Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Game Notes

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Hoping History Repeats

Clemson hopes history repeats when the Tigers meet Georgia Tech on Saturday

in Atlanta. In 1991, Clemson defeated Temple 37-7 in the first meeting ever

between the two schools. The following week Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 9-7 on

the way to an ACC Championship. This past weekend, the Tigers defeated Temple by

the exact same 37-7 score. The two teams had not met since 1991. Tommy Bowden's

team will now play Georgia Tech in the next game, just as it did in 1991. Bowden

would be satisfied with a two-point victory, just as the Tigers did in 1991.

Tigers Throw for 359 Yards

Clemson threw for 359 yards as a team in the win over Temple, the third highest

single game performance in Clemson history and the most by the Tigers in the

history of Clemson Memorial Stadium. Charlie Whitehurst had his Clemson record

eighth career 300-yard passing game, as he accumulated 307 yards on 19-27

passing. Backup quarterback Will Proctor had his most extensive action as a

passer as he completed 3-6 passes for 52 yards and his first career touchdown.

The only passing yardage totals higher in Clemson history are the 420 yards

at Duke in 2002 (Charlie Whitehurst's first career start) and a 364-yard passing

performance at Duke in 1963. The previous record for Clemson Memorial Stadium by

a Clemson team was 350 yards against Wake Forest in 1998. Clemson has now thrown

for at least 330 yards in a game 10 times, and Tommy Bowden has been the Tigers

head coach for seven of those 10 games.

Clemson's Highest Passing Yardage Games

Freshmen Making Contributions

When it came time to decide on nominations for ACC Rookie of the Week after the

Temple game, it was a difficult decision. Of the 68 Tiger players who appeared

against Temple, 19 were freshmen (red-shirt or first-year). On defense, seven

Clemson players were credited with five or more tackles and four of the seven

were freshmen. Many made significant contributions to the victory and could have

been ACC Rookie-of-the-Week nominees.

· Antonio Clay led the Tigers in tackles with nine in his team high 62 plays of

action. Clay had two tackles for loss for nine yards, including a seven-yard

sack and one quarterback pressure. He was the first Clemson first-year freshman

to lead the Tigers in tackles since LeRoy Hill did it in 2001 against Duke.

· Dorell Scott played 31 snaps and had a career high six tackles, including his

first career sack. He also had two fumble recoveries, the first Clemson player

in nine years to recover two fumbles in the same game. It also tied the Clemson

single game record for fumble recoveries, as he was the 15th player in Clemson

history to do it.

· Aaron Kelly had seven receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown to lead the

Clemson offense. His 155 receiving yards established a Clemson freshman record

and it was the sixth most receiving yards by any player in a game in Clemson

history.

Tigers Have 300-yard Passer, 150-yard receiver, 100-yard Rusher

Clemson had a 300-yard passer, a 150-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher in

the win over Temple, a first in Clemson history. Charlie Whitehurst threw for

307 yards, Aaron Kelly caught seven passes for 155 yards and Reggie Merriweather

ran for 108 yards on 17 attempts to lead the 514-yard total offense effort. It

was Clemson's first 500-yard game since the 2003 season when the Tigers had 542

yards in a 63-17 win at South Carolina.

The closest Clemson had come to that three-way accomplishment took place in

1981 in a victory over Maryland. That day, Perry Tuttle had 161 receiving yards,

Cliff Austin had 101 rushing yards and Homer Jordan threw for 270 yards. Jordan

threw for 214 yards in the first half of that game when Clemson took a 21-0

lead. But, Danny Ford played conservatively in the second half on offense and

the Tigers won the team 21-0 to clinch the ACC Championship and continue an

undefeated season that concluded in a National Championship.

Tigers Gain 7.7 Yards/Play

The yards per play statistic had not been a good indicator of success in

Clemson football games for the first five games of the season. In each of

Clemson's first five games the team with the higher yards per play statistic

lost the game. But over the last two games Clemson has been very productive on

offense and has won the yards per play stat and won the game. Over the last

three games Clemson has gone from 5.7 yards per play to 6.8 to 7.7.

The 7.7 yards per play figure in the win over Temple ranked third best since

Tommy Bowden has been the head coach at Clemson (80 games). The only yards per

play figures better than the Temple game were the 8. 0 against Duke in 2001 and

the 8.1 at South Carolina in 2003.

Clemson is now averaging 5.7 yards per play this season, much improved over

the 4.4 figure in 2004. The current 5.7 yards per play average is tied for

second in Clemson history. The school record for a season is 6.2 per play in

1950.

Clemson Third in ACC in Total Offense

Clemson has made steady improvement on offense this year and now ranks third

in the ACC in total offense with an average of 396.3 yards per game. This is

quite an improvement over last year when Clemson was 10th in the ACC in total

offense with an average of 295.6 yards per game. That is a jump of over 100

yards per game.

Clemson has shown some consistency in terms of scoring and has reached at

least 25 points in six of the seven games so far this season. This is the first

time since the 2000 season that Clemson has scored at least 25 points in six of

the first seven games, and just the second time in the last 27 seasons it has

done that.

Over the last three games Clemson has averaged 485.7 yards per game in terms

of total offense, gained 6.65 yards per play, averaged 183 yards a game on the

ground and 303 yards per game through the air. Clemson has completed 68 percent

of its passes over the last three games and has averaged 31.7 points per game

during that time.

Clemson Offense Over last Three Games

Tigers Balanced on Defense

Clemson's defense held Temple to seven points and just 12 yards rushing. It

was a balanced defensive effort as 10 different Tigers had at least one tackle

for loss five different players were involved in a sack. Among the 10 were five

different freshmen who recorded tackles for loss. Eleven different Tigers had at

least four tackles, including six freshmen. Thirty-one different players

participated in snaps on defense.

For the season, Clemson has 20 quarterback sacks, but 14 different players

have been involved in those 20 sacks. Gaines Adams leads the way with five and

Donnell Clark has two. Everyone else has one or 1.5.

Browning Always Productive

Over his career it seems that every time Kyle Browning gets a chance, he

makes the most of it. That trend continued in the victory over Temple when the

red-shirt senior caught a 41-yard scoring pass in the first quarter from

quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. It was the first touchdown of the game in

Clemson's 37-7 victory. Browning, the smallest player among the regular Tiger

players at 5-7, had 8-23 rushing and 3-49 receiving, giving him 72 yards in 11

touches.

Browning has made a habit of making big plays throughout his career. In 2003

he scored on a "Panther Play" in the Peach Bowl victory over sixth-ranked

Tennessee. It was an eight-yard run that gave Clemson a lead it would never

relinquish. Then 2004 began with Browning scoring the winning touchdown in

overtime against Wake Forest on an 11-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst. He also

had a 54-yard run for a touchdown against Georgia Tech in the second game of the

season. For his career, Browning now has four touchdowns, two rushing and two

receiving.

Browning has been productive vs. Georgia Tech in his career. As a sophomore

in 2003 he started at running back and had 4-32 rushing in Clemson's 39-3

victory. In 2004 he had a career high 80 yards in just five rushes, including

the aforementioned 54-yard run, the second longest run by a Clemson running back

in the Bowden era.

Merriweather Records 100-yard rushing Game

Reggie Merriweather had his first 100-yard game of the season when the

Tigers defeated Temple. The junior from North Augusta, SC had 17 carries for 108

yards in leading the Tiger rushing attack. His day included a 21-yard run. It

was the third career 100-yard day for Merriweather who had two as a sophomore in

2004 when he was Clemson's leading rusher.

Merriweather had 20-114 and three touchdowns in the overtime victory against

Miami (FL) and 28-125 in the victory over South Carolina that closed the 2004

season. For the 2005 season, Merriweather has 83 carries for 427 yards and four

scores. His stats are very similar to James Davis, who has 84-433 and four

scores. If Merriweather carries for six yards on his first rush against Georgia

Tech, he will have the exact same stats as Davis for the season. They are even

both tied in rushes of 10 yards or more at 13 apiece.

Merriweather went over the 1000-yard mark for his career in the win over NC

State and now has 1153 yards for his career in 235 attempts, a 4.91 average and

15 touchdowns.

Merriweather Sets Clemson Record

Clemson running back Reggie Merriweather scored the game winning touchdown

for the Tigers in the 28-24 win at Maryland on September 10. His 38-yard jaunt

around right end on a third-and-seven play with 2:58 left marked the second

straight year and third time in his career that he had scored a game winning

touchdown with three minutes or less left in game. In fact, it was the third

time he had done it in a seven-game period.

Merriweather scored from two yards out with 23 seconds left to give Clemson a

10-7 win over Maryland in 2004, then scored from a yard out in overtime against

Miami just a couple of weeks later. Clemson kept the Hurricanes out of the

endzone and Clemson had the victory.

When Merriweather scored his game winner at Maryland he became the first

player in Clemson history to score three fourth-quarter game winning touchdowns

in a career. Prior to the Maryland game, Merriweather was joined in the Tiger

record books in that category by Fred Cone, Doug Cline, George Usry, Lowndes

Shingler and Jerry Butler. Merriweather is now one game-winning play behind

David Treadwell. Treadwell booted a fourth-quarter game winning field goal for

Clemson four times in his career, including consecutive years within the last 10

seconds against Georgia (1986-87).

Hill on Thorpe Award List

Clemson cornerback Tye Hill was a mid-season addition to the Jim Thorpe

Award list. The Tiger senior was not on the preseason list because he was not a

returning all-conference player, but he has reached the award's radar screen

with his strong performance so far this season.

Hill is fifth on the Clemson team in tackles with 40, including 31 first

hits. He has three interceptions to lead the Clemson team and rank 21st in the

nation and he leads the Clemson team in takaways with four (three interceptions

and one fumble recovery). In his September listing of top senior NFL Draft

prospects, Mel Kiper ranked Hill 14th overall, third among defensive backs. Hill

made a seven-place jump in Kiper's rankings since the season began.

Kiper ranks Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart first in his rankings of

draft eligible players, followed by Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk. The only

defensive backs ranked ahead of Hill are Virginia Tech cornerback Jimmy Williams

and Tennessee defensive back Jason Allen.

Hill had a career high 11 tackles at Wake Forest, including three tackles for

loss. That was a Clemson single game record for tackles for loss by a defensive

back. He followed that up with an impressive game at NC State in front of a

press box that had 15 NFL scouts. He had five tackles and a 24-yard interception

return in that contest. Hill now has three interceptions for 35 yards and five

total passes broken up for the season. He also has a fumble recovery for a team

best four takeaways, and has a caused fumble to be involved in another turnover.

Hill will have his hands full this weekend as he will be a part of a Clemson

secondary that faces Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, one of the top receivers in

the nation.

Mel Kiper's Top Senior Prospects

(September 2005)

Hill Preseason Honors for 2005

*Writers All-America Watch List

*Honorable mention All-American by collegefootballnews.com

*First-team All-ACC by Street & Smith

*First-team All-ACC by Rivals.com

*First-team All-ACC by collegefootballnews.com

*First-team Preseason All-ACC by ACC Sportswriters Association

*Second-team All-ACC by Athlon

*Second-team All-ACC by Lindy's

*Second-team All-ACC by Phil Steele

*#5 NFL prospect at cornerback by collegefootballnews.com

*#6 Best Cornerback in nation by collegefootballnews.com

*#7 Cornerback in the nation by Lindy's

* #16 Cornerback in the nation by Phil Steele

*#17 Best Player in the ACC by collegefootballnews.com

*Clemson's "Star of the team" by collegefootballnews.com

Kelly Sets Freshman Record

Wide receiver Aaron Kelly set a Clemson single game freshman record against

Temple when he had seven receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown. The yardage

total broke the Clemson freshman record of 139 yards (on six catches) by Roscoe

Crosby against Duke in 2001 and was the sixth most by any player in Clemson

history. Kelly's seven receptions were two off the single game record for a

freshman. Derrick Hamilton had receptions for 90 yards against Virginia in 2001

and Terry Smith had nine for 84 against Maryland in 1990.

Kelly, a native of Georgia, has 31 receptions for 401 yards so far this

season. He still has a ways to go to catch Hamilton's freshman records in both

areas. In 2001, Hamilton had 53 receptions for 684 yards. Kelly has had at least

two receptions in every game this year and at least four in six of the seven

contests. He and Chansi Stuckey are the only Tigers to have at least one

reception in every game this year.

Clemson's top Reception yardage Games

Tigers last Division I Team without a Lost Fumble

A look to the Clemson stats shows that the Tigers are yet to lose a fumble

this year. That is quite an accomplishment considering there have been 599

possible touches by Clemson players on offensive plays, punt, kickoff and

interception runbacks, punts and holds on placements. Clemson is the only school

in the nation without a lost fumble. UCLA, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Louisiana

Tech all have lost one. Clemson has seven fumbles so far, but has retained

possession in each situation.

Clemson has just five turnovers for the season, all interceptions. The Tigers

are third in the nation in that category. Only UCLA and Central Michigan with

four apiece, have fewer turnovers than Clemson so far this season. The Clemson

record for fewest turnovers in a season is eight, set in 1940. That is actually

tied for the national record in that category. Clemson's 1940 team, Miami (OH)'s

1966 team and Notre Dame's 2000 team all had just eight turnovers for a season.

Notre Dame's 2000 team is the only squad to do it in an 11-game schedule.

No team in NCAA history has gone an entire season without losing a fumble.

Three teams, all from the Mid American Conference, had just one lost fumble;

Bowling Green in 1996, Miami (OH) in 1998 and Northern Illinois in 2004.

Book Ends Post Top Game

Senior defensive end Charles Bennett and junior bandit linebacker Gaines

Adams had their most productive game of the season against Temple. The Clemson

"Bookends" combined for five tackles for loss and three sacks in the victory, a

big reason the Owls had just 12 yards rushing in the game. For the first time

this year, the Bookends met at the quarterback to combine on a sack.

Bennett had his best game of the young 2005 season and the second best tackle

game of his career when he had eight tackles against Miami (FL) on September 17.

The native of Camden, SC had five first hits and three assists for his eight

tackles. Two of the eight were behind the line of scrimmage, including an

eight-yard sack on Miami's last possession of regulation, a stop that gave

Clemson the ball back with a chance to tie the game. He also had three

quarterback pressures in the Miami game.

Bennett's career high for tackles in a game is 10, recorded at Florida State

last year, a game in which he also had two tackles for loss. The sack against

Miami (FL) was the seventh of his career and the first this season. He has now

started every game over the last two years with the exception of the Texas A&M

game in 2004. For the year, Bennett has 30 tackles on 19 first hits and 11

assists. He has 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to go with eight quarterback

pressures.

Gaines Adams was moved to the "Bandit" end position last spring, as defensive

coordinator Vic Koenning sought to take advantage of the 6-5, 260-pounder's

athletic ability. Adams showed that athletic ability in the win over Maryland

recording a career high eight tackles, including four tackles for loss and 2.5

sacks. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for that performance.

Adams continued his fine play in the win over Temple with another 2.5 sacks.

He is currently in the top five in the ACC in sacks with his five for 30 yards.

He also leads the team in quarterback pressures with 14. He has 32 tackles

overall to rank first among Clemson's front four players.

Adams, who played eight-man football at Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, SC

for former South Carolina quarterback Steve Tanneyhill, made a key sack on

Maryland's final drive. With the Terps on the Clemson 40 with a second-and-10

and just 1:45 left, Adams sacked Terps quarterback Sam Hollenbach. Clemson then

held Maryland on third and fourth down, clinching the Tiger victory.

Clemson-Tech Series Has Been Thrilling

·Georgia Tech has a 44-23-2 lead in the series with Clemson dating to a 23-0

Tiger win in Augusta, GA in 1898, just the 11th game in Clemson football

history. In fact, Clemson won the first four games of the series, including

games in 1902 and 1903 when John Heisman was at the helm. Clemson defeated

Georgia Tech in Atlanta 73-0 in 1903 with Heisman as head coach.

·The series was incredibly close in the 1990s and that trend has continued in

the 21st century. Eight of the last nine games have been decided by five points

or less. That includes a streak of six straight games decided by exactly three

points from 1996-2001. That might be a first in college football history. We

aren't talking by three points or less, but exactly three points.

·Tech won last year 28-24 by scoring two touchdowns in the last 1:50 of the

game. Clemson had taken a 24-14 lead with 3:18 left on a 54-yard run by Kyle

Browning. The teams combined for 35 points in the fourth quarter after scoring a

combined 17 points in the first three periods.

·Clemson won three in a row from 2001-03, including the 2003 game in Atlanta by

a 39-3 score. That was Clemson's largest margin of victory in the series since a

73-0 Tiger win in Atlanta in 1903 when Heisman was the Clemson coach. Clemson

was victorious in 2002 by a 24-19 score and by a 47-44 score in overtime in

Atlanta in 2001.

·Clemson has won each of the last two games played in Atlanta between the two

schools and has scored 86 points in the two games combined. Clemson has actually

won three straight in the city of Atlanta. In addition to the wins over Tech in

2001 and 2003, Clemson won at the end of the 2003 season over sixth ranked

Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.

·The Tigers have an 8-4 advantage in games at Clemson, but Georgia Tech leads

39-12-2 in games played in Atlanta. Every game between the two teams in the

1907-74 era was held in Atlanta. Clemson's only wins in those 36 meetings came

in 1907, 1936, 1945 and 1969. The 1969 victory was Frank Howard's final season

as head coach.

·The first time Georgia Tech played in Clemson's stadium was 1974, a 21-17

Clemson victory. Clemson won that game on a three yard touchdown pass from

current Clemson offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain to All-America tight end

Bennie Cunningham with 8:26 left.

·Clemson has a 12-10 advantage in the series, regardless of site, since Tech

joined the ACC in 1983. Tech actually joined for the 1979-80 academic year, but

did not compete for the football championships until 1983.

· Since Tommy Bowden has been the head coach, the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech games

have been high scoring as the average score is 34-28.3 in Clemson's favor. The

two teams have split the six games, but Clemson has a 204-180 lead in points

score.

·Woodrow Dantzler had one of the best all-around games of his career with 164

yards rushing and 254 yards passing in the victory in 2001. He threw for two

scores and ran for two, including a 38-yard "Hail Mary Run" on the last play of

the first half to cut Tech's lead to 19-14 at intermission. His 63-yard scoring

pass to J.J. McKelvey with 1:58 left put Clemson ahead by three, but Tech tied

the count with a 20-yard field goal with just six seconds left. Dantzler's

"walk-off" six-yard touchdown in overtime gave Clemson the win.

·Clemson has had just two games in its history in which both teams scored in the

40s. They have both taken place at Georgia Tech under Bowden. Tech won 45-42 in

1999 and Clemson won 47-44 in overtime in 2001 in Atlanta.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Recent Thrillers

Clemson Veterans vs. Georgia Tech

Gained Adams (BAN)--Had four tackles in 37 snaps as a reserve in 2004. Also

had a five-yard sack in that game.

Curtis Baham (WR)--Had three receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown against

Tech in 2004. It was his second career touchdown.

Kyle Browning (RB)--Started the 2003 game in Atlanta and had 4-32 rushing in

36-point Clemson win. Had career high 80 yards in five attempts against Tech in

2004, including a 54-yard run, second longest run by a Clemson running back in

the Bowden era.

Cole Chason (P)--Had 44.3 average on six punts against Georgia Tech in 2003. It

was his high punting average of the season and he was named Clemson's special

teams player of the game by the Tiger coaches. Had 41.2 average on six punts

against Tech last year.

Duane Coleman (CB)--Had 13-86 rushing off the bench in Atlanta in 2003. DNP in

2004 game due to injury.

Jad Dean (PL)--Did not attempt a field goal or placement. Only handled kickoffs

in that game in 2004.

Marion Dukes (OT)--Had career high 13 knockdown blocks in 75 plays against Tech

in 2004.

Jamaal Fudge (ROV)--Had five tackles in 55 plays as a starter in 2003 against

Tech. Had nine tacklesi n 80 plays as astarter in 2004.

Tye Hill (CB)--Had two tackles, including his first career tackle for loss, in

the win at Tech in 2003. had six tackles, including two tackles for loss and

three passes broken up against Tech in 2004.

Reggie Merriweather (RB)--Had 8-90 rushing and scored his first career touchdown

in loss to Tech in 2004. Had a 62-yard run for a touchdown, longest by a Clemson

running back in the Bowden era.

