Miami vs Clemson Game Notes

---

Tigers Start 2-0

When Clemson defeated Maryland in College

Park on September 10, it gave the Tigers a 2-0 start to the season, Clemson's

first 2-0 start since 2001. It marked the third time that Coach Tommy Bowden has

won his opening two games at Clemson, as he had an 8-0 start to the 2000 season

in addition to the 2-0 start in 2001. He also had an 11-0 start, and finish, at

Tulane in 1998.

Historically, Clemson has struggled in the second

game of the year, a contributing factor to Clemson achieving a 2-0 start just 10

times since 1971. The only other year Clemson has been 2-0 since 1992 was in

1997.

Starting off with a 2-0 start is an indicator of a

strong season for the Clemson program over the last 35 years. In the seasons

Clemson has started off the year by winning its first two games since 1971, the

Tigers have an 81-25-1 record, a .762 winning percentage. For those nine seasons

that is basically a 9-3 season. If Clemson can defeat Miami (FL) it would give

Clemson its first 3-0 start since the 2000 season and just its second 3-0 start

since 1992.

Clemson 2-0 Starts Since 1971

Two Top 25 Teams meet in Death Valley

Clemson and Miami (FL) are both ranked in

the top 25 of both polls this week, the first time two top 25 teams have met in

Death Valley since November 18, 2000 when 16th ranked Clemson met 25th ranked

South Carolina. The Tigers won that exciting game thanks to a late 50-yard pass

from Woodrow Dantzler to Rod Gardner, and a game-winning 25-yard field goal by

Aaron Hunt with three seconds left.

Miami (FL) did not play last week, but is still

ranked 13th in the nation in both polls. The Tigers are 20th in AP and 23rd in

the USA Today Coach's poll. It is the second straight week Clemson has been

ranked in the AP top 25, the first time this year Clemson has appeared in the

Coach's poll top 25.

This will be the 14th time in history that a top

25 Clemson team has played a top 25 opponent in Death Valley. Clemson has a 9-4

record in those previous 13 Top 25 meetings. A pair of top 25 teams met in Death

Valley just twice in the first 40 years of the stadium, but there have been 11

in the last 23 seasons.

Three of the four losses by Clemson in battles of top 25 teams in Death Valley

have been against Florida State (1988, 1992 and 1997). When Clemson defeated

Florida State in 2003, the Seminoles were third, but Clemson was unranked.

The only other team to defeat Clemson in a battle

of top 25 teams in Death Valley is Notre Dame in 1977. That year, Clemson was

15th and the Irish were fifth entering that game. Notre Dame scored two

touchdowns in the fourth quarter behind Joe Montana to take a 21-17 victory. The

Irish went on to win the National Championship.

Clemson has had success when it enters a game in Death Valley as a top 25 team.

Over the years, Clemson is 70-14-3 in games played in Clemson Memorial Stadium

when the Tigers enter the contest as a top 25 team, a .816 winning percentage.

Games Involving Two Top 25

Teams in Death Valley

Whitehurst Off to Efficient Start

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is

off to a strong start to his final year, leading Clemson to consecutive

victories over Texas A&M and Maryland. In the two games combined, Whitehurst has

completed 32-41 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Whitehurst's passing efficiency is 168.52, 15th best in the nation and best in

the ACC given a minimum of 15 attempts per game. A year ago, Whitehurst had a

passing efficiency figure of 97.3.

In the victory at Maryland, Whitehurst completed

18-22 passes and the 81.8 completion percentage was fourth best in Clemson

history given a minimum of 15 attempts, the second best of Whitehurst's career.

The graduate student from Duluth, Georgia has had

nine games in his career in which he has had an efficiency ratio of 150 or

better and two of the top seven have come in the first two games with Rob Spence

as his coordinator. Whitehurst had a 155.47 efficiency rating in the win over

Texas A&M, the seventh best figure of his career, then had a 179.78 against

Maryland, the fourth most efficient game of his career.

Charlie Whitehurst's Best passing Efficiency Games

Whitehurst Becomes 20-Game Winner

Now Second in Top 25 Wins

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 5-4 against ranked teams in his career (including

5-2 in his last seven), while Williams was 7-4. Whitehurst will have another

opportunity when the Tigers face Miami (FL), who is 13th in both polls entering

the game on Saturday.

Clemson's Winningest Quarterbacks

Another Last Second Tiger Victory

Eight of the last 13 Clemson games 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 eight close

games 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.

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 Heart Stoppers the last Two Seasons (6-2)

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 the last seven games.

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 last Saturday,

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).

First time Winners at Death Valley

Miami (FL) will attempt to become just the

second first-time visitor in the last 28 years to win at Death Valley. The two

schools have met six times previously, but never at Clemson. The only opponent

since 1978 to win in its first visit to Clemson has been Marshall, a 13-10

winner in the season opener of the 1999 season, Tommy Bowden's first game as

head coach. Prior to that, the last first-appearance winner at Clemson was Notre

Dame in 1977.

