Clemson vs Wake Forest Game Notes

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Clemson vs. Wake Forest Series

·Clemson owns 54 wins over Wake Forest in history, its second highest victory

total over any opponent. Clemson has 62 wins over South Carolina. Forty-three of

those wins against Wake Forest have taken place since the ACC was formed in

1953.

· Clemson has a 43-7-1 edge in the series since 1953. Clemson has played Wake

Forest in football 51 consecutive years, as the last year the two schools did

not play was 1952. The two schools are in the same division, so they will

continue to play annually.

·Clemson leads the series 54-15-1 overall, including a 31-7 record in games

played at Clemson and a 27-7 mark in games played in Death Valley. Clemson did

not lose at home to Wake Forest between 1962-92. Wake Forest broke the streak in

1993 when Jim Caldwell's first team defeated Clemson 20-16 at Death Valley.

Clemson went on to finish that season 9-3.

·Only one coach in history won as many as four games against Clemson without a

loss in Death Valley and the coach was from Wake Forest. Frank Howard and

Peahead Walker had a close friendship, but Peahead had a 4-0 record against

Howard in Death Valley.

·Clemson has won nine out of 11 against Wake Forest dating to 1994. The Demon

Deacons won back-to-back games in 1992-93, the only time Wake Forest has won

consecutive contests against Clemson since 1946-47.

·Clemson has a 17-8-1 lead in the series in games played at Wake Forest,

including 10-4-1 in games played at Groves Stadium. Clemson had won four in a

row at Wake Forest prior to the loss in 2003. Bill Dooley defeated the Tigers

18-15 in 1992 at Winston-Salem, and that was the last Wake Forest win on its

home turf before last year.

·Clemson lost at Wake Forest 45-17 the last time the Tigers went to

Winston-Salem. Clemson had 29 first downs and 405 yards of total offense, but

lost by 28 points.

·Clemson has a 5-1 record against Wake Forest under Tommy Bowden, but four of

the five Clemson wins have been close. The Tigers won 12-3 in 1999, 21-14 in

2001, 31-23 in 2002 and 37-30 in double overtime in 2004. Clemson's only blowout

against Wake Forest took place in 2000 when Clemson won by a 55-9 score.

·The two teams have played at three neutral sites in history, including Tokyo,

Japan. Clemson won that game in 1982 by a 21-17 score to close out an ACC

Championship season.

·Clemson defeated a Wake Forest team coached by current Virginia coach Al Groh

on Halloween Day 1981 by an 82-24 score. That is the highest scoring game in ACC

history involving two league teams. Clemson was 12-12 on third down in that

game, a school record. The Tigers went on to win the national championship.

Last Year vs. Wake Forest

Clemson 37, Wake Forest 30 (2OT)

Clemson used a last-minute drive, a two-point conversion, and two overtimes to

defeat Wake Forest 37-30 in the 2004 season opener. Charlie Whitehurst found

Kyle Browning for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime and the Tiger

defense held Wake Forest on four downs to win a conference game on opening day

for the first time since 1969.

Clemson got off to a quick start after a Whitehurst

to Airese Currie 31-yard touchdown pass combined with a Justin Miller 69-yard

punt return gave the Tigers a 14-3 lead after the opening quarter. Chansi

Stuckey blocked a Ryan Plackemeier punt through the endzone for a safety and

Stephen Furr booted a 42-yard field goal (his first career made field goal) off

the left upright for a 19-3 Clemson lead.

Wake Forest came storming back, as backup quarterback Ben Mauk found Jason

Anderson for an 85-yard touchdown pass, which tied for the longest pass in the

history of Death Valley by an opponent. Wake Forest scored later in the quarter

when Cornelius Birgs scored from two yards out.