Chansi Stuckey (WR)--Had one catch for 23 yards against Tech in 2004.

Trey Tate (DT)--Had career high five tackles in 53 snaps as a starter in 2004.

Anthony Waters (LB)--Had season high six tackles in 20 plays at Tech in 2003.

Had 10 tackles for his first career double digit game in 2004.

Bobby Williamson (TE)--Scored first career touchdown on pass reception from

Willie Simmons in 2002. Had a sack against Tech as a defensive player in 2004.

Had four tackles.

Charlie Whitehurst (QB)--Hit on 23-38 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns

in Clemson's 39-3 victory at Georgia Tech in 2003. Completed 20-42 for 275 yards

and one touchdown in 2004. thus, he is 1-1 as a starter against Tech and is

43-80 for 573 yards and four touchdowns in two games vs. Tech.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

2004 at Clemson, SC

Georgia Tech 28, Clemson 24

Clemson scored on touchdown runs of 62 and 54 yards in the fourth quarter to

take a 10-point lead, but could not hold on, as Georgia Tech struck twice in the

final 1:50 to gain a wild 28-24 victory over Clemson in Death Valley. It was the

eighth time in the last nine meetings between the two schools that the game was

decided by five points or less.

Reggie Ball hit freshman receiver Calvin Johnson with an 11-yard touchdown

pass with 11 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead since the

second quarter. Airese Currie returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Georgia

Tech 31-yard line, giving the Tigers one last desperation heave into the

endzone. Charlie Whitehurst's pass intended for Kelvin Grant was incomplete,

which brought an end to the Tigers' seven-game home winning streak.

Georgia Tech struck first when Ball connected with a diving Johnson in the

corner of the endzone from 37 yards out late in the first quarter. Clemson went

on a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a Whitehurst 22-yard touchdown

pass to Curtis Baham. The teams went to the locker rooms deadlocked in a 7-7

tie.

Georgia Tech opened the second half with a 13-play drive that ended when Clemson

stopped P.J. Daniels short of the endzone on fourth-and-goal. The drive chewed

up 5:48 off the clock.

In the fourth quarter, Reggie Merriweather found a hole off right tackle and

dashed 62 yards untouched for his first career rushing touchdown.

The two teams again exchanged punts before the Yellow Jackets went on a

five-play, 49-yard drive that ended with a Ball to Levon Thomas 19-yard

touchdown pass to cut the Tiger lead to 17-14.

Clemson again answered with a long run on its third play of the ensuing

drive. This time Kyle Browning ran up the middle for 54 yards, and the Tigers

led by 10 with 3:18 remaining.

Georgia Tech moved the ball quickly down field and scored with 1:50 remaining,

as Ball again hit Johnson on an eight-yard "jump ball." The Yellow Jackets'

onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Clemson took over on its own 33-yard

line.

Whitehurst ran for nine yards on first down, but the next two rushing

attempts did not result in a first down. On fourth down with less than 25

seconds remaining, Geoff Rigsby snapped the ball low to Cole Chason. Rigsby had

made 136 straight punt snaps without error. The Tiger punter could not scoop the

ball, and when he fell on the ball at his own 11-yard line, Georgia Tech gained

possession on downs with 16 seconds remaining. On the next play, Ball found

Johnson again in the endzone, giving Georgia Tech a comeback victory.

The Tigers were led defensively by LeRoy Hill, who had 14 tackles, including

three tackles for loss and two sacks. Hill was also named ACC Defensive

Lineman-of-the-Week for his efforts.

Clemson 39, Georgia Tech 3

Last Trip to Atlanta

2003 Meeting at Atlanta, GA

Clemson ended a series of close games with Georgia Tech by defeating the

Yellow Jackets 39-3 in Atlanta in 2003. The seven previous games between the two

schools had been decided by just 23 points, including six consecutive

three-point decisions from 1996-01. The Tigers' 36-point margin of victory was

the most against Georgia Tech by Clemson since John Heisman was roaming the

Clemson sidelines in 1903. The 36-point win was the best for Clemson in an ACC

road game since a 55-0 win at Virginia in 1984.

Clemson got on the board in the late portion of the first quarter after Aaron

Hunt connected on a 23-yard field goal. The score was set up by a holding

penalty by Georgia Tech on a punt, thus giving the ball back to the Tigers.

