Game 7: Wake Forest vs Clemson Notes

by Press Release - Tue Oct 15 01:08:37 GMT-04:00 2002

Tigers Hope History Repeats

Clemson enters this weekend''s homecoming game with a 3-3 record. To those who

have been around the program a few years, this year has brought back memories of

the 1995 Clemson season. Tiger fans hope that this season turns out like the

1995 regular season did.

That year Clemson opened with a 3-3 record in the first half of the season,

losses to Virginia, Georgia and Florida State, the same three teams that have

beaten Clemson through six games this year. The margins were even similar in

two of the games. In 1995 Clemson lost to Florida State by 19 points, this year

the margin was 17. Georgia beat the Tigers by two points in 1995 and by three

points this year.

The chart below shows many other similarities. The 1995 team was winning the

total offense margin by 47 yards per game through six contests, similar to the

way Clemson has won the total offensive margin this year by 85 yards per game.

Clemson had 21 touchdowns through six games in 1995 and 20 so far this year.

Turnovers committed are identical, 14 each season at this point. The starting

quarterbacks, Nealon Greene in 1995 and Willie Simmons this year, had nearly

identical completion percentages.

Tiger fans hope the similarities continue. That 1995 team overcame the 3-3

start and ran the table over the last five regular season games to finish 8-3

and earn a bid to the Gator Bowl.

A Comparison of Seasons

Category

1995

2002

Record

3-3

Total Offense Margin

+47.0

+85.3

Points/Game

28.8

27.2

Touchdowns

3rd Down Conv. %

.413

.414

Turnovers Committed

Turnover Margin

-1

Penalties

First Downs by Offense

119

122

Yards/Play

5.40

5.20

Starting QB Comp. %

.581

.580

Clemson Has Played 7th Toughest Schedule

Clemson has a 3-3 record against a schedule ranked as the seventh most difficult

in the nation by the Jeff Sagarin computer poll, a rating published by USA

Today. Sagarin is one of the computer rankings used by the BCS standings. The

Tigers are ranked 34th overall in that ranking, ironically one spot ahead of

Virginia.

Clemson has losses to two top 15 teams so far this year, an undefeated

Georgia team and a 5-2 Florida State team that lost by a point to number-one

ranked Miami (FL) last weekend. Florida State is ranked second in the

Sagarin schedule rankings and fourth overall, the only team in the nation ranked

in the top 10 in both areas.

Clemson's highest schedule ranking in the history of the Sagarin poll is a #7

rating in 1999, Tommy Bowden's first year as head coach. Clemson was 6-6 that

year, but still had a final top 25 ranking (24th) according to Sagarin's

computer rankings. Clemson's highest overall final ranking by Sagarin is #15

in 2000.

Nation's Most Difficult Schedules, 2002

Rk	Team	Rec.	Rating
1.	Southern Cal	4-2	80.85
2.	Florida State	5-2	79.63
3.	Stanford	1-4	79.61
4.	Texas Tech	4-3	78.15
5.	Arkansas	3-2	77.12
6.	UCLA	4-2	76.76
7.	Clemson	3-3	76.63
8.	Penn State	4-2	76.09
9.	North Carolina	2-4	75.88
10.	Colorado	4-2	75.87

Clemson Successful on Homecoming

Over the years Clemson has had great success on homecoming and Tiger fans hope

that continues today. The first homecoming game at Clemson was in 1922, a 21-0

loss to Centre. Clemson was 0-4-1 through its first five homecoming games, so

it is almost surprising that the tradition continued. But, Clemson defeated

Auburn in 1927 by a 3-0 score for its first homecoming victory.

There is no record of a homecoming game in 1930 or 1938, but the event has

been held in conjunction with a football game every year since 1939, even

through the war years. Clemson has a 56-19-3 overall on homecoming games, a

.737 winning percentage.

The Tigers are 26-3-2 on homecoming since the 1971 season. The only three

losses have been to Georgia Tech in 1989, Virginia in 1997 and last year to

North Carolina. Clemson has played Wake Forest for homecoming 12 times and the

Tigers have a 10-2 record in those games. However, this is just the second time

since 1975 that Wake Forest has been Clemson's opponent on homecoming. The only

other occasion was in 1994, a 24-8 Clemson victory in Tommy West's first year.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest Series

*Clemson owns 52 wins over Wake Forest in history, its second highest victory

total over any opponent. Clemson has 59 wins over South Carolina.

*Clemson leads the series 52-14-1 overall, including a 29-7 record in games

played at Clemson and a 25-7 mark in games played in Death Valley.

*Clemson has won three in a row and seven out of eight 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 3-0 record against Wake Forest under Tommy Bowden. The Tigers

have outscored Wake Forest 88-24 in the three games.

*Wake Forest has scored more than 20 points against Clemson just once in the

last 13 years, the Deacs 29-19 win at Clemson in 1998. Clemson won last year

at Wake Forest 21-14 and the Tigers won the last time Wake Forest came to

Clemson by a 55-7 score.

*The Clemson vs. Wake Forest series dates to 1933, a 13-0 Clemson win in

Charlotte.

*Clemson won 15 games in a row in the series from 1977-91.

*Wake Forest enters this game with a better record than Clemson (4-3 to 3-3).

You only have to go back to 1999 to find the last time that has happened. In

1999 Wake Forest entered the game at Winston-Salem with a 4-3 record, while

Clemson was 3-4.

*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.

Wake Forest Update

Wake Forest is off to a 4-3 start and the Deacons come into this game riding a

two-game winning streak. That includes a 36-10 victory over Duke in its most

recent game at Wake Forest's homecoming. That game was typical for Wake

Forest in that they make the most of their opportunities, especially on defense

and special teams. The Deacs gained just 224 yards of total offense against

Duke, yet scored 36 points. Their scoring included a 90-yard missed field goal

return and a 29-yard interception return. Wake Forest won the second half

22-0.

Coach Jim Grobe's team is living testimony to the importance of turnover

margin in football. Wake Forest has averaged 383.3 yards per game on offense

and given up 383.0 per game on defense. But, the Deacons have forced 22

turnovers and committed just five, a +17 turnover margin. Wake Forest is second

in the nation in turnover margin per game.

Wake Forest likes to keep the ball on the ground and as a result they lead

the ACC in rushing yards per game with 233.4 yards per game. They have

accomplished that with a balanced attack as no Wake Forest back has averaged at

least 55 yards per game and no Deacon back is in the top six in the ACC in

rushing yards per game.

Nick Burney is the top rusher with 375 yards in seven games, 53.6 yards per

game. Tarence Williams is a senior who has missed much of the year with an

injury, but he was a second-team All-ACC back last year when he had over 1000

yards. He is healthy now and had 14 carries last week against Duke.

Wake Forest is last in the league in passing, but quarterback James

MacPherson has run the offensive efficiently. He has not thrown an interception

in 133 passes and has completed 55.6 percent of his passes. His favorite

receiver is Fabian Davis, who has 27 catches for 387 yards. Davis is second to

Clemson's Derrick Hamilton in all-purpose running with 156 yards per game. Like

Hamilton he returns punts and kickoffs in addition to his duties as a receiver.

Wake Forest has had a dominant player on defense in Calvin Pace. The senior

has 16 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks to rank among the ACC

leaders. He is the team's top tackler with 53 stops in the seven games. He

had an incredible six tackles for loss in the win over Duke.

Clemson Veterans vs. Wake Forest

*Altroy Bodrick (LB)-Had eight tackles and two tackles for loss in win at Wake

Forest in 1999. Added season high 10 tackles and a sack against the Deacons in

2000.

*Nick Eason (DT)-Has played three games, two as a starter against Wake Forest.

Had four tackles, including a sack in 2000 and had five tackles in 48 snaps in

2001.

*Ben Hall (TE)-Had three catches for 17 yards, including a touchdown at Wake

Forest in 2001.

*Derrick Hamilton (WR)-Ha six catches for 91 yards and a score at Wake Forest in

2001.

*Aaron Hunt (PK)-Had seven extra points and a field goal in Clemson's win in

2000. Had 3-3 PATs at Wake Forest last year.

*Chad Jasmin (RB)-Had five carries for 25 yards in Clemson's win in 2001.

*Yusef Kelly (RB)-Red-shirted last year, but in 2000 had 16-93, his season high

in terms of rushing yards.

*Wynn Kopp (P)-Had 40.0 average on four punts at Wake Forest in 2001.

*Brian Mance (CB)-Had three tackles in 39 snaps against Wake Forest in 2000,

then had three tackles in 80 plays and added a PBU at Wake Forest in 2001.

*Bryant McNeal (DE)-Had three tackles, including a sack at Wake Forest in 1999.

Had four tackles as a reserve in 2000 and a career high 11 tackles, including a

sack in 2001.

*Eric Meekins (SS)-Had career high 13 tackles at Wake Forest in 2001.

*Bernard Rambert (RB)-Had 6-46 in 2000 against the Deacs and had 3-8 last year

as a reserve.

*Jackie Robinson-had 3-31 receiving against Wake Forest in 2000.

*Eric Sampson (LB)-Had a career high 14 tackles when he came on for an injured

John Leake in 2001.

*Willie Simmons (QB)-Had 1-2 for 30 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest in

2000.

*Rodney Thomas (LB)-Had career high 16 tackles at Wake Forest in 2001.

*Donnell Washington (DT)-Had four tackles, including a tackle for loss at Wake

Forest in 2001.

*Kevin Youngblood (WR)-Caught his first career touchdown pass, a 30-yarder from

Willie Simmons, in the win over the Deacs in 2000.

Clemson Completion Percentage at Record Rate

Clemson is completing passes at a near 61 percent rate, a record pace. Clemson

has completed 123 of 202 passes so far this season for a .609 rate. That is

ahead of the .605 pace set by the 1997 Clemson team that was led by current

Canadian Football league star Nealon Greene. The only other Clemson team to

complete 60 percent over the course of the season is the 1989 Tiger team that

was 117-195, exactly 60 percent.

Starting quarterback Willie Simmons has completed 58 percent of his passes so

far this year on 109-188. He has thrown for 1199 yards and seven scores, an

average of almost 200 yards per game. Clemson's reserves have had an impact on

the percentage as Tony Elliott, Charlie Whitehurst and Jeff Scott are a combined

14-14 this season, including 11-11 by Whitehurst. The freshman is still six

consecutive completions away from Nealon Greene's record of 17 straight

completions during the 1997 season.

Top Single Season Team Completion %

Rk	Year	Comp-Att	Pct
1.	2002	123-202	.609
2.	1997	188-311	.605
3.	1989	117-195	.600
4.	1999	252-423	.596
5.	2001	226-395	.572
6.	1995	122-215	.567
7.	1985	137-247	.555
8.	1982	98-178	.551

Clemson Converting Before Halftime

Clemson has done a good job of scoring just prior to the half in 2002. So far

this year Clemson has recorded a touchdown on its last possession of the half

with 80 seconds or less remaining in five of the six games.

The streak started when Clemson scored at Georgia on a 21-yard touchdown pass

from Willie Simmons to Kevin Youngblood with just eight seconds left. The

Tigers failed to do it against Louisiana Tech, but have now done so the last

four games. The streak continued last week when Tye Hill scored his first

career touchdown on a 32-yard run with just a minute left in the first half.

Brian Mance had set up the score with an interception.

Clemson's Last Possession of the Half in 2002

Game	Last Possession	Drive	Time Left
Georgia	TD, Simmons to Youngblood 21 Yds	9-64-1:16	:08
Louisiana Tech	Failed to score	3-20-1:07
Georgia Tech	TD, Simmons toWilliamson, 2 yards	4-5-:50	:38
Ball State	TD, Hamilton 9 run	3-21-1:03	1:20
Florida St.	TD, Simmons to Hamilton, 9 yards	6-86-1:25	:27
Virginia	TD, Hill 32 run	1-32-:08	1:00

Mance Now Has Nine Career Interceptions

Brian Mance recorded his third interception of the season and his ninth as a

Clemson Tiger at Virginia. The play came just before halftime and led directly

to a Clemson touchdown with just a minute left in the half.

Mance's nine career interceptions are best among active Tigers and his 10

total takeaways are also best among the active players. He is now ranked in a

tie for 15th in Clemson history and one more will move him into the top 10.

The senior from Alcolu, SC has now played 41 games at Clemson, 20 as a starter.

He has missed just one game in his career when he brother was killed in auto

accident last year after the NC State game. Tuesday, October 22nd will be his

21st birthday.

For the season, Mance hs 34 tackles to rank four the on the team. He has

played more snaps than any other Tiger with 363 and he also leads the team in

passes defensed with eight. Twenty-seven of his 34 tackles have been individual

hits.

Tigers Average 6.4 Yards/Play...but 0-2

Clemson gained 441 yards against Florida State in just 61 plays, an average of

7.23 yards per play. That was the highest yards per play average in Clemson

history in a game the Tigers lost. The previous record was a 6.78 figure in a

28-25 loss to Maryland in 1959. In that game Clemson had 434 yards in 64

plays. Clemson had won 33 in a row when averaging at least 6.5 yards per play

dating to the 1975 season when Clemson averaged 6.61 yards per play in a 25-21

loss to Duke.

Clemson followed that up with a 5.6 average at Virginia, yet lost the game.

Over the last two games Clemson has gained 853 yards in 139 plays, an average of

6.4 yards per play. But, Clemson does not have a victory to show for it. The

Tigers had 25 first downs at Virginia and held the Cavaliers to 80 yards rushing

40 attempts. Additionally, Clemson had a pair of drives of at least 92 yards,

the first time in history Clemson has had a pair of 90 yards in the same game.

But, Virginia came away with the victory.

Clemson Leads ACC in Total Defense

Clemson is most improved when it comes to defense. The Tigers are ranked

first in the ACC in total defense, allowing just 282.2 yards per game, and that

figure ranks 10th in the nation. Clemson has allowed just 165.2 yards per

game passing, 14th best in the nation. Last year Clemson ranked 71st in the

nation in total defense and 66th in pass defense.

Clemson allowed 395 yards a game last year, so it is easy to see the 282

figure for the first six games this year is considerably better. Clemson has

allowed just 4.2 yards per play, much improved from the 5.3 allowed per play a

year ago.

Many of the times the opposition has scored it has been the result of

difficult field position after a turnover or a long kick return. Over the first

six games the opposition has taken possession of the ball at their own 38 or

worse 49 times. They have driven for a touchdown just six times in those 49

possessions.

Clemson Defense Comparison

Category	2001 Avg.	2002
First Downs/Game Allowed	21.9	17.2
Total Yards/Game Allowed	394.9	282.2
Rushing Yards/Game Allowed	154.3	117.0
Passing Yards/Game Allowed	240.6	165.2
Yards/Play Allowed	5.3	4.2
Yards/Reception Allowed	13.4	9.4
Yards/rush Allowed	3.8	3.1

Clemson Second in the ACC in Total Offense Margin

As stated above, Clemson has outgained every opponent this year and has an

average total offense margin of +85.3 yards per game. Clemson has averaged

367.5 yards per game on offense and given up just 282.2 yards a game on

defense. Only NC State has a higher positive total offense margin at +127.6

yards per game. It is also interesting to note that Virginia is last in the

ACC in this category by a wide margin, yet has a 5-2 record and has won five

games in a row.

The +85.3 yards per game by the Clemson team this year would be the second

best by the Tigers in the last 12 years if the season ended today. Clemson was

+90.0 yards per game in total offense in 2000 as Tommy Bowden's second Clemson

team averaged 436.8 offensively and gave up 346.8 on defense.