The Wake Forest defense forced Clemson into a three-and-out on its next

possession and needed only three plays to find the endzone. Chris Barclay, who

rushed for 179 yards on 29 carries, broke free from the pile on a third-and-two

play and dashed 50 yards for a touchdown. After trailing 19-3, the Demon Deacons

reeled off 24 unanswered points. Whitehurst hit Stuckey on each of the first two

plays of the game's most important drive to move the ball into Demon Deacon

territory. The Tigers would end up taking eight snaps inside the Wake Forest

10-yard line before Yusef Kelly plunged over from a yard out to cut the Demon

Deacon lead to 27-25 with 1:48 remaining. On the two-point conversion play,

Whitehurst lofted a pass to Kelvin Grant in the corner of the endzone, and

the sophomore receiver out-jumped the Wake Forest defender to pull down the

two-pointer. Clemson won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense

first. Wake Forest could not pick up a first down, and Wisnosky booted his third

field goal of the day, this time a 38-yarder. Furr connected from 23 yards out

to send the game to a second overtime period, a first in Clemson history.

The Tigers got the ball first in the second overtime. After picking up a

first down, Whitehurst dropped back and lofted a screen pass to Browning, and he

raced untouched into the endzone. One Barclay run and three incomplete Cory

Randolph passes gave Clemson its fourth overtime win in its history. Currie and

Stuckey became just the third tandem in Tiger history to amass at least 100

receiving yards in the same game. Anthony Waters and Miller led the Tigers with

nine tackles apiece. Miller also was named ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week for

his performance.

Two of the ACC's Best on Display Saturday

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and Wake Forest running back Chris

Barclay are both among the ACC leaders in their respective categories of

expertise. Barclay enters the Clemson game with 3261 career rushing yards, third

in Wake Forest history and 19th in ACC history. If he continues his current pace

of 118.7 yards per game, he will reach the 4,000 yard mark for his career. He

would become just the fifth player in ACC history to reach 4,000 yards rushing.

Whitehurst has 800 yards passing this season, giving him 7982 for his career,

obviously just 18 yards short of 8,000 for his career. He is currently 12th in

ACC history in career passing yardage. He is on pace to go over the 9000 yard

mark sometime late this year. When he does, he will become just the sixth player

in ACC history to reach 9,000 yards passing.

Veterans vs. Wake Forest

Gaines Adams (DE)--Had six tackles, including a tackle for

loss, in 29 plays off the bench in Clemson's victory in 2004.

Curtis Baham (WR)--Had career high six receptions for 50 yards

at Wake Forest in 2003. Played 48 snaps as a starter in the 2004 game, but did

not have a reception.

Charles Bennett (DE)--Had three tackles in 57 plays as a starter against Wake

Forest in 2004.

Tramaine Billie (LB)--Had three tackles in nine plays in win

over Wake Forest in 2004.

Kyle Browning (RB)--Scored game winner in overtime on 11-yard

touchdown pass from Charlie Whitehurst in second overtime of 2004 game. That is

the only touchdown reception of Browning's career.

Cole Chason (P)--Has averaged at least 40 yards per punt in his

two games against Wake Forest. Had 41.3 average on three punts at Winston-Salem

in 2003, then had 40.6 average on five punts in Clemson's victory in Death

Valley in 2004. Has 40.9 average for eight punts in his career against the Demon

Deacons.

Jad Dean (PK)--Has played in two games against Wake Forest as

the kickoff man, but has never attempted a field goal against the Demon Deacons.

Jamaal Fudge (FS)--Has 21 career tackles in three games against

the Demon Deacons. Had three as a reserve in the 2002 game at Clemson, had 12

stops in 67 plays as a starter in the 2003 game at Wake Forest, and six tackles

in 87 plays in the 2004 game at Clemson. Had an interception and a pass broken

up in the 2004 game at Clemson.

Kelvin Grant (WR)--Had five receptions for 36 yards and his

only career touchdown at Wake Forest in 2003 as a freshman. Had one reception

for 14 yards in the 2004 game, but also caught a two-point conversion pass that

tied the game with 1:48 remaining in regulation.

Cory Groover (DT)--Had four tackles in 29 plays, including his

first career sack in 2004 victory over Wake Forest.