Miami (FL) is the 46th different team to come to

Clemson Memorial Stadium and the previous 45 have a record of 11-33-1 in their

first game at Clemson. Three of the 11 first-time winners (Alabama, Kentucky,

Marshall) have beaten the Tigers by the exact same score, 13-10.

A look to Clemson's home record over the years

shows why the Tigers enjoy playing in Death Valley. Clemson has a record of

301-114-15 at home over the years, a .717 winning percentage. Clemson is

246-255-25 away from home, a .490 winning percentage for those 526 games on an

opponent's home field. Clemson is 55-44-5 in neutral site games. You might

notice that Clemson now has 602 all-time victories, 301 at home and 301 away

from home.

Clemson has a 228-88-7 record in Death Valley

(since 1942), a .717 winning percentage for 323 games. Tommy Bowden has followed

the lead of his predecessors when it comes to playing at home. He is 29-10 so

far in his 39 home games, a .744 winning percentage. Clemson has won five in a

row at home and 12 of the last 13. The only loss in that 13-game span was to

Georgia Tech in the second game of the 2004 season.

First-time Winners at Death Valley

Tigers Perfect in Turnover Column

One of the reasons for Clemson's 2-0 start

is the turnover margin statistic. The Tigers ranked 100th in the nation out of

117 teams in turnover margin last year, including a dead last ranking after the

first five games (1-4) when Clemson lost 14 turnovers on offense and gained just

two on defense.

Clemson has forced just four turnovers so far this

season on defense, but has yet to commit a turnover on offense. This is the

first time since the 1994 season that Clemson has gone consecutive games without

a turnover. Clemson did not have a turnover against North Carolina and Georgia

Tech in consecutive games in November that year.

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. The Tigers have now won 11 consecutive games dating to 2002 when it

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

is 28-7 under Bowden when the Tigers win the turnover margin stat. Clemson has

had 11 games under Tommy Bowden when it has not committed a turnover on offense

and the Tigers are 10-1 in those games.

Clemson New Orleans Duo Leads Way at

Maryland

Two starting members of the Clemson

football team from New Orleans, LA played at a high level in the victory over

Maryland. Both had to be playing with distractions, as their families have been

displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Starting wide receiver Curtis Baham and starting

linebacker Nick Watkins have accounted for all of their relatives, but their

family homes and cherished belongings are probably gone for ever.

Both put the distractions behind them at Maryland

and had career games. Baham caught a pair of touchdown passes, a first in his

career, and the first Clemson player to do that since 2003 (Derrick Hamilton vs.

Duke). His day included TD catches of six and 51 yards. The 51-yarder brought

Clemson to within three points in the fourth quarter and it was the longest

catch of his career by 27 yards.

Watkins was the second leading tackler on the

Clemson defense with a career high 13 tackles, including a team best 10 first

hits. His afternoon included six special teams tackles, including five solo

stops on punts and kickoffs. That was the second highest single game special

teams tackle total in school history, trailing only the seven special teams

tackles recorded by Chad Speck against Georgia Tech in 1999.

Waters Records Season High

Anthony Waters had a team best 14 tackles

in the win over Maryland. The junior from Lake View, SC had nine first hits and

five assists in the four-point Clemson victory. That was Waters career high in

the tackle column by four, as his previous high came last year against Georgia

Tech. That was also the second game of the season and a game that was decided by

a 28-24 score. The good news was that Clemson won by that score this time

instead of suffering a difficult loss.

The 14 tackles at Maryland rank by Waters rank as

just the second double figure tackle game of his career. His day also included a

career high four tackles for loss. Waters had nine tackles for loss all of last

year, including three apiece against NC State and Miami (FL). Waters has 12

career tackles for loss, but 10 of them have taken place in his last six games.

Adams Pressuring Quarterback

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.

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 vs. Miami (FL) Series

·This will be the seventh meeting between

Clemson and Miami (FL) on the gridiron. Miami (FL) has a 4-2 edge in the series

that dates to 1945. This will be just the seventh meeting, but the third time

both teams have entered the game ranked in the top 20. The other occasions were

in 1950 and 1956.

·This will be Miami's first ever trip to Clemson. The two teams met last year

and Clemson came away with a 24-17 win in overtime. The two teams will not meet

in the regular season again until the 2009-10 time period.

· Miami won that 1956 meeting, 21-0 in the Orange Bowl. Clemson went on to

finish with a 7-2-2 record in 1956, and was ranked 19th in the final AP poll,

while the Hurricanes finished 8-1-1 and were ranked sixth. The Tigers also

played in the Orange Bowl that year against Colorado and lost 27-21. Thus, both

of Clemson's losses in 1956 came in the same Stadium, the Orange Bowl.