Clemson tacked on to its lead in the second after John Leake intercepted his

first career pass. His effort set up Tony Elliott from nine yards out on a

touchdown reception from Charlie Whitehurst. It was Elliott's second touchdown

in as many years against the Yellow Jackets.

The Tigers struck again on the ensuing possession. Kevin Youngblood grabbed a

jump-ball pass from Whitehurst for a 44-yard gain to get into Tech territory.

Youngblood was rewarded moments later when he caught a pass, then spun away and

dove for the endzone on a 12-yard touchdown play.

Georgia Tech got on the board late in the second quarter with a Dan Burnett

field goal, but the Tigers responded quickly. Derrick Hamilton returned the

ensuing kickoff 39 yards to Clemson's 45-yard line. From there, Youngblood

caught a 22-yard pass, then Whitehurst hooked up with Airese Currie for a

33-yard touchdown strike just before halftime. Whitehurst's third touchdown pass

gave the Tigers a 23-3 lead at the break.

Clemson's defense was the story of the second half. On the Yellow Jackets'

second possession, freshman quarterback Reggie Ball was pressured inside his own

10-yard line. He ran back to avoid the rush but could not get away from Maurice

Fountain and Vontrell Jamison, who threw the freshman down for a safety and a

25-3 lead.

The running game stepped up in the fourth quarter for Clemson. On its second

possession of the quarter, the Tigers took to the ground. Kyle Browning rushed

three times for 33 yards before Duane Coleman took a handoff straight up the

middle for a 25-yard touchdown. It was the longest run from scrimmage for the

Tigers in the young season.

Clemson added a touchdown to its final margin when Whitehurst scored on a

quarterback sneak. The Tigers got the ball back after fullback Steven Jackson

recovered a fumble on the kickoff. The Tiger defense kept Tech out of the

endzone in the waning moments of the game, preserving the 36-point victory.

Whitehurst led the Tigers again offensively. He was 23-38 for 298 yards and

accounted for four scores. Currie led a trio of Tiger receivers, with six

catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Youngblood caught five balls for 101 yards

and a touchdown. Hamilton had five catches for 79 yards to go along with 59

return yards and 14 rushing yards. Clemson rushed for 138 yards on 30 carries in

the game, more rushing yards gained than both Auburn and Florida State had

against the Georgia Tech defense in the previous two weeks.

Georgia Tech entered the game having upset a top-15 Auburn team the previous

week. Defensively, the Tigers totaled 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage,

and harassed Ball and the Tech offense the entire night. Leading the way was

Leake, who had 14 tackles and three for loss. LeRoy Hill continued his fine play

with 11 tackles, including two for loss and his fourth sack of the year.

Additional sacks were recorded by Fountain, Tye Hill, Eric Sampson, and Donnell

Washington.

Tigers from Georgia

Clemson has 18 players on its roster from the state of Georgia, including

seven players who would be considered starters so far this season. That list

includes quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who is from Duluth, GA and attended

Chattahoochee High School. Whitehurst will be returning to the scene of one of

his best performances as a Tiger. In 2003, he led Clemson to a 39-3 win at

Georgia Tech by completing 23-38 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He

also rushed nine times for 41 yards, giving him 37 plays for 339 yards of total

offense. The touchdown pass total tied his career high and a Clemson record.

Other starters on Clemson's team from the state of Georgia include running

back James Davis, offensive guard Nathan Bennett, defensive tackle Donnell

Clark, wide receivers Aaron Kelly and Chansi Stuckey, and punter Cole Chason.

Clark and Davis are injured and are not expected to play at Georgia Tech.

The list of 18 players below includes Ray Ray McElrathbey, and Etta

Etta-Tawo, who are both being red-shirted this season. Antonio Clay and James

Davis are two first-year freshmen who have been very productive. Clay led

Clemson in tackles in the win over Temple with nine. Davis is Clemson's leading

rusher with 433 yards.

As you can see by the list, four Clemson players call Atlanta their hometown.

Davis, offensive tackle Tim DeBeer, McElrathbey and offensive tackle Chip Myrick

all list Atlanta as their home.

Clemson Players from Georgia

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