Tye Hill (CB)--Had three tackles in 53 snaps as starter at Wake

Forest in 2003. Had four tackles and two passes broken up in 87 plays as a

starter against Wake Forest in 2004.

Chansi Stuckey (WR)--Completed 9-15 passes for 71 yards and two

touchdowns at Wake Forest as a quarterback in 2003. Also had 4-35 rushing in

that game, giving him 106 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter of that

game. In 2004 had 8-112 receiving in Clemson overtime victory. He was Clemson's

Chevrolet Player of the Game according to ABC Sports for that contest.

Trey Tate (DT)--Had three tackles in 57 plays as a starter in

2004 against the Demon Deacons.

Anthony Waters (LB)--Had three tackles in 17 plays as a reserve

in 2003 game at Wake Forest. Had eight tackles in 63 plays as a starter in 2004

against the Demon Deacons.

Nick Watkins (LB)--Had five tackles, including a tackle for

loss in 21 snaps against Wake Forest in 2004.

Charlie Whitehurst (QB)--Played three snaps and was 1-2 passing

for three yards as a freshman reserve in 2002 game at Clemson. Was 26-42 for 272

yards in 62 plays in game at Wake Forest in 2003. Connected on 20-41 for 288

yards and two touchdowns in 2004 Clemson overtime win. For his career, he is

47-85 for 563 yards and two touchdowns against the Demon Deacons. Has 551 yards

of total offense in the three appearances combined.

Clemson Has Played Consecutive Overtime Games

Clemson has played consecutive overtime games, losses at home to 13th ranked

Miami (FL) 36-30 in triple overtime on September 17, and 16-13 in overtime to

25th ranked (USA) Boston College. This is the first time in ACC history that a

league school has played consecutive overtime games, but it has happened quite

often nationally.

In fact, Clemson and TCU have a streak going, as both have gone overtime each

of the last two games. No team has ever played three overtime games in

succession. The overtime rule dates to the 1996 season. TCU has won consecutive

overtime games, a 23-20 win over Utah on September 15 and a 51-50 win over BYU

this past Saturday (September 24). Clemson and TCU are the 17th and 18th

occurrences of a team playing back to back overtime games. The first school to

do it was Southern Cal in 1996, as the Trojans concluded their season with a

loss to Southern Cal and a win over Notre Dame (Lou Holtz's last game as Notre

Dame coach).

In 2004 Texas A&M and Northwestern were the only teams to play consecutive

overtime games. The last team to lose consecutive overtime games was Temple in

2003. However, the Owls had an open date in between overtime losses to Villanova

and Cincinnati. Arizona State lost consecutive games in overtime on consecutive

Saturdays in 2000. Both of those games were in double overtime.

Clemson won its first five overtime games between 1997-2004, but the Tigers

have now lost two in a row. Entering the 2005 season there were two Division I

teams with an all-time record of 5-0 in overtime, Clemson and BYU. Both lost in

overtime last Saturday. BYU lost to TCU, 51-50.

Scott Family Goes overtime

Clemson Assistant Head Coach Brad Scott was on the sidelines for the Tigers in

the 16-13 overtime loss to Boston College. While he was enduring that game, his

son, John, was playing in a double overtime game for Harvard against Brown.

Ironically, Clemson was playing Boston College and his son John was playing in

Boston, for Harvard.

John had the upper hand on the day as the Crimson beat Brown 38-35. It was

the 12th straight victory for Harvard, as the Crimson went 10-0 last year. That

is the longest winning streak among Division I-AA teams. John Scott is a reserve

defensive back and special teams player for Tim Murphy's team.

Wake Forest Productive vs. Clemson under Grobe

Clemson has a 5-1 record against Wake Forest under Tommy Bowden and a 3-1 record

against the Demon Deacons since Jim Grobe has been the head coach. But, the

Demon Deacons have been productive against the Tigers. In the four games Jim

Grobe has coached against Clemson the Tigers his Demon Deacons have gained 1161

yards rushing, an average of 290 yards per game. They have picked up 420.8 yards

of total offense per contest. Clemson has not held Wake Forest under 221 yards

rushing in the four games Grobe has coached against the Tigers. Wake Forest has

averaged 28 points per game against Clemson the last four years.

The leader for Wake Forest on offense through much of the Grobe era has been

Chris Barclay. The senior running back has 67 rushes for 431 career yards

against Clemson, a 6.4 per carry figure and an average of 143.7 yards per game.

He had 29-179 against Clemson last year and 24-163 and two touchdowns in Wake

Forest's victory in 2003. He had 89 off the bench as a freshman in 2002.

These Games are Good

Clemson has played four games this season and all four have been decided by a

touchdown or less within the last three minutes of the game. Three of the four

have come down to the last play, including the last two that have been decided

in overtime.

It has been thrill-a-minute for Clemson players, coaches and fans, and that

has been the opinion of the editors of collegefootballnews.com. The internet

site devoted exclusively to college football selects its top 10 games of college

football each week. In each of the first four weeks, Clemson's game has been

ranked among the top seven games in college football that weekend.

In the first week of college football, Clemson's 25-24 victory over Texas A&M

ranked as the top game of the week. Jad Dean's field goal with two seconds left

was the game winner. Clemson's game with Maryland in week II ranked seventh

best, as the Tigers overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and scored the

game winner on a 38-yard run by Reggie Merriweather with 2:58 remaining.

Clemson's 36-30 triple overtime loss to Miami (FL) was the second best game of

Week III, trailing only Michigan State's overtime victory at Notre Dame. The

Clemson vs. Boston College game, another overtime affair that ended in the

Eagles victory column by a 16-13 score, ranked seventh.

Clemson is the only team in the country to have played a "Top10 game" each of

the first four weeks of the season according to the site. The internet site also

ranks the best game each week by conference. Each of the first four weeks

Clemson's game has been ranked as the best game in the ACC.

Bowden Coaches 100th Game on Saturday

Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden will coach his 100th game as a Division I head

coach this weekend when the Tigers travel to Wake Forest. Bowden has a record of

64-35 for his first 99 games as a head coach, 22 at Tulane and 77 at Clemson. He

was 18-4 in two seasons with the Green Wave and 46-31 so far in his seven

seasons at Clemson.

Bowden is the 24th head coach in Clemson history and he is already third in

school history in coaching victories with 46. Bowden trails only Frank Howard

(165) and Danny Ford (96) on the Clemson list. When Bowden defeated South

Carolina in the final game of the 2004 season, he moved ahead of Hall of Fame

coach Jess Neely, who had 43 wins for the Tigers in his nine seasons (1931-39).

That was also the 600th win in Clemson history.

Bowden is also moving up the Clemson coaching ranks in other areas. He now

has eight wins over top 25 teams at Clemson, also third among Tiger head

coaches. Danny Ford had 20 top 25 wins in his career between 1978-89, still the

Clemson record, while Frank Howard had 11 top 25 wins in his career between

1940-69. Howard might have had more top 25 wins than he is credited for because

the AP polls only ranked a top 10 from 1961-68 and poll point totals for teams

11-25 don't exist. Bowden went ahead of Ken Hatfield with the win over Texas

A&M. Hatfield had seven wins over top 25 teams during his tenure from 1990-93.

Bowden is also third in conference wins with 29 and fourth in wins by seven

points or less. He has 13 of those close victories, one less than third place

Jess Neely who had 14 between 1931-39. Frank Howard had 49 and Danny Ford had 26

wins by seven points or less.

Clemson's Winningest Coaches

Tigers Have Faced Difficult Schedule

Clemson has played three top 25 teams (USA/Coaches poll) within its first four

games, the only school in the nation who has done that. It is also the first

time in Clemson history the Tigers have had to play three top 25 teams within

the first four games of the season. The only year that is close is the 1966

Tiger team that played three top 10s within the first five games.

In many ways this is the most challenging home schedule in Clemson history.

Four of the six opponents (Texas A&M, Miami (FL), Boston College and Florida

State) were ranked in the preseason top 25 of the AP poll. That is a first in

Clemson history. There is a strong chance all four will be ranked when they come

to Clemson. Miami (FL) was 13th entering its game at Clemson and Boston College

is 25th in the USA Today poll. Florida State is a consensus top 10 team at the

moment. They will come to Clemson on November 12.

Clemson has never had four top 25 teams come to Clemson in the same season.

In fact, only the 2003 and 1988 seasons have seen as many as three top 25 teams

play against Clemson in Death Valley. In 1988, Clemson lost to a 10th ranked

Florida State team at home, but beat top 25 teams from Duke and South Carolina

later in the season. In 2003, Clemson lost the opener at home to a top 10

Georgia team, then beat 25th ranked Virginia in overtime, and defeated third

ranked Florida State.

Overall, Clemson is 22-26-1 against top 25 teams in Death Valley over the

years. Coach Bowden is 5-6 against top 25 teams at home in his seven years,

including the 26-10 win over third ranked Florida State in 2003, the highest

ranked team Clemson has beaten in history at home.

The number of games against top 25 teams at home shows how the ACC has gotten

stronger over the years. Clemson played just four games against top 25 teams at

home between 1942-66. That is four games in 25 years. In the last 25 years

Clemson has played 34 games against top 25 teams at home.

Clemson Schedule Ranked Eighth

As stated above, Clemson's schedule is among the toughest in school history and

is the toughest in school history for the first four games of the year. The

schedule is ranked eighth toughest in the nation according to the Sagarin

computer ranking this week. Clemson as a team is ranked 25th, the highest ranked

team in the country with two losses.

Clemson Limiting Mistakes

One hallmark of Clemson's offense under offensive coordinator Rob Spence has

been efficiency and a lack of mistakes. Clemson did not commit a turnover for

its first 213 offensive snaps of the season, or until Charlie Whitehurst threw

an interception on the last play of the third overtime against Miami. Clemson

then went the entire game against Boston College without committing a turnover.

Thus, the Tigers have just one turnover in four games, non in regulation. That

is one turnover in 271 plays so far this year. Clemson is ranked 18th in the

nation in turnover margin so far this year, a marked improvement over the #99

ranking last year.

This is the first time Clemson has gone four games and committed just one

turnover since the 1994 season when Clemson led the nation in fewest turnovers

committed. Most coaches will tell you that winning the turnover statistic, or

limiting turnovers on offense will usually lead to victory. That has been the

case with Clemson. However a streak was stopped on Saturday when Clemson lost to

Boston College. The Tigers had won 11 consecutive games dating to 2002 when it

won the turnover margin stat (forces more turnovers than it commits). Clemson

forced two turnovers (interceptions by Tye Hill and Jamaal Fudge) against Boston

College. Clemson is 28-8 under Bowden when the Tigers win the turnover margin

stat.

Clemson has now had 12 games under Tommy Bowden when it has not committed a

turnover and the Tigers are now 10-2 in those games. Another area that shows the

discipline of this Clemson team is penalty differential. Clemson leads the ACC

in fewest penalties committed with just 13 for 118 yards in the first four

games. The opposition has had 42 for 361 penalty yards, which is the most by any

team's opponent. That is 29 more penalties for 243 more penalty yards for the

opposition so far this year.

Clemson is ranked third in the nation in fewest penalties committed per game,

trailing only Stanford and Iowa. The Tigers are tied for second in the nation in

fewest turnovers committed with just one. UCLA has not committed a turnover this

year, while Clemson Fresno State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech are tied

for second with just one.

Stanford has just three penalties in two games and is thus first in the nation

in fewest penalties per game. Iowa is second with 11 in four games. Clemson and

Kentucky are tied for third with 13 in four games for a 3.25 average.

Clemson's 13 penalties in a four-game stretch rank as the fewest in any

four-game period in Clemson history.

Clemson Efficient in Red zone

Through four games Clemson is a perfect 14-14 in terms of scoring in the red

zone. The Tigers have scored six touchdowns and added eight field goals in their

14 trips inside the opponent 20 so far this year. Of course, the efficient

kicking of Jad Dean has a lot to do with that success rate.

Clemson is the only ACC school to bat 1.000 in that area so far and one of

seven teams to have a perfect record in that area given a minimum of 10 attempts

inside the red zone so far this year. Texas Tech is an incredible 29-29 inside

the red zone, including 28 touchdowns through four games.

Waters Top Tackler

One of the top Clemson players of the 1960s was Charlie Waters, who went on to

fame with the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s. Now another player named Waters (no

relation) is making a name for himself at Clemson. Anthony Waters is Clemson's

top tackler so far this year with 44 stops and ranks fourth in the ACC in that

category. That is saying something because the ACC might be the best conference

in the nation when it comes to defense.

Waters has taken over the middle linebacker position left vacant by Leroy

Hill, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and a third-team AP

All-American. Last year, Hill had 106 tackles for 11 games and contributed 19

tackles for loss and eight sacks. Waters level of production is not far behind

so far this year. Through four games Waters has 44 stops and 6.4 tackles for

loss to lead the Tigers in each category.

On a per game basis, Waters is averaging 11 tackles per game, above the 9.6

per game by Hill. Hill averaged 1.72 tackles for loss last year, among the top

20 in the nation, and Waters stands at 1.63 per game. Waters has led Clemson in

tackles in each of the last three games. He had 14 at Maryland when he was in a

matchup with D'Quell Jackson, the ACC's top tackler. He then posted 11 stops in

the triple overtime game with Miami (FL). Last Saturday he led the Tigers again

with 14 stops, tying his career high for the second time in three games.

The native of Lake View, SC is averaging a tackle every 4.6 plays, better

than the tackle for every 6.4 plays by Hill in 2004.

Whitehurst on Clemson Career Lists

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is Clemson's career leader in five

passing categories. He is the school leader in passing yardage, pass attempts,

completions, touchdown passes and completion percentage. He is second in total

offense and touchdown responsibility.

Whitehurst ranks third among active Division I quarterbacks in completions

with 670 and he is second in passing yards with 7982. He is just two yards short

of the total accumulated by Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez, and just 76

yards ahead of Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart.

Whitehurst Sets Clemson Career TD Pass Record

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst became Clemson's career leader in

touchdown passes when he completed a five-yard scoring pass to Curtis Baham on

fourth down in the first overtime of Clemson's 36-30 triple overtime loss to

Miami. It was his second TD pass of the day and fourth of the season. It gave

him 42 touchdown passes for his career, one ahead of former teammate Woodrow

Dantzler, who had 41 between 1998-01.

Whitehurst also tied the Clemson record for pass attempts in that game with

55. Patrick Sapp had 55 in a loss at Maryland in 1992. Whitehurst's 31

completions in the Miami game were the second most in Clemson history, trailing

only the 34 he had at Duke in 2002, his first career start.

Clemson gained 378 yards of total offense against Miami (FL) and Whitehurst

had 346 of them on his stat line, 288 passing and a career high 58 rushing. It

marked the first time Whitehurst had led the Tigers in rushing in a game. The

346 yards rank as his second best single game figure of his four year career and

the ninth highest total for any quarterback in Clemson history. Whitehurst's

career high in terms of total offense is 414 for that Duke game in 2002.

Clemson Career Leaders in Touchdown Passes

Whitehurst is a 20-game Winner

Charlie Whitehurst became the sixth 20-game winner in Clemson history when the

Tigers defeated Maryland 28-24 on September 10. He is the first Clemson

quarterback to reach 20 wins in a career since Nealon Greene recorded 24 wins as

a starter from 1994-97. Greene is still active in the game as the starting

quarterback for Saskatchewan in the CFL.

Rodney Williams is the career leader with 32 victories, a total that is among

the top 25 victories totals in NCAA history at the Division I level. Williams, a

member of the Clemson Hall of Fame, guided the Tigers to three consecutive

seasons of two losses from 1986-88 and won three bowl games as a starting

quarterback.

While Whitehurst can't catch Williams on the career wins list, he can reach

second ranked Greene with just four more wins. Other Clemson 20-game winners are

Homer Jordan, Steve Fuller and Mike Eppley. Whitehurst is currently sixth on the

victories list with DeChane Cameron and Woodrow Dantzler.

With the win over 17th ranked Texas A&M, Whitehurst now has five top 25 wins

under his belt. He moved ahead of Homer Jordan, Mike Eppley and Nealon Greene in

career wins over top 25 teams with that Texas A&M win. He trails only Williams,

who had seven top 25 wins between the 1986-88 seasons. Whitehurst is 5-6 against

ranked teams in his career, while Williams was 7-4.

Clemson's Winningest Quarterbacks

Clemson Defense Solid vs. Miami

The NCAA overtime rule can play havoc with the evaluation of various statistics.

That is the case with Clemson's defensive performance against Miami (FL) in the

most recent game, a 36-30 Miami triple overtime win. Miami scored 16 of its 36

points in the three overtime periods, which will hurt Clemson's scoring defense

stats all year. The same goes for total offense and yards per game, as Miami

gained 73 yards in the overtime.

Through the 60 minutes of regulation, the Hurricanes gained just 264 yards of

total offense, 49 yards less than they gained against Florida State's famed

defensive unit. The Hurricanes threw for just 109 yards on 23 pass attempts

during regulation as Vic Koenning's defensive unit allowed less than five yards

per pass attempt. Clemson allowed just 5-14 third-down conversions in regulation

and allowed just 15 first downs. Miami gained just 4.0 yards per play during

regulation.

Anthony Waters led Clemson in tackles for the second consecutive game in the

Miami loss with 11. C.J. Gaddis had his second consecutive double figure tackle

game with 10, while Sergio Gilliam had a career high nine stops, including one

behind the line of scrimmage.

Bennett Posts Top Game

Senior defensive end Charles 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). 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. The Miami

game was his 13th career start, he has now started every game over the last two

years with the exception of the Texas A&M game in 2004.

Downer Likely Out for Remainder of the Season

Clemson tight end Cole Downer had surgery Saturday night to have his spleen

removed after suffering an injury while making a reception in the fourth quarter

of Clemson's triple overtime loss to Miami (FL) at Death Valley. He will likely

miss the remainder of the season.Downer made a six-yard reception early in the

fourth period, but was injured on the play and was helped to the sideline. After

increasing stomach discomfort, he was taken to Oconee Hospital in Seneca, SC,

where he underwent surgery to remove his spleen. The surgery was successful.

The senior from Chantilly, VA had scored his first career touchdown for the

Tigers in the first half of the game on an eight-yard reception from Charlie

Whitehurst. He had two receptions for 14 yards in the contest and 5-38 for the

season. He lettered in 2004 as a reserve tight end and offensive tackle. He

first attended Clemson in 2003 as a transfer from Hampden-Sydney College in

Virginia.

"We are really going to miss Cole Downer," said Head Coach Tommy Bowden. "He

has good hands, is an outstanding blocker and really fits what we are doing with

this offense. He has been working very hard. This is a blow to our team."

Clemson coaches voted Downer as the Offensive Player of the Week for the Miami

(FL) game.

Another Last Second Thriller

Eight of the last nine and 10 of the last 15 Clemson games, including all four

this year, have been decided by seven points or less, and all on plays within

the last three minutes of the game or in overtime. Clemson has won six of those

10 close games over the last two years with either pivotal offensive or

defensive plays. The 42-yard field goal by Jad Dean that gave Clemson a 25-24

victory over Texas A&M came with just two seconds left and was the latest

game-winning field goal by a Tiger player since David Treadwell's 21-yard field

goal with two seconds left best Georgia in 1987.