· Clemson's first victory in the series took place in the Orange Bowl game at

the end of the 1950 season. Frank Howard and the Tigers won that game, 15-14,

when Clemson middle guard Sterling Smith tackled Miami running back Frank Smith

in the end zone for a safety with under two minutes left. It is one of just two

times Miami (FL) has lost an Orange Bowl game since 1950. The only other time

Miami (FL) has lost an Orange Bowl postseason game was in 1995 (end of the 1994

season) when Nebraska defeated the Hurricanes, 24-17.

· The two teams also met in the 1951 Gator Bowl and the Hurricanes came away

with a 14-0 victory. That was also a battle of top 20 teams. Jim Dooley had four

interceptions to lead the Miami (FL) defense, an NCAA record for interceptions

in a bowl game.

· Clemson had scored just 28 points against Miami in the first five games of the

series prior to last year when Clemson scored 24 in an overtime victory. The

first five games of the series were played between 1945-56 and Frank Howard was

Clemson's coach in all five meetings.

· Clemson's greatest victory in its history took place in Miami's home stadium.

The Tigers didn't beat Miami to record the victory, however. Clemson won the

1981 National Championship with a 22-15 victory over Nebraska in the Orange

Bowl, Miami's home facility.

Clemson vs. Miami (FL) Series (2-4)

A1--Orange Bowl game at end of 1950 season, N2 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL

#Denotes Overtime

Last Year in Review

Clemson 24, Miami (FL) 17 (OT)

At the Orange Bowl

November 6, 2004

Clemson scored 21 unanswered points and held Miami (FL) scoreless in the second

half to upset the #10 Hurricanes 24-17 in overtime at the Orange Bowl. The win

was Clemson's third triumph over a top-10 team in the past 13 games. The Tigers

also improved to 5-0 all time in overtime games.

The game did not start out well for the Tigers, as

Frank Gore scored on a 23-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive. It

took the Hurricanes only five plays to move 68 yards in 2:04. The Tigers were

forced to punt on their first drive of the night, and again the Hurricanes

wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. John Peattie connected on a

35-yard field goal.

The Clemson offense got on track on its next

possession, moving 43 yards in eight plays. The 20,000th point in Clemson

history was recorded by Jad Dean when he made a 48-yard field goal. Miami got

the ball back after a Clemson punt with 1:47 left in the first half, and Gore

scored again on a 14-yard run to give the Hurricanes a 17-3 lead with just 19

seconds left before halftime.

Each team was forced to punt on their first drive

of the second half. On Clemson's second possession, Charlie Whitehurst hit

Airese Currie for 37 yards on a third-and-long. Reggie Merriweather busted

through the line on the next play for 27 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers moved the ball to the Hurricane nine yard-line and faced a

fourth-and-two on the next possession. Tommy Bowden reached into his bag of

tricks, as Dean took an over-the-shoulder pitch from holder Cole Chason on a

fake field goal and ran to the Miami three-yard line. Merriweather barreled into

the endzone on the next play to tie the score at 17-17.

Neither team scored during the remainder of

regulation, and the game moved into overtime. Miami won the toss and elected to

play defense first. After a pass interference penalty in the endzone moved the

ball to the Hurricane 11 yard-line, Whitehurst found Currie at the Miami two,

just shy of a first down. Merriweather scored his third touchdown of the night

on the next play.

Brock Berlin hit Roscoe Parrish for 20 yards down

to the Clemson 10 on Miami's possession. Tyrone Moss ran for five yards, and two

incomplete Berlin passes brought up a fourth down. Berlin's last gasp throw into

the endzone sailed wide of Lance Leggett.

The Tiger defense had 17 tackles for loss on the night, tied for second-most in

a game in Tiger history. Eric Coleman contributed two of the team's four sacks

and was named the ACC Co-Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week.

Clemson had not played in the Orange Bowl since

winning its only national title on January 1, 1982 by beating Nebraska 22-15. It

was Miami's first loss at home against a league opponent since 1998. It was also

only Miami's third loss in their last 177 games when leading after three

quarters.

Three of Top 10 NFL Cornerback Prospects

on Display

According to collegefootballnews.com,

three of the top seven NFL cornerback prospects will be in action when Clemson

plays host to Miami (FL) on Saturday afternoon. The internet site ranks Clemson

cornerback Tye Hill as the fifth best NFL prospect at cornerback in the nation.

It also lists Miami;s Kelly Jennings sixth and Miami's Devin Hester as the

seventh best.

Hill is off to a solid start with two takeaways in

the first two games. He had a fumble recovery in the win over Texas A&M and an

interception in the win over Maryland. That interception brought a smile to

Hill's face because he never had an interception last year. He did have a

Clemson record 21 passes broