’s five losses were by a total of eight points.
FedEx Orange Bowl
70th Annual - Thursdsay, January 1
Miami (10-2, 6-1 Big East) vs. Florida State (10-2, 7-1 ACC)
ABC; 8:30 p.m.
Pro Player Stadium (71,228)
THE GAME: Eighth-ranked Florida State will be making its 22nd consecutive bowl appearance and 32nd overall, when the ACC Champion Seminoles take on ninth-ranked Miami in the 70th annual FedEx Orange Bowl ... Florida State is the fifth winningest bowl team in NCAA history with a 18-11-2 (.613) mark while Miami is 16-13 (.552) ... the Seminoles are 14-4 in their last 18 bowl games while the Hurricanes are 5-1 in their last six post-season contests ... Florida State is 3-3 in previous Orange Bowl outings while Miami is 5-3 ... this is the 48th meeting in a series that dates back to 1951 ... Miami has won four straight against the Seminoles and leads the series 27-20 ... Bobby Bowden is 269-65-4 in 28 years at FSU and 342-98-4 in 38 seasons overall ... Larry Coker is 34-3 in his first three seasons at Miami.
Fast Facts:
*Since joining the ACC, Florida State is 19-15-1 against teams ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll.
*Florida State is 90-6 (.938) in ACC games since 1992 with 11 conference titles ... Miami is 72-11 (.774) in Big East games since 1991 with eight league titles.
*Florida State junior quarterback Chris Rix has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 30 of his 34 career games ... Rix is currently fourth among ACC career passing efficiency leaders (143.9), tied for fourth in TD passes (59), ninth in total offense (8,224) and 10th in passing yardage (7,429).
*A combined 108 players from the Miami and Florida State rosters come from the state of Florida, including 58 Hurricanes and 50 Seminoles ... a combined 33 players from the Miami and Florida State rosters attended high school together.
*Miami is third in the nation in total defense (261.8) and fifth in scoring defense (15.2) ... Florida State is 24th in total defense (328.8) and 13th in scoring defense (16.8).
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
36th Annual - Friday, January 2
Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) vs. Clemson (8-4, 5-3 ACC)
ESPN; 4:30 p.m.
Georgia Dome (71,228)
THE GAME: Clemson will be making its 27th bowl appearance overall and the 16th in the last 19 years when the Tigers play sixth-ranked Tennessee in the 36th annual Peach Bowl ... Clemson enters the game with a three-game winning streak - having beaten Florida State (26-10), Duke (40-7) and South Carolina (63-17) by a combined 129-34 to close out the season ... Tennessee won its last six games to finish at 10-2 ... this game will match two of the top 10 winningest active coaches in Division I football on a percentage basis ... the Volunteers’ Phillip Fulmer is second with a 113-27 record in 11 years - a .807 winning percentage ... Clemson's Tommy Bowden is ninth with a 55-28 record for his seven seasons, a .663 winning percentage ... Clemson is 13-13 in post-season play while Tennessee is 23-20.
Fast Facts:
*This will be the first meeting between the two schools since a 21-19 Tennessee win in 1976 ... Tennessee holds an 11-5-2 advantage in the series that dates back to the 1901 season ... Tennessee has beaten Clemson each of the last seven meetings ... the Tigers’ last victory in the series was 14-0 decision in 1919.
*The two teams have had three common opponents in 2003 ... both teams defeated Duke and South Carolina and lost to Georgia.
*Tennessee (1-2) and Clemson (1-4) are a combined 2-6 in previous Peach Bowls ... the Volunteers lost to Maryland 30-3 in last year’s Peach Bowl.
*Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst is 30th in the nation in passing efficiency with a 138.8 rating while Tennessee’s Casey Clausen is 37th (135.5) ... Whitehurst has thrown for 3,315 yards and 21 touchdowns. ... Clausen has passed for 2,584 yards and 25 touchdowns.
*Tennessee allowed only 40 points over its last five games of the season and is ranked 20th nationally in total defense (318.2) while Clemson is 25th, yielding 329.2 yards per game.
Humanitarian Bowl
7th Annual - Saturday, January 3
Tulsa (8-4, 6-2 WAC) vs. Georgia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC)
ESPN; Noon
Bronco Stadium (30,000)
THE GAME: Georgia Tech will be making its seventh-straight bowl appearance and 32nd overall when they take on Tulsa in the 7th annual Humanitarian Bowl ... Tulsa, a near unanimous pre-season pick for last place in the WAC, is 4-7 in post-season play and will be making its first bowl appearance since a 28-17 win over San Diego State in the 1991 Freedom Bowl ... the Yellow Jackets have won six of their last nine post-season games and are the nation’s third winningest bowl team with a .645 (20-11) winning percentage ... Georgia Tech’s Chan Gailey is 13-12 in his first two seasons with the Yellow Jackets and 37-23 in four years overall ... Steve Kragthorpe is 8-4 in his first season at Tulsa.
Fast Facts:
*This is Tulsa’s first winning season since 1991 ... before Kragthorpe’s arrival, the Golden Hurricane were 1-10 in 2001 and 1-11 2002.
*The Yellow Jackets tied Florida State with a league-high five players on the All-ACC first team, including sophomore tailback P.J. Daniels who rushed for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season.
*Tulsa averages 212 yards rushing and 196 yards passing per game ... QB James Kilian completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards with 22 touchdowns ... three Hurricane backs have rushed for over 500 yards, led by Eric Richardson with 798 yards and 12 TDs.
*Tech true freshman QB Reggie Ball earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors after completing 52 percent of his passes for 1,980 yards and 10 TDs ... Ball was also second on the team in rushing with 392 yards.
*Georgia Tech has played Tulsa twice before, with both meetings coming in bowl games ... in the 1944 Sugar Bowl, Tech posted a 20-18 victory ... the following year, Tulsa rebounded to record a 26-12 victory over the Jackets in the 1945 Orange Bowl, despite 304 yards passing by Tech quarterback Frank Broyles.
Noting the ACC:
Florida State and Georgia Tech led all ACC schools with five first-team selections while Maryland had a league-high 10 players named to the 1st and 2nd teams … in the past three years the Terps have had 28 All-ACC selections which is one more than in the previous 17 years combined … eight of the nine league schools were represented on the first team ... Philip Rivers was the first NC State quarterback named to the first team since Erik Kramer in 1986 ... Chris Douglas was the first Duke running back named first-team All-ACC since Robert Baldwin in 1994 ... Wake Forest had three first-team All-ACC selections, the most for the Deacons since 1992 ... NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery, Maryland’s Nick Novak and Steve Suter were all first-team repeaters from a year ago ... the All-ACC teams were comprised of 21 seniors, 20 juniors, eight sophomores, and one freshman ... Maryland punter Adam Podlesh was the first ever Terp freshman voted to the All-ACC team.
NC State’s Philip Rivers named ACC Player of the Year
NC State senior quarterback Philip Rivers was a unanimous selection by the league’s media as the 2003 ACC Player of the Year ... the Athens, Ala., senior has completed 71 perecent (311-of-438) of his passes for 4,016 yards and 29 TDs ... is the ACC’s all-time leader in total offense (13,087) and passing yardage (13,009) and is second all-time among NCAA leaders ... has thrown for 300 yards or more eight times in 2003, including four games over 400 yards ... leads the ACC and is second nationally in passing efficiency (166.68) and total offense (342.0) ... the first player in ACC history to throw for 3,000 yards in three different seasons and is 55 yards shy of breaking the ACC single-season total offense mark of 4,070 yards set by Florida State’s Chris Weinke in 2000.
Rivers by the Numbers
Category PG ACC NCAA
Passing Efficiency 166.7 1st 2nd
Total Offense 342.1 1st 2nd
TD Passes 29 1st 7th
Completion Pct. .710 1st 2nd
Points Responsible For 16.3 1st 11th
In 50 career starts, Rivers has:
thrown for 100+ yards 50 games
thrown for 200+ yards 41 games
thrown for 300+ yards 17 games
thrown for 400+ yards 6 games
thrown at least 1 TD pass 40 games
thrown at least 2 TD passes 25 games
thrown at least 3 TD passes 18 games
thrown at least 4 TD passes 7 games
thrown at least 5 TD passes 2 games
FSU’s Darnell Dockett named ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Florida State senior defensive tackle Darnell Dockett was the media’s choice as the 2003 ACC Defensive Player of the Year in voting that saw 12 different players from five different teams receive votes ... the Burtonsville, Md., product is Florida State’s all-time leader in tackles for loss with 65 … had at least one tackle for loss in eight of FSU’s 12 games this season … a 2003 Lombardi Award nominee, Dockett is a four-year starter with 48 career starts … named national Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by The Sporting News in 2000 … named second-team All-ACC as a freshman (2000) and first-team in 2002 and 2003 … Dockett is the first FSU player since Andre Wadsworth in 1997 to be named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the fifth overall since the award was initiated in 1993.
