GT Notes: Tigers Aim for First Win Over Tech Since '96 |
Clemson-Tech Series Notes
Georgia Tech has a 42-20-2 lead in the series with Clemson dating back 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. Heisman then moved to Georgia Tech and defeated Clemson two years later (1905) by a 17-10 score. The series was incredibly close in the 1990s. Eight times the two teams played a game decided by four points or less, including each of the last four that have been decided by exactly three points. Georgia Tech has won three straight decided by exactly three points, including last year’s 45-42 thriller in Atlanta, the only game in Clemson history in which both teams scored in the 40s. The Tigers have a 7-3 advantage in games at Clemson, but Georgia Tech leads 39-10-2 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 later 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 has a 9-8 advantage in the series, regardless of site, since Georgia Tech joined the ACC in 1983. Clemson had a four -game winning streak over Georgia Tech snapped in 1997 when Tech won in Atlanta, 23-20 in a game televised by ESPN. Clemson’s last win over the Yellow Jackets took place at Clemson in 1996, a 28-25 Tiger win. Nealon Greene clinched that game with a one-yard run with just 4:10 left. Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Clemson Games in the 1990s Year Result Ending 1990 Tech 21-19 Gardocki missed 60-ydFG with 1 min. left 1991 Clemson 9-7 Ronald Williams 2-yd 2:06 left, Sisson missed 44-yard FG with 8 seconds left tipped by Wayne Simmons 1992 Tech 20-16 Clemson never in Tech territory in last 5 minutes of game 1993 Clemson 16-13 Tech’s Jarrett misses 41-yard FG @3:01 1996 Clemson 28-25 Nealon Greene 1 run with 4:10 left 1997 Tech, 23-20 Chambers 20-yard FG with 1:54 left 1998 Tech, 24-21 Joe Burns 1-yard run, 1:00 left 1999 Tech, 45-42 Tigers pull to within 3 with 6:58 left Last Year: Georgia Tech 45, Clemson 41 Last year’s game was a three-point decision, but it was not decided on a late score. Travis Zachery scored on a one-yard run with 6:58 left to cut the deficit to 45-42. Clemson got the ball back, but a Woody Dantzler to Mal Lawyer pass in the Georgia Tech endzone was broken up by Chris Young and Georgia Tech ran out the clock to gain the win. The two teams combined for 87 points and 965 yards of total offense. It was the first game and still only game in school history in which both teams scored in the 40s. Clemson made two major comebacks agains tthe 13th ranked Yellow Jackets. Woodrow Dantzler replaced an injured Brandon Streeter with the Tigers trailing 7-0. Tech improved the margin to 21-0 before Dantzler got the Tigers going in the right direction with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Pat Cyrgalis. Dantzler took Clemson to 28 points in the second period and the score was tied at 28 at intermission. Clemson then trailed 45-28 in the fourth period before Dantzler led Clemson to twofourth quarter scores. Joe Hamilton led Tech with 410 yards of total offense, most ever against Clemson. He was 22-30 for 322 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for 88 more on 19 attempts. Tech was 11-17 on third-down conversions. Dantzler had a big game for Clemson with 305 yards of total offense, 185 passing and 120 rushing. Travis Zachery added 86 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Keith Adams and Chad Carson had 15 tackles apiece for the Clemson defense, while Robert Carswell added 14. Simmons Ties Clemson Record Last week, national college football writers Richard Rosenblatt (Associated Press), Mark Blaudschun (Boston Globe) and Dick Weiss (New York Daily News) came to the Clemson vs. North Carolina game expecting to write a story about Clemson’s Heisman Trophy candidate for 2000, Woodrow Dantzler. By the end of the night they were writing about a possible Clemson Heisman Trophy candidate for 2002, Willie Simmons. Dantzler gained 90 yards of total