ACC Leaders in Total Offense Margin

Team	Offense	Defense	Margin
NC State	419.7	292.1	+127.6
Clemson	367.5	282.2	+85.3
Florida State	436.4	380.1	+56.3
Georgia Tech	372.3	324.0	+48.3
Maryland	348.7	320.3	+28.4
Duke	351.6	349.1	+2.5
Wake Forest	383.3	383.0	+0.3
North Carolina	392.3	447.2	-54.9
Virginia	354.7	435.3	-80.6

Hamilton All-Purpose Performer

The all-purpose running statistic was made for Derrick Hamilton. The sophomore

from Dillon, SC has averaged 174.7 all-purpose running yards/game this year

and has been especially effective in the last four games. He had 256

all-purpose yard against Georgia Tech on September 14, then followed that with

160 yards against Ball State. He added 248 yards at Florida State and followed

that with a 206-yard game at Virginia. As you can see by the chart below, he

has had two of the top eight all-purpose running games in Clemson history over

the last three weeks.

For the year, Hamilton has 177 yards rushing, second on the Clemson team,

has 238 yards receiving, third on the Clemson team, has 427 yards in kickoff

returns and 206 yards on punt returns. He leads the Clemson team in both return

areas. Last year Hamilton finished third in the nation in kickoff return

average and was the ACC champion in that category. Thus, Hamilton has at last

175 yards in all four categories already this year.

is current average of 174.7 yards per game is 26 yards per game ahead of

the Clemson record of 148.5 yards per game set by Tony Horne in 1997.

Hamilton has been very effective when it comes to rushing. He has 15 rushes on

reverses from his H-receiver position and has 177 yards, a 11.8 yards per carry

figure. No Clemson rusher has ever averaged over 10 yards per carry given a

minimum of 15 rushes for the course of a season. Five of his 15 carries have

been for at least 10 carries, including a 77-yarder against Georgia Tech.

ntering the Wake Forest game Hamilton ranks eighth in the nation and first in

the ACC in all-purpose yards per game. Horne ranked 14th in the nation in

1997, the highest final ranking for any Clemson player in history.

Top All-Purpose Running Games in Clemson History

Yds	Player	Opponent	Year	Rush	Rec	KOR	PR
274	Terrence Flagler	Wake Forest	1986	209	65	-	-
267	Tony Horne	Florida State	1997	-	131	109	27
263	Raymond Priester	Duke	1995	263	-	-	-
260	Cliff Austin	Duke	1982	260	-	-	-
256	Derrick Hamilton	Georgia Tech	2002	97	22	41	96
254	Don King	Fordham	1952	234	-	20	-
252	Ken Callicutt	South Carolina	1974	197	55	-	-
248	Derrick Hamilton	Florida State	2002	23	69	104	52
246	Buck George	Presbyterian	1952	204	42	-	-
242	Ronald Williams	Virginia	1991	185	57	-	-

Hunt Sets Clemson Record

Aaron Hunt established a Clemson record for extra points in a career when he

booted two against Virginia. The junior now has 108 in 112 chances in his

career. He went ahead of the 107 career extra points by Bob Paulling, who

played for the Tigers from 1979-83.

Hunt scored five points in that game and now has 192 for his career, the same

total Lester Brown had in his four years as a Clemson running back. Hunt has

now made 28-39 field goals, including 8-11 this year. He ranks 23rd in the

nation in field goals per game and is 60th in scoring.

Hunt made 4-4 field goals in the win over Louisiana Tech. He became the first

Clemson player to record four field goals in a game since 1998 when David

Richardson had four in the season opener. Hunt's day included a 47-yard field

goal, second longest boot of his career. Hunt had field goals of 47, 22, 37 and

38 yards, distances that total to 144 yards. That was the seventh most yards on

made field goals in a single game in Clemson history.

Clemson all-time Scoring List

Rk	Name	Pos	Years	TD	PAT	FG	Pts
1.	Nelson Welch	PK	1991-94	0	85-92	72-102	301
2.	Travis Zachery	RB	1998-01	50			300
3.	Obed Ariri	PK	1977-80	0	99-103	63-97	288
4.	Chris Gardocki	PK	1988-90	0	72-72	63-89	261
5.	David Treadwell	PK	1985-87	0	92-93	47-66	233
6.	Bob Paulling	PK	1979-83	0	107-109	23-41	209
7.	Aaron Hunt	PK	2000-02	0	108-112	28-39	192
8.	Lester Brown	RB	1976-79	32			192
9.	Fred Cone	RB	1948-50	31	3-4		189
10.	Ray Matthews	RB	1947-50	28			168
	Terry Allen	RB	1987-89	28			168
	Kenny Flowers	FB	1983-86	28			168

Simmons On Record Rate for Completions

Clemson quarterback Willie Simmons has averaged 18.2 completions per game, ahead

of Woody Dantzler's record of 16.9 completions per game set last yaer. Simmons

has completed 109 of 188 passes so far this year for 1199 yards and six scores.

He has a 58.0 completion percentage, a figure that would be fourth best in

Clemson history given a minimum of 100 completions. The record is .631 by

Brandon Streeter in 1999.

Simmons had made improvement each week during the 2002 season prior to the

Virginia game. He completed 15-25 passes for 135 yards against the Cavaliers,

his first decline from the previous week all season.

The chart below shows that his passing efficiency improved every game from

game's 1-5, hitting a high of 163.8 at Florida State in the most recent game.

He has completed at least 58 percent of his passes each of the last five games

and at least 60 percent in three straight. He is 67 of his last 108 passes for

863 yards, a .621 completion percent over his last four games.

He had his best all-around game as a Clemson quarterback at Florida State.

Playing in front of his mother and 50 other friends, the native of Quincy, FL

completed 17-27 passes for 293 yards and two scores. The yardage total was a

career high, as was his 11 yards per attempt. Simmons also had a career high 50

yards rushing in 13 attempts, giving him 343 yards of total offense, the eighth

highest single total in Clemson history. Only Woodrow Dantzler, Bobby Gage and

Brandon Streeter have had higher figures for a single game.

Simmons set a school record for pass completions and attempts by an

individual in a Clemson victory when Clemson defeated Louisiana Tech in the

second game of the season. He completed 25-43 passes in that game for 242

yards. The Clemson team threw 44 passes in the game and it was just the second

time Clemson had thrown 40 or more passes in a game and gained victory in the

process. Clemson was 1-16 prior to the Louisiana Tech game when throwing at

least 40 passes. The only other victory came at Wake Forest in 1999.

Simmons 25 completions against Louisiana Tech rank in a tie for fourth in

Clemson history for a single game. The record is 27 set by Brandon Streeter

against NC State in 1998 and at Virginia Tech in 1999. Simmons 43 attempts

was tied for fifth highest, most ever in a Clemson victory. It was the most

pass attempts by an individual without an interception in school history.

For the season, Simmons has completed 94-163 passes for 1064 yards and six

scores. He is on pace to throw for over 2400 yards this season, something

only Dantzler has done in Clemson history for a single season. Dantzler threw

for 2578 last year, an average of 214 per game for a season.

Willie Simmons Weekly Stats in 2002

Opponent

Com-Att

Yds

TD-Int

Eff

Pct

Rush

Yds

Plays

Tot Off

Georgia

17-37

165

1-1

86.9

.459

-29

136

Louisiana Tech

25-43

242

0-0

105.4

.581

-8

234

Georgia Tech

18-31

176

2-1

120.6

.581

184

Ball State

17-25

188

1-1

136.4

.680

201

Florida State

17-27

293

2-2

163.8

.630

343

Virginia

15-25

135

0-1

97.4

.600

137

Clemson Single Game Total Offense Bests

Yds	Rush	Pass	Player	Site-Opponent	Year
517	184	333	Woodrow Dantzler	a-NC State (45-37)	2001
435	185	252	Woodrow Dantzler	a-Maryland (42-30)	1999
418	164	254	Woodrow Dantzler	a-Georgia Tech (47-44 OT)	2001
378	135	243	Woodrow Dantzler	H-Duke (59-31)	2001
374	141	233	Bobby Gage	H-Auburn (34-18)	1947
374	220	154	Woodrow Dantzler	A-Virginia (31-10)	2000
366	23	343	Brandon Streeter	H-Virginia (33-14)	1999
343	50	293	Willie Simmons	A-Florida State (31-48)	2002
337	51	286	Nealon Greene	a-Wake Forest (33-16)	1997
336	59	277	Woodrow Dantzler	H-Florida State (27-41)	2001