Georgia Tech’s Reggie Ball named ACC Rookie of the Year
Georgia Tech freshman quarterback Reggie Ball was a near-unanimous selection by the league’s media as the 2003 ACC Rookie of the Year ... the fifth Yellow Jacket to be named ACC Rookie of the Year, the Stone Mountain, Ga., product threw for 1,980 yards and 10 touchdowns while starting all 12 games for the Humanitarian Bowl-bound Yellow Jackets ... has totaled 175 yards or more of total offense in all but three games this season and is eighth in the ACC in total offense (197.7) ... Ball’s 1,980 yards passing is the fourth-most by a freshman quarterback in ACC history ... is second nationally among freshmen quarterbacks in total offense (2,372) and third in passing yardage (1,980) and touchdown passes (10) ... has accounted for 59 percent (13 of 22) of Tech’s offensive touchdowns in 2003.
Ball by the Numbers
Category PG ACC NCAA
Total Offense 197.7 7th 58th
TD Passes 10 1st na
Completion Pct. .521 1st na
TD Responsibility 13 8th na
Clemson’s Tommy Bowden named ACC Coach of the Year
After leading his Tigers to an 8-4 overall mark, a 5-3 record in league play, a third place finish in the final ACC standings, and a berth in the Peach Bowl, Clemson’s Tommy Bowden was selected the ACC Coach of the Year for the second time in his five years at the school ... picked for fifth place in the media’s pre-season poll, Clemson finished the season with three straight victories, including a 26-10 win over third-ranked Florida State and a season-ending 63-17 triumph over arch-rival South Carolina ... with the victory over South Carolina, Bowden became the first coach in NCAA history to defeat two coaches - Bobby Bowden (342) and Lou Holtz (243) ... with 200-or-more career wins in the same month ... the first coach in ACC history to take a league team to a bowl game in each of his first five years with the program … Bowden is the fifth coach to earn the coaching award with his team finishing third in the league standings ... 25 of the Coaches of the Year finished first in the ACC, 15 were second, four finished fourth, one sixth, one seventh and one eighth … Virginia’s George Welsh was named Coach of the Year a league-high four times ... Bill Dooley (North Carolina & Wake Forest) and Bobby Ross (Maryland & Georgia Tech) are the only two coaches to earn the award at two different ACC schools.
Virginia’s Kevin Bailey named Piccolo recipient
Virginia Senior offensive lineman Kevin Bailey was named the winner of the 2003 Brian Piccolo Award ... the Brian Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1972 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the “most courageous” football player in the ACC ... Bailey, a four-year letterman and a starter along the offensive line throughout his career, sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee against Florida State in the second game of the 2002 season and missed the remainder of the season ... the Lexington, Ky., native later suffered two graft ruptures to the same ligament and underwent extensive reconstruction three times in the course of a year before returning to play for the Cavaliers in 2003.
Virginia’s Elton Brown named Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipient
Virginia junior offensive guard Elton Brown was named the recipient of the 2003 Jacobs Blocking Trophy ... the Jacobs Blocking Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 to the player voted the most outstanding blocker in the ACC by the league’s defensive coordinators ... Brown, the ninth Cavalier to win the Trophy, started in each of his three seasons in Charlottesville ... the Hampton, Va., native was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2003 and an Honorable Mention All-ACC selection in 2002 ... named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Duke game ... Brown has helped the Cavaliers lead the ACC in fewest sacks allowed (9) this season as well as ranking second in passing efficiency.
Duke’s Chris Douglas earns ACC’s Jim Tatum Award
Duke’s senior tailback Chris Douglas was named the recipient of the 2003 Jim Tatum Award ... the Tatum Award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior student-athlete among the league’s football players ... a 2003 All-ACC first-team selection, Douglas was a three-year starter for the Blue Devils and finished his career as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,122 yards ... the Sherrills Ford, N.C., native ranks second all-time among ACC career all-purpose yardage leaders with 5,748 yards and is 21st on the league’s career rushing list with 3,122 yards ... a Computer Science major with a minor in History, Douglas has posted a 3.480 grade point average over the last two semesters, while maintaining a 2.955 GPA throughout his career at Duke ... a two-year member of Duke’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Douglas has been a two-time Academic All-ACC selection (2001 and 2002) ... named the recipient of the ACC’s annual Top Six For Service Award in 2003 … Douglas is the first running back to earn the Tatum Award ... missed only one game in his four years at Duke ... had 89 career receptions for 867 yards ... totaled 26 career touchdowns - 21 rushing, 5 receiving ... had 10 career 100-yard games, including a career-high 218 yards against Georgia Tech on November 8, 2003.
Adam Podlesh first Maryland freshman to earn All-ACC honors
Adam Podlesh became the first Maryland freshman to earn first or second team All-ACC honors when the Terp punter earned second-team honors in voting by ACSMA ... the lone freshman named to the All-ACC team, Podlesh is second in the ACC and 30th nationally in punting with a 42.6 average ... Maryland is second in the ACC and 23rd nationally in net punting (38.3).
All-ACC Freshmen (1975-2003)
** denotes true freshman
1975 Ted Brown, RB, NCS **1st
1976 Delbert Powell, SP, UNC **1st
1976 James McDougald, RB, WF **1st
1977 Amos Lawrence, RB, UNC **1st
1981 Joe McIntosh, RB, NCS **1st
1987 Terry Allen, RB, Clem. 1st
1988 Jesse Campbell, DB, NCS 1st
1989 Robert O’Neal, DB, Clem. **1st
1990 Ronald Williams, RB, Clem. **1st
1991 Nelson Welch, PK, Clem. 1st
1994 Ronde Barber, DB, UVa 1st
1995 Anthony Simmons, LB, Clem. **1st
1996 Dre Bly, DB, UNC 1st
2001 Nat Dorsey, OT, GaT **1st
2002 T.A. McLendon, TB, NCS **1st
1992 Tamarick Vanover, WR, FSU **2nd
1992 George Hegamin, OT, NCS 2nd
1993 Will Brice, P, UVa 2nd
1994 Tremayne Stephens, RB, NCS **2nd
1997 Travis Minor, RB, FSU **2nd
1997 Sebastian Janikowski, PK, FSU **2nd
1999 Brett Williams, OT, FSU 2nd
2000 Darnell Dockett, DL, FSU 2nd
2001 Xavier Beitia, PK, FSU **2nd
2003 Adam Podlesh, P, Md. 2nd
1993 Scott Bentley, PK, FSU **3rd
1993 John Krieger, P, Duke **3rd
Tale of the Talented Toes
Maryland junior Nick Novak leads all active ACC field goal kickers with 62 career field goals ... Virginia sophomore Connor Hughes has made good on 25 of 28 career field goals (89%) ... on the year, league placekickers have made 138 of 180 attempts (.767) ... led by Novak (7), four current ACC place- kickers have made a total of 20 field goals from 50 yards or more.
Career Field Goals Made
(10 or more FGs)
Player, School FG-Att Pct.
Nick Novak, Jr., Md. 62-80 .775
Aaron Hunt, Sr., Clem. 51-69 .739
Xavier Beitia, Jr., FSU 49-66 .743
Brent Garber, Sr., Duke 34-59 .576
Adam Kiker, Sr., NCS 30-37 .811
Connor Hughes, So., UVa 25-28 .893
Dan Orner, Sr., UNC 21-30 .700
Matt Wisnosky, So., WF 20-31 .645
Dan Burnett, Sr., GaT 16-23 .696
Career 50-yard field goals: Nick Novak, Md. (7); Dan Orner, UNC (6); Brent Garber, Duke (4); Connor Hughes, UVa (3).
UVa’s Miller sets ACC record
Virginia sophomore Heath Miller had a career-high 13 catches for 145 yards in the regular season finale against Virginia Tech and extended his ACC record for receptions by a tight end to 66 for the season ... a first-team All-ACC selection this year, Miller also set the ACC career mark for touchdown receptions (14) by a tight end ... has had at least one reception in 20 straight games.
ACC Season Tight End Receptions
Heath Miller, Virginia, 2003 66
Steve Young, Wake Forest, 1977 51
Phil Denfeld, Wake Forest, 1981 51
John Henry Mills, Wake Forest, 1991 51
ACC Career Tight End TD Reception
Heath Miller, Virginia (02-**) 14
Ed Carrington, Virginia (64-66) 12
Bruce McGonnigal, Virginia (87-90) 12
John McMakin, Clemson (69-71) 12
Whitehurst 2nd among ACC sophomore QB leaders
With 302 yards passing in Clemson’s 63-17 season finale win over arch-rival South Carolina, Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst moved to within 131 yards of joining NC State’s Philip Rivers as only the second sophomore in ACC history to reach the 5,000-yard plateau ... has thrown for over 200 yards in 14 of his 17 career starts.
ACC Sophomore Passing Leaders
through sophomore seasons
Player, Team Years Yards
1. Philip Rivers, NCS 2000-01 5,640
2. Charlie Whitehurst, CU 2002-** 4,869
3. Chris Rix, FSU 2001-02 4,421
4. Spence Fisher, Duke 1992-93 4,068
5. Jamie Barnette, NCS 1996-97 3,972
6. Darian Durant, UNC 2001-02 3,966
7. Shawn Jones, GaT 1989-90 3,756
8. Scott Milanovich, Md. 1992-93 3,731
9. Joe Hamilton, GaT 1996-97 3,656
10. Ben Bennett, Duke 1980-81 3,495
Rix seond, Durant fifth ACC junior QB leaders
Florida State’s Chris Rix and North Carolina’s Darian Durant are both listed on the ACC junior passing yardage list ... Rix, with 7,429 yards is second only to NC State’s Philip Rivers ... Durant is fifth with 6,517 yards.
ACC Career Passing Yardage Leaders
through junior seasons
1. Philip Rivers, NCS 2000-02 8,993
2. Chris Rix, FSU 2001-** 7,429
3. Jamie Barnette, NCS 1996-99 7,141
4. Ben Bennett, Duke 1980-83 6,528
5. Darian Durant, UNC 2001-** 6,517
6. Spence Fisher, Duke 1992-95 6,353
7. Scott Milanovich, Md. 1992-95 6,125
8. Shawn Jones, GaT 1989-92 6,044
9. Joe Hamilton, GaT 1996-99 5,822
Reggie Ball
Georgia Tech true freshman quarterback Reggie Ball is seventh in the ACC in total offense (203.9) and eighth in passing efficiency with a 105.4 rating.
ACC Freshmen Season Passing Yardage
Player, Team Year Yards
1. Philip Rivers, NCS 2000 3,054
2. Chris Rix, FSU 2001 2,734
3. Ben Bennett, Duke 1980 2,050
4. Reggie Ball, GaT 2003 1,980
5. Darian Durant, UNC 2001 1,843
6. Shawn Jones, GaT 1989 1,748
7. Jamie Barnette, NCS 1996 1,594
8. Charlie Whitehurst, Clem. 2002 1,554
9. Spence Fisher, Duke 1992 1,505
10. Joe Hamilton, GaT 1996 1,342
ACC Freshmen Season Total Offense
Player, Team Year Yards
1. Chris Rix, FSU 2001 3,123
2. Philip Rivers, NCS 2000 2,969
3. Reggie Ball, GaT 2003 2,372
4. Shawn Jones, GaT 1989 2,078
5. Darian Durant, UNC 2001 1,971
6. Ben Bennett, Duke 1980 1,840
7. Jamie Barnette, NCS 1996 1,657
8. Joe Hamilton, GaT 1996 1,590
9. Charlie Whitehurst, Clem. 2002 1,534
10. Calvin McCall, Md. 1999 1,520
11. Spence Fisher, Duke 1992 1,447
12. Mike Schneider, Duke 2003 1,401
Friedgen, Amato, Bowden climb ACC coaching lists
*Maryland’s 42-28 win over Wake Forest in the 2003 regular season finale, was the 30th career win for Terp head coach Ralph Friedgen - the most ever among any third-year coach in the ACC.
*NC State’s 51-37 win over Virginia on Nov. 1, marked the 33rd career win for Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato, tying him with Lou Holtz who also won 33 games in his four years at NC State (1972 to 1975).
*Clemson’s 63-17 win over arch-rival South Carolina in the Tigers’ season finale on Nov. 22, was the 37th for Tommy Bowden in his five seasons with the Tigers ... Bowden is the fifth-winningest fifth-year coach in ACC annals.
Career Wins in Third Year
Ralph Friedgen, Md. (01-03) 30-8-0
Lou Holtz, NCS (72-74) 26-8-2
Danny Ford, Clem. (79-81) 26-9-0
Bobby Ross, Md. (82-84) 25-11-0
Chuck Amato, NCS (00-02) 25-12-0
Dick Crum, UNC (78-80) 24-10-1
Ken Hatfield, Clem. (90-92) 24-10-1
Tommy Bowden, Clem. (99-01) 22-14-0
Jerry Claiborne, Md. (72-74) 21-13-1
Steve Spurrier, Duke (87-89) 20-13-1
Dick Sheridan, NCS (86-88) 20-13-2
Career Wins in Fourth Year
Danny Ford, Clem. (79-82) 35-10-1
Bobby Ross, Md. (82-85) 34-14-0
Lou Holtz, NCS (72-75) 33-12-3
Chuck Amato, NCS (00-03) 33-17-0
Dick Crum, UNC (78-81) 32-12-0
Ken Hatfield, Clem (90-93) 32-13-1
Jerry Claiborne, Md. (72-75) 30-15-2
Tommy Bowden, Clem. (99-02) 29-20-0
George O’Leary, GaT (95-98) 28-21-0
Dick Sheridan, NCS (86-89) 27-18-2
Tom Nugent, Md. (59-62) 24-16-0
Career Wins in Fifth Year
Danny Ford, Clem. (79-83) 44-11-2
Jerry Claiborne, Md. (72-76) 41-16-2
Dick Crum, UNC (78-81) 40-16-1
Bobby Ross, Md. (82-86) 39-19-1
Tommy Bowden, Clem. (99-03) 37-24-0
George O’Leary, GaT (95-99) 36-25-0
Dick Sheridan, NCS (86-90) 34-23-2
Tommy West, Clem. (94-98) 31-28-0
Mike O’Cain, NCS (93-97) 28-29-0
Tom Nugent, Md. (59-63) 27-23-0
Bill Dooley, UNC (67-71) 27-27-0
ACC eclipses 3,000,000 mark, sets 2 new attendance records
For the first time in ACC history, league schools reached the 3,000,000 mark in total attendance and for the fourth-straight year, the ACC set new records in attendance ... in 58 home games, ACC teams drew 3,006,841 fans, breaking the existing record of 2,944,936 set during the 2002 season ... in its 51st season, the league eclipsed the 50,000 per game mark for the second-straight year, averaging 51,842 per game, bettering the previous per game mark of 50,775 set a year ago ... for the 11th-consecutive year Florida State led the ACC in attendance, averaging 81,149 fans per game.
Pearman 57 catches rank 5th all-time among running backs
Over the last six regular season games of the 2003 season, Virginia tailback Alvin Pearman caught 49 passes for 358 yards ... on the year Pearman has 57 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns ... is seventh in the ACC in receiving (4.8) and ninth in rushing (48.6) ... Pearman is currently fifth on the ACC’s single-season reception list by a running back.
ACC Running Back - Single-Season Receptions
1. Roger Boone, Duke, 1988 73
2. Mike Grayson, Duke, 1983 66
3. Roger Boone, Duke, 1987 62
4. Wali Lundy, UVa, 2002 58
5. Alvin Pearman, UVa, 2003 57
6. Ray Robinson, NCS, 2001 52
7. Allen Williams, Md., 1994 51
8. Randy Cuthbert, Duke, 1989 50
9. Jerry Mays, GaT, 1988 46
Randy Cuthbert, Duke, 1989 46
Florida State’s Bowden 1st on NCAA all-time win list
Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, with 342 wins in 38 years as a head coach, is the all-time winningest Division I-A head coach ... Penn State’s Joe Paterno is second with 339 wins ... Bowden is the only coach in college football history to have 14-straight 10-win seasons (1987-2000) and is the only coach in history to have his team finish in the top five in both major polls for 14 consecutive seasons ... under Bowden, Florida State is 90-6 (93.8) in ACC games with 11 conference titles.
All-Time Coaching Victories
1. Bobby Bowden 342
2. Joe Paterno 339
3. Paul “Bear” Bryant 323
4. Glenn “Pop” Warner 319
5. Amos Alonzo Stagg 314
ACC Bowl Notes
• The ACC set an NCAA record with 78 percent (7 of 9) of the league’s teams receiving post-season bowl bids in 2002.
• The ACC is one of only three Division I-A Conferences to have had each of its current league members participate in a post-sesaon bowl game since 1993.
• Florida State made its 22nd straight bowl appearance a year ago, when it took on Georgia in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
• Despite being selected to finish eighth in the ACC in the media’s pre-season poll, Virginia won nine of its last 11 games, including a 48-22 win over 15th-ranked West Virginia in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl.
• The 1993 Clemson Tigers are the only team in ACC history to earn a bowl bid despite finishing last in the league in total offense.
*In Maryland’s 41-28 victory at Wake Forest (N29), the two teams combined for 655 rushing yards ... the Deacs’ Chris Barclay rushed for a career-high 243 yards on 28 carries while the Terps’ Bruce Perry totaled 237 yards on 25 carries, marking the first time in league history and only the fifth time in NCAA history that opposing backs had more than 200 rushing yards in the same game ... in two career games in Groves Stadium, Perry carried the ball 56 times for 513 yards and five TDs.
*NC State is the only team in the ACC, and one of only four teams nationally, to have two receivers with 65 or more receptions this season ... Jerricho Cotchery had 73 receptions while sophomore Tramain Hall had 65 ... Texas Tech has four players with 65 or more catches while Marshall and Purdue have two each.
*After failing to have a player rush for more than 175 yards in the first 10 weeks (56 games) of the 2003 season, the ACC has had six different players eclipse the 200-yard mark over the season’s final four weeks.
ACC 200-Yard Rushers 2003
N8 Ronnie McGill, UNC vs. WF 244
N8 Chris Douglas, Duke vs. GaT 218
N13 Josh Allen, Md. vs. UVa 257
N15 P.J. Daniels, GaT vs. UNC 240
N29 Chris Barclay, WF vs. Md. 243
N29 Bruce Perry, Md. vs. WF 243
Josh Allen’s 257 yards in the Terps’ 27-17 win over Virginia was the 11th-best single game total in ACC history.
*NC State’s Philip Rivers leads the ACC in touchdown respsonsibility (32) while Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst is second (25) ... Rivers’ total of 32 is tied for the third-highest single-season total in ACC history.
ACC Single-Season TD Responsibility
1. Joe Hamilton, GaT, 1999 35
2. Chris Weinke, FSU, 2000 34
3. Danny Kanell, FSU, 1995 32
Philip Rivers, NCS, 2003 32
5. Charlie Ward, FSU, 1993 31
*NC State QB Philip Rivers leads the ACC in total offense at 342.1 yards per game ... became the 24th player in NCAA history to have 4,000 or more yards of total offense in a season ... Rivers needs only 55 yards to break the ACC single-season mark of 4,070 yards set by FSU’s Chris Weinke in 2000.
*Florida State’s Bobby Bowden is major college football’s all-time winningest coach with 342 career wins ... Florida State is 90-6 in league play since joining the ACC in 1992 with 11 titles (eight outright) in 12 seasons.
NCAA Career Coaching Wins
Bobby Bowden 342
Joe Paterno 339
Bear Bryant 323
Pop Warner 319
Amos Alonzo Stagg 314
*Duke senior TB Chris Douglas finished his collegiate career 80 yards shy of tying North Carolina’s Leon Johnson (5,828) for the top spot on the ACC career all-purpose yardage list ... Clemson junior WR Derrick Hamilton is currently 15th on the ACC’s all-time list with 4,574 yards.
*NC State senior quarterback Philip Rivers leads the ACC in passing efficiency and total offense and is bidding to become only the second Wolfpack QB to lead the ACC in passing ... NC State’s Roman Gabriel led the ACC in passing in 1961.
*Maryland’s Nick Novak is bidding to become the ACC’s all-time leading scorer in only his junior season ... Novak is currently fourth on the league’s all-time scoring list (313) and trails ACC career leader Scott Bentley (FSU) by only 13 points.
ACC Career Field Goals
Nelson Welch, Clem. (91-94) 70
Sebastian Janikowski, FSU (97-99) 66
Nick Novak, Md. (01-**) 62
Obed Ariri, Clem. (77-80) 60
Jess Atkinson, Md. (81-84) 60
Scott Sisson, GaT (89-92) 60
*Clemson junior Derrick Hamilton leads the ACC in all-purpose yardage (131.5), is fourth in receiving yardage (79.8) and eighth in receptions (4.8) ... Hamilton has the second-highest kickoff return average (26.7) in league annals.
ACC Career Kickoff Return Average
(minimum of 40 returns)
Dickie Harris, USC (69-70) 28.1
Derrick Hamilton, Clem. (01-**) 26.7
Ralph Stringer, NCS (73-77) 25.5
John Stone, WF (98-01) 25.4
Dez White, GaT (97-99) 24.7
Leroy Gallman, Duke (90-93) 24.7
*Maryland quarterback Scott McBrien has thrown for 4,788 yards in his two years at College Park ... McBrien is the second most prolific left-handed quarterback in ACC history ... former Terp signal caller Boomer Esiason threw for 6,184 yards between 1981 and 1983.
ACC Left-Handed Passing Leaders
Boomer Esiason, Md. (81-83) 6,184
Scott McBrien, Md. (02-**) 4,788
Phil Barnhill, WF (87-90) 3,931
Mike Eppley, Clem. (81-84) 3,354
*Florida State junior Chris Rix leads all active ACC quarterbacks in career rushing yardage with 795 yards.
ACC Quarterback Rushing Yardage
Quarterback, School 2003 Career
Chris Rix, FSU 117 795
Darian Durant, UNC 396 687
Scott McBrien, Md. 273 557
Cory Randolph, WF 404 399
Reggie Ball, GaT 392 392
Mike Schneider, Duke 181 181
Chris Dapolito, Duke 85 173
Philip Rivers, NCS 89 78
Matt Schaub, UVa -16 65
Charlie Whitehurst, Clem. 57 37
*North Carolina’s Jacque Lewis finished third on the team in rushing with 374 yards on 61 carries ... Lewis’ 6.1 yards per carry average was tops among all ACC players who rushed for 200 yards or more in 2003.
ACC Rushing Yards Per Carry, 2003
(minimum of 200 yards)
Jacque Lewis, Jr., UNC 374 6.13
Lorenzo Booker, Fr., FSU 309 5.73
Willie Idlette, Fr., WF 234 5.71
Ronnie McGill, Fr., UNC 654 5.11
Josh Allen, So., Md. 894 5.11
*Maryland senior Scott McBrien leads all ACC quarterbacks in yards per completion ... McBrien is averaging 15.1 yards on 152 com-pletions in 2003.