The Tigers followed that with the win at Maryland on a 38-yard run by Reggie

Merriweather with just 2:58 left. The Clemson defense then forced Maryland to

relinquish the ball with 47 seconds remaining, thanks to a sack by Gaines Adams.

Miami then defeated Clemson in three overtimes and Boston College stopped the

Tigers in one overtime.

Clemson has had many a close victory under Tommy Bowden. Since he became the

head coach in 1999, Clemson has registered 10 victories in which it has overcome

a deficit or a tie game to score the winning points in the fourth quarter. Eight

of the 10 have come with offensive plays inside the last 23 seconds or in

overtime. Clemson has overcome a 10 point deficit to win or tie the game each of

the last three weeks. In all four games this year Clemson has led and trailed in

the fourth quarter or overtime.

Clemson Heart Stoppers the last Two Seasons (6-2)

Dean 23-27 on Field Goals in Career

Clemson kicker Jad Dean had the greatest field goal kicking day in Clemson

history when the Tigers defeated Texas A&M 25-24. The junior was a perfect 6-6

on field goals, including a 42-yarder with two seconds left to give the Tigers

the one-point win. Dean was successful on attempts from 21, 21, 25, 18, 44 and

42 yards in breaking the single game record of five field goals set by Nelson

Welch three times. Welch had five against NC State in 1991, Maryland in 1992 and

North Carolina in 1994.

In addition to setting the Clemson record for field goals in a game, Dean

also established a Clemson record for kick scoring points in a game with 19. He

had one extra point in addition to the six field goals, breaking the record of

17 kick scoring points set by Welch in the game against Maryland in 1992.

Dean tied the ACC record for field goals with the performance. Josh McGee of

North Carolina was 6-6 on field goals against Duke in 1999 and Vince Fusco of

Duke was 6-7 on field goals against Clemson in 1976. His last field goal was

from 57 yards, hit the cross bar and bounced over to tie the game at 18-18 at

the final horn. Thus, two of the three ACC games in which a player has booted

six field goals have come in games played at Death Valley.

Dean was the first Division I player to kick six field goals in a game since

September 27, 2003 when Jonathan Nichols of Mississippi booted six against Texas

Tech. Dean was just the third player to have six field goals in game in the 21st

century and just the 18th to accomplish the feat in NCAA history dating to 1965

when Charley Gogolak of Princeton booted six against Rutgers.

Dean was just one field goal off the national record. Dale Klein of Nebraska

had seven against Missouri on October 19, 1985 and Mike Prindle of Western

Michigan had seven against Marshall on September 29, 1984.

The junior added three field goals against Miami (FL) and two more against

Boston College and is now 11-12 for the year and 23 for 27 in his career. He has

just four misses and all four have come against Miami (FL). He saw his

consecutive made field goals streak stopped at 12 in the Miami (FL) game, but

has made 17 straight in his career inside 40 yards.

Dean is second among active Division I kickers in field goal percentage given

a minimum of 20 field goals made. It is interesting to note that four of the top

eight are from the ACC. He is second in the nation this week in field goals made

per game. He leads the ACC in field goals made per game, scoring and kick

scoring. Dean also handles kickoffs for the Tigers. So far this year he has had

seven touchbacks in 21 attempts and has 59 touchbacks in 145 career kickoffs,

.407.

Bring a Pillow

The Clemson vs. Miami (FL) game took 4:10 to play, the longest game in Clemson

history in terms of overtimes and real time. The previous long was the 4:05 it

took to play the Peach Bowl at the end of the 2003 season. That game, however,

had a 27-minute halftime, five minutes longer than a normal game.

As you can see by the list below, of the 11 longest games in Clemson history,

eight have taken place since Tommy Bowden became Clemson's head coach.

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