offense over the first 24 minutes of the game before suffering a bruised ankle at the end of a 22-yard run. Enter backup quarterback Willie Simmons. The rookie from Quincy, FL came off the bench to complete 10 of 18 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Tigers to 38 points in his 36 minutes of play, and a 38-24 victory. Simmons connected on scoring passes of 29 yards to Jackie Robinson and 20 yards to Rod Gardner just before halftime. Then, in the second half, he led the Tigers to 24 points, completing two more touchdown passes (43, 25 yards) to Gardner. Simmons tied the Clemson record for touchdown passes in a single game with his four against North Carolina. The record is also held by Bobby Gage against Auburn in 1947 and by Nealon Greene against UTEP in 1997. It was obviously a record for a non-starter. Simmons passing efficiency for the North Carolina game was the fifth best in Clemson history given a minimum of 15 attempts. His efficiency figure for the game was 235.29, best by a Tiger since.....Woodrow Dantzler had a record 247.21 efficiency rating for the season opener against The Citadel. Thus, two of the top five individual efficiency games in Clemson history have taken place this year. Simmons performance at Chapel Hill was the best ever by a Clemson quarterback on the road. Clemson’s Highest Passing Efficiency Games (Min. 15 Attempts) Player Opponent Year Stats Effic Woodrow Dantzler Citadel 2000 16-17-192-0-3 247.21 Jimmy Addison Virginia 1966 12-19-283-0-3 240.39 Nealon Greene W. Carolina 1995 12-16-191-0-3 237.19 Mike Eppley Virginia 1983 12-15-199-0-3 235.44 Willie Simmons N. Carolina 2000 10-18-228-0-4 235.29 Nealon Greene S. Carolina 1997 12-15-157-0-3 233.92 Top Tigers from Georgia The state of Georgia has been a strong recruiting area in recent years. No less than 17 players, including nine starters from the state of Georgia figure to play prominent roles when Clemson meets Georgia Tech this weekend. This list includes some of Clemson’s top players, including seven starters on defense. Preseason first-team All-Americans Robert Carswell and Keith Adams are both from Georgia. Chad Carson, tied for the team lead in tackles with Adams, is from Newnan, GA and Woodward Academy. On offense, Travis Zachery, Clemson’s top touchdown scorer with 14, is from Marietta. Key Clemson Players from Georgia Player Hometown High School #Keith Adams College Park Westlake Matt Bailey Stone Mountain Stone Mountain #Terry Bryant Savannah Johnson Gary Byrd Stone Mountain Stone Mountain #Chad Carson Newnan Woodward #Robert Carswell Lithonia Stone Mountain #Nick Eason Lyons Toombs County Marcus Houskin Douglas Douglasville, GA #Jason Holloman Decatur Lakeside #Terry Jolly Fort Valley Peach County Marcus Lewis Lithonia Dunwoody #John McDermott Woodstock Sequoyah Kenzi Ross Fort Valley Peach County Matt Schell Covington Eastside Rodney Thomas Cadell West Laurens Khaleed Vaughan Atlanta North Atlanta #Travis Zachery Marietta Marietta #slated to start this weekend. Clemson Overcomes 17-point Deficit Clemson overcame a 17-0 deficit to defeat North Carolina last weekend in Chapel Hill. That was only the third time in school history that the Tigers overcame that large a deficit to win, the first time since 1992. Willie Simmons and Rod Gardner led the Clemson comeback to the eventual 38-24 win. The only two other games in which Clemson overcame that large a deficit were both against Virginia. In 1992, Clemson trailed the Cavaliers 28-0 with two minutes left in the half. Clemson, behind quarterback Louis Solomon, went on a 29-0 run to win 29-28. Nelson Welsh kicked the game-winning field goal from 32 yards with 52 seconds left. In 1966, in another game against Virginia, the Tigers trailed the Cavs 35-18 with just 18 minutes left. But, Clemson went on a 22-0 run over the last 18 minutes of the contest to win 40-35. That game was played in Death Valley. The Clemson record for the greatest comeback in the fourth quarter also took place at Virginia. In the 1980 contest on the road, Clemson trailed 24-10 entering the final period. But, Clemson scored a pair of touchdowns, then Obed Ariri kicked a 52-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to give Clemson the win. Tigers Over 200 Rushing and Passing Offensive balance usually means victory for the Clemson Tigers. Over the years, Clemson is 33-0-1 in games in which the Tigers have at least 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game. Along the same lines, averaging at least 200 rushing and 200 passing per game over a season would certainly indicate a successful season. No team in Clemson history has ever averaged 200 of each in the same year. The closest a Clemson teams has come to doing it took place in 1984 when Clemson averaged 211.5 rushing and 169 a game passing. That was a team quarterbacked by Mike Eppley, now a color commentator on Clemson’s radio network. Currently, Clemson is averaging 273 yards a game rushing and 219 passing. The Tigers are one of five teams at the Division I level averaging at least 200 of each. The others are Northwestern, Michigan Kansas State and Boston College. Teams Averaging 200 Rushing and Passing/ Game Rushing Passing School Rk Yds/G Rk Yds/G Clemson 6th 273.0 54 219.0 Northwestern 8th 245.7 61 208.6 Michigan 12th 235.6 65 205.6 Kansas State 15 207.4 46 226.8 Boston College 17 204.6 39 232.4 Clemson Looks for Scoring and Touchdown Records Saturday Scoring points and touchdowns in bunches have been a hallmark of this 2000 Clemson football team. the Tigers have scored 47 touchdowns and 345 points in just eight games this year and could very easily break the school season records in both categories against Georgia Tech. The Clemson record for total touchdowns in a season is 48, set by the 9-0-1 team of 1950. This year’s Clemson team already has 47, so two more will break that record. This year’s team is already tied for second with the 1978 team, which had 47 touchdowns. Fifteen of the Clemson touchdowns have come via the pass this year, just two away from tying the school record of 17 set in 1984. The record for points scored in a season is 368, set by the 1978 and 1989 clubs. The 1978 team was 11-1 and finished sixth in the nation, while the 1989 club finished 10-2 and ranked 12th in the nation. This year’s Clemson team is already the fourth highest scoring team in school history. The 1984 team scored 346 points. Thus, Clemson needs to score just 24 points on Saturday against Tech to set the school record for a season. Clemson is far ahead of the record in pace in a number of other areas. Clemson is averaging 492 yards per game of total offense, ahead of the previous best of 427.8 set in 1978. Clemson is also on pace to break records in scoring average, touchdowns per game, plays per game and passing efficiency. Clemson is in range for many other offensive records on a team basis. Here is a list of the team offense records that have been set or are in range for this 2000 Clemson team: Category 2000 Record Points/Game 43.1 38.0 (1901) Total Points 345 368 (1989, 1978) Touchdowns/Game 5.9 4.8 (1948) Total Touchdowns 47 48 (1950) Touchdown Passes 15 17 (1984) Total Offense/Game 492.0 427.8 (1978) Plays/Game 79.4 78.8 (1978) Rushing Yards/Game 273.0 289.1 (1978) First downs/Game 24.8 22.75 (1978) Passing Efficiency 151.1 148.2 (1950) Yards/Play 6.20 6.1 6 (1950) 3rd down Conversion % .476 .516 (1978) 400-yard total off. Games 8 7 (1950, 1978, 1982, 2000) Tigers Have 8 Straight 400-yard, 30-point Games Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Woodrow Dantzler, center Kyle Young, running back Travis Zachery and wide receiver Rod Gardner, Clemson has gained at least 400 yards and scored at least 30 points in each of the first 8 games. This is the first time in history that Clemson has had eight consecu-tive 400-yard total offense games. All but one of the games (408 vs. N Carolina) the Tigers have gained at least 450 yards. Clemson has already set a school record for 400-yard games in a season with eight. Three Clemson teams (1950, 1978 and 1982) had seven 400-yard games in one season. Clemson has also averaged at least five yards per play in each of the first eight games, also a first in Clemson history. In four of the first eight games, Clemson has had at least 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. Clemson is undefeated in its history when it has at least 200 of each. Clemson is now 33-0-1 in its history when gaining at least 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game. Clemson has done that 200-double 34 times in its history, six in the last 20 games under Bowden after doing it just 28 times in its first 985 games. Clemson Looks for 7-0 ACC Start, 9-0 overall Clemson is 6-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1983. This is already the most ACC wins in a season for Clemson since 1996 (Clemson finished 6-2). With eight regular season wins in the bank, it is already Clemson’s highest regular season victory total since 1995. The Tigers went 7-0 against the ACC in 1983. Clemson was perfect against ACC teams in 1982, 1981, 1967 and 1978. Clemson ended an important streak in the win over NC State. Clemson had lost 13 straight games decided by seven points or less, dating to a 19-17 win over the Pack in 1997. The NC State game marked the fourth straight time Clemson and NC State had played a game decided by seven points or less. Clemson is 8-0 overall, the first time Clemson has been 8-0 since 1981. It is actually just the third time in history Clemson has been 8-0. In addition to this year and1981, the 1948 team, which finished 11-0, obviously had an 8-0 run to start the season. Clemson will be looking for its ninth win of the season when Georgia Tech comes to town on Saturday. Clemson has not won nine games in a season since 1993 when Ken Hatfield’s team had a 9-3 overall record. One of those victories was claimed in a bowl win over Kentucky by Tommy West, his first game as Clemson Head Coach. The 1993 season was also the last time Clemson finished in the top 25 of either poll. Clemson has not had a 10-win season since 1990 (Hatfield’s first year) and has not had an 11-win season since the 12-0 team of 1981. It is interesting to note that the beginning and middle of a century means a special season at Clemson. John Heisman’s 1900 teams was 6-0, then Frank Howard’s 1950 team finished with a 9-0-1 ledger and a #10 final ranking. This is the 50-year anniversary of that season and that club will be honored at the Georgia Tech game in two weeks. Now we are in the year 2000 and Clemson has a 7-0 record. Records Held by Current Clemson Players Ten different active Clemson players hold a total of 45 Clemson records. Woody Dantzler has the most records with 13, 12 of which have been established this year. His backup, Willie Simmons, tied the Clemson record for touchdown passes in a game against North Carolina. Linebacker Keith Adams, has 11 records, including the mark for consecutive games with a tackle for loss (20). Rod Gardner is third with 10 records, including the record for reception yards in a game with 182 vs. North Carolina. Woodrow Dantzler (13) *Total offense in a game: 435 vs. Maryland, 1999 *Yards rushing by a QB in a game: 220 vs. Virginia, 2000 *Single game completion %: .941 vs. Citadel, 2000 *Single game passing efficiency: 247.1 vs. Citadel, 2000 *300-yard total offense games in a career: 6 *Yards Rushing over 3 consecutive games: 520 in 2000 *Career passing efficiency: 134.3 *Career completion percentage: .578 *Yards rushing by QB in season: 841 in 2000 *Most Touchdowns rushing and passing, season: 21 in 2000 *Consecutive 200-yard total offense games: 7 in 2000 *Consecutive 300-yard total offense games: 4, in 2000 *Consecutive 100-yard rushing games by QB: 4 in 2000 Keith Adams (11) *Tackles in a game: 27 vs. South Carolina, 1999 *First hits in a game: 18 vs. South Carolina, 1999 *Sacks in a game: 4 vs. Duke, 1999 *Tackles for loss in a game: 6 vs. Duke, 1999 *First hits in a season: @119 in 1999 *Tackles in a season: 186 in 1999 *Sacks in a season: 16 in 1999 *Tackles for loss in a season: 35 in 1999 *Consecutive Games with a sack: @5 in 1999 *Consecutive Games with a tackle for loss: 20 in 1999-00 *ACC Player of the Week Selections: 5 in 1999 Rod Gardner (10) *Receptions in a game: @11 vs. Marshall, 1999 *Receptions in a season: 80 in 1999 *Reception yards in a season: 1084 in 1999 *Receptions/Game in season: 6.67 in 1999 *Reception Yards/Game in season: 90.3 in 1999 *Reception Yards in game: 182 vs. North Carolina, 2000 *Reception TDs in game: @3 vs. North Carolina, 2000 *Consecutive 100-yard reception games: @3 in 2000 *Reception yards consecutive games: 330 in 2000 *Reception yards 3 consecutive games: 467 in 2000 Travis Zachery (3) *Touchdowns in a career: 35 *Rushing Touchdowns in career: @31 *Career Receptions by a running back: 47 Robert Carswell (2) *Tackles in season by defensive back: 129 in 1999 *Career tackles by defensive back: 329 Alex Ardley (2) *Interceptions in a game: @3 vs. Maryland, 2000 *Takeaways in a game: @3 vs. Maryland, 2000 John McDermott (1) *Snaps from scrimmage in a season, 923 in 1999 Willie Simmons (1) *Touchdown passes in a game: 4 vs. North Carolina, 2000 Chad Speck (1) *Special teams tackles in game: 7 vs. Georgia Tech in 1999 Brian Mance (1) *Takeaways in a game: @3 vs. Missouri, 2000 Carson Tied for Team Lead in Tackles Cerebral linebacker Chad Carson is now tied for the Clemson team lead in tackles with 95. He has led the Tigers in each of the last two games with 16 tackles in each game to catch Keith Adams for the team lead. The junior from Georgia has had an all-star season and has matched Adams most of the year. Both players average 11.9 tackles per game and a tackle every 4.7 plays. For the eight games this year, Carson has led the Tigers four times and Adams has led the Tigers four times. Carson has seven tackles for loss to rank third on the team behind Adams and defensive lineman Nick Eason. Carson, a 3.94 student in biological sciences and a future Rhodes Scholar candidate, is certainly a first-team Academic All-America candidate for 2000. He was a second-team selection last year when he had 144 tackles, 10th highest figure in Clemson history. For his career, Carson now has an even 250 tackles. The 11 Butkus Award semi-finalists (in alphabetical order) 1. Keith Adams Clemson 2. Brian Allen Florida State 3. Adam Archuleta Arizona State 4. Rocky Calmus Oklahoma 5. Dan Morgan Miami (FL) 6. Carlos Polk Nebraska 7. Tommy Polley Florida State 8. Matt Smith Oregon 9. Ben Taylor Virginia Tech 10. Robert Thomas UCLA 11. Eric Westmoreland Tennessee Adams reached a landmark in his Clemson career in the win at North Carolina. The native of College Park, GA had two tackles for loss, giving him an even 50 for his career. He joins Michael Dean Perry, William Perry and Anthony Simmons as the only players in Clemson history with 50 career tackles for loss. He also has 22 career sacks, tied for fourth in school history. Adams is coming off one of his best games of the season. In addition to getting 15 tackles, he caused a fumble and had his first career interception. With Clemson leading by just seven points late in the fourth period, he intercepted a Ronald Curry pass and returned it 27 yards to the North Carolina two-yard-line. Travis Zachery scored from the one, giving Clemson a 14-point lead. Adams 15 tackles in that game give him 326 for his career, eighth on the Clemson all-time list. Teammate Robert Carswell is actually three tackles ahead of him with 329. Clemson Career Tackles for Loss Leaders 1. Michael Dean Perry, DT 1984-87 61 2. William Perry, DT 1981-84 60 3. Anthony Simmons, LB 1995-97 52 4. Keith Adams, LB 1998-00 50 Rob Bodine, MG 1989-91 48 6. Brentson Buckner, MG 