ACC Yards per Completion, 2003
(minimum of 95 completions)
Scott McBrien, Sr., Maryland 15.1
Chris Rix, Jr., Florida State 14.3
Philip Rivers, Sr., NC State 12.9
Mike Schneider, Fr., Duke 12.6
Charlie Whitehurst, So., Clemson 12.5
ACC by The Numbers:
3
Field goals missed by Virginia sophomore PK Connor Hughes in 28 career attempts ... Hughes is third among ACC scoring leaders with 98 points, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
4
NC State has returned four of its nine interceptions for touchdowns in 2003.
4
Florida State placekicker Xavier Beitia is four points shy of 300 for his career ... Beitia is currently 10th on the ACC career scoring list with 296 points.
7
Overtime games played by ACC teams this season - a league record ... ACC teams are 2-3 in non-league overtime games in 2003 and 6-9 all-time.
10
Maryland had a league-high 10 players named 1st or 2nd team All-ACC this year … in the past three years, the Terps have had 28 All-ACC selections which is one more than in the previous 17 years combined.
11
ACC-best touchdown reception total by Florida State wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe ... Thorpe finished six yards shy of totaling 1,000 receiving yards this season.
14
Maryland’s Nick Novak needs only 14 more points to become the ACC’s all-time leading scorer ... Novak is currently fourth with 313 points.
14
NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery has 14 career 100-yard receiving yardage games tying him with former Wolfpack standouts Torry Holt (1995-98) and Koren Robinson (1999-00) for third place on the ACC career 100-yard receiving yardage list.
15
Clemson WR Kevin Youngblood has 15 straight games with three or more receptions.
20
Maryland is 20-1 (.953) at home in Ralph Friedgen’s three years as the Terps’ head coach.
19
19 of 27 ACC teams have earned bowl bids the last three years.
27
NC State has a league-high six players with 27 or more receptions in 2003 ... nine different players caught at least one touchdown pass in 2003.
30
Florida State junior quarterback Chris Rix has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 30 of his 34 career games ... Rix is tied for fourth on the ACC career TD pass list with 59.
38
Consecutive games with at least one reception by NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery.
52
NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery is 52 yards shy of becoming only the fourth player in ACC history to reach the 3,000-receiving yardage plateau ... Cotchery is sixth on the ACC’s all-time receiving yardage list with 2,948 yards.
55
NC State’s Philip Rivers needs only 55 more yards to break the ACC single-season total offense mark of 4,070 yards set by FSU’s Chris Weinke in 2000 ... Rivers is the first quarterback in ACC history to pass for 3,000 or more yards in a single-season three times.
62
Maryland’s Nick Novak is third on the ACC career field goal list with 62 field goals made in 79 attempts ... is currently fifth on the league’s career scoring list with 310 points and needs only 17 points to become only the ACC’s all-time leading scorer.
71.0%
ACC-best completion percentage of NC State’s Philip Rivers (71.0) ... Rivers and Virginia’s Matt Schaub (70.2) rank 2-3 nationally in completion percentage.
76.7%
ACC field goal kickers have made good on 138 of 180 field goal attempts (76.7) during the 2003 regular season.
90
Career touchdown passes by NC State’s Philip Rivers ... Rivers’ 90 scoring passes rank first all-time in ACC history.
131
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is 131 yards shy of joining NC State’s Philip Rivers as only the second player in ACC history to throw for 5,000 or more yards by his sophomore season.
164
23 different players have thrown 164 touchdown passes in 2003 - the second-highest single-season total in ACC history.
197
Florida State has scored in 197 consecutive games, dating back to the season opener of the 1988 season.
200
ACC teams are 24-4 in 2003 when they rush for 200 or more yards ... Wake Forest leads all ACC teams with six games of 200 yards or more, including two games with 300 or more yards.
276.0
Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst is averaging 276.0 yards passing in his 17 career starts ... the Tiger sophomore has thrown for 4,692 yards in his 17 career starts.
314.0
Maryland leads the ACC in total defense, allowing 314.0 yards per game ... the Terps last led the ACC in total defense in 1985.
300
Seven of the nine starting quarterbacks in the ACC have thrown for 300 yards or more a total of 24 times this season ... NC State’s Philip Rivers leads all ACC signal callers with eight 300-yard games ... a year ago the ACC had only ten 300-yard passing games.
342
Career victories by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden making him the all-time winningest Division I-A head coach.
1,980
Georgia Tech true freshman QB Reggie Ball has thrown for 1,980 yards this season - the fourth best single-sesaon by a freshman in ACC history.
3,317
Yards passing by Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst in 2003 - the eighth-best single season mark in ACC history.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