1990-93 46 7. Adrian Dingle, DE 1995-98 45 8. Randy Scott, LB 1975-78 43 Clemson Career Sacks Leaders 1. Michael Dean Perry, DT 1984-87 28 2. William Perry, MG 1981-84 27 3. Adrian Dingle, DE 1995-98 23 4. Keith Adams, LB 1998-00 22 Brentson Buckner, MG 1990-93 22 6. Chester McGlockton, MG 1989-91 20.5 7. Levon Kirkland, OLB 1988-91 19 Wayne Simmons, OLB 1989-92 19 9. Anthony Simmons, OLB 1995-97 18.5 Gardner Coming Off Best Game For the third straight game, we can make the statement that Rod Gardner is coming off his best game of the season. He just keeps taking his game to another level. In the win over North Carolina, the native of Jacksonville, FL had seven catches for a school record 182 yards and a school record tying three touchdowns. He averaged 26 yards a catch in that game. His yardage total broke the record of 163 yards by Ring of Honor member Jerry Butler at Georgia Tech in 1977. The 6-3 receiver had five catches for a career high148 yards against Maryland and 10 catches for 137 in the win over NC State. That means, Gardner has had 22 catches for 467 yards and three scores in his last three games. That is the highest three-game reception yardage total in Clemson history. Gardner has 149 receptions for his career and obvi-ously needs one catch to become the third player in Clemson history to reach 150. He is just 13 receptions short of tying the Clemson career record of 162 by Terry Smith from 1990-93. He is now third in career catches and fourth in reception yardage. He moved ahead of Tony Horne and Brian Wofford in terms of yardage with his performance against NC State. He now has 2195 career yards and needs just 29 yards to go ahead of Jerry Butler into third place on the Clemson list. Gardner is also returning kickoffs for the Tigers this season. He had 64 kickoff return yards against NC State, giving him 201 all-purpose running yards in that game. He had 80 against Maryland, giving him back-to-back 200-yard all-purpose running games. He had 231 all-purpose yards against Maryland, 9th highest in Clemson history and most by a Tiger since 1997 when Tony Horne had 267 in a loss to Florida State. Clemson career Reception Leaders Rk Player Years Rec 1. Terry Smith 1990-93 162 2. Perry Tuttle 1978-81 150 3. Rod Gardner 1997-00 149 4. Jerry Butler 1975-78 139 5. Brian Wofford 1996-99 138 6. Tony Horne 1994-97 120 7. Phil Rogers 1965-67 106 8. Mal Lawyer 1996-99 99 Clemson career Reception Yardage Leaders Rk Player Years Rec 1. Terry Smith 1990-93 2681 2. Perry Tuttle 1978-81 2534 3. Jerry Butler 1975-78 2223 4. Rod Gardner 1997-00 2195 5. Brian Wofford 1996-99 1857 6. Tony Horne 1994-97 1750 7. Gary Cooper 1985-89 1592 Polls Are Flashback to the 1980s This week’s college football polls are a virtual flashback to the 1980s. Four of the five teams in the AP and USA Today Top five ranked among the top five winningest teams in college football in the 1980s. This year has seen a rejuvenation of the programs at Clemson, Oklahoma and Miami (FL), while Nebraska has been a strong top five team for many years. Nebraska, Miami (FL), Oklahoma and Clemson are all ranked in the top five of both polls this week and ranked in the top five winningest programs in the 1980s. Here is a chart that makes the point: Winningest Teams in the 1980s 2000 Rk Team Record in 1980s AP-USA 1. Nebraska 103-20 (.837) 1-1 2. Miami (FL) 98-20-0 (.831) 4-5 3. Brigham Young 102-26-0 (.797) NR-NR 4. Oklahoma 91-25-2 (.780) 3-3 5. Clemson 86-25-4 (.765) 5-4 Clemson’s last 3 Opponents are 19-4 Clemson has a 8-0 record so far this season, but the Tigers will face tough competition over the last three games of the season. Clemson’s last three opponents have a combined record of 19-4. Florida State and South Carolina are both 7-1, while Georgia Tech is 5-2. Tech’s only two blemishes are a five-point loss to Florida State and an overtime loss at NC State. Clemson’s schedule rating will rise dramatically over the last three games of the season. Clemson In top 5 in Total Offense and Defense Clemson ranks third in the nation in total offense and fifth in the country in total defense this week. The Tigers give up 257.8 yards a game, and gain 492 yards a game on offense. That is a differential of 234 yards per game and has translated to a scoring margin differential of 29 points a game. With three games left it is still a possibility that Clemson could lead the nation in both areas. Leading the nation in total offense and total defense in the same year would be quite an accomplishment. Four teams have done it in NCAA history. Notre Dame’s 1946 team was the first to do it. That Notre Dame team had 38 players who were eventually drafted into the NFL. Cincinnati did it in 1953, while Syracuse pulled off the national yardage double in 1959. Oklahoma was the last to do it in 1987. Notre Dame and Syracuse won the national championship in those respective seasons. Oklahoma finished third in 1987. Curiously, Cincinnati did not finish in the final AP top 20 the year they led the nation in both areas. This level of offensive and defensive balance is fairly unusual for Clemson. Five times in history Clemson has finished in the top 25 in the nation in total offense and total defense in the same year. The Tigers last did it in 1991 when Clemson was 25th in total offense and fourth in total defense. Clemson also finished in the top 25 in both in 1957, 1960, 1963 and 1978. The 1978 Clemson team is probably the school’s most successful from a statistical standpoint. That offense led by Steve Fuller, finished fourth in the nation in total offense, Clemson’s highest ranking in that category in history. That 1978 defense was ranked 15th in the final rankings. That is the only Clemson team to rank in the top 15 in both areas. Clemson has been more prevalent in the total defense area than the total offense area over the years. Clemson has finished in the final top 25 in total offense, just six times, but has ranked in the top 25 in total defnse 17 times, including 11 since 1978. Clemson’s Final Top 25 Rankings in Total Offense and total Defense Year Total Offense Total Defense 1951 20th (231.7) 1954 3rd (176.1) 1957 19th (327.7) 16th (215.9) 1958 21st (315.3) 1959 11th (197.1) 1960 25th (305.2) 18th (214.3) 1963 20th (313.9) 5th (184.7) 1978 4th (436.7) 15th (254.2) 1979 7th (237.5) 1981 7th (251.5) 1986 25th (309.5) 1987 5th (240.0) 1988 12th (279.5) 1989 5th (267.9) 1990 1st (216.9) 1991 25th (409.7) 4th (263.2) 1997 18th (312.5) 1998 25th (320.1) Clemson in top 11 in 8 Categories Clemson ranks in the top 11 in the nation in eight different statistical categories, three on offense and five on defense. As documented above, Clemson is third in the nation in total offense and fifth in total defense. In terms of scoring, Clemson is fifth in scoring offense and 11th in scoring defense. Clemson is also in the top 11 in rushing offense (6th) and rushing defense (6th). When it comes to a national top 50 ranking from an individual standpoint, Clemson has five different players listed 13 times in 11 different categories. Woodrow Dantzler leads the way with five top 30 rankings, including three areas in which he is 11th or 12th. Clemson in the National Statistics Rankings Total Offense 492.0 3rd Total Defense 257.8 5th Scoring Defense 14.1 11th Scoring Offense 43.1 5th Rushing Offense 273.0 6th Rushing Defense 76.5 6th Pass Efficiency Offense 151.1 7th Pass Efficiency Defense 91.3 9th Clemson Individuals in Top 50 Woodrow Dantzler Total Offense 272.5 11th Points Responsibility 15.75 11th Passing Efficiency 148.8 12th Rushing 105.1 17th Scoring 9.00 28th Travis Zachery Rushing 93.9 31th Scoring 10.5 8th All-purpose running 125.4 41st Points Responsible 19.5 42 Rod Gardner Reception Yards/Game 93.4 16 Receptions/Game 5.1 48 Alex Ardley Interceptions/Game 0.50 20th Joe Don Reames Punt Return Average 12.2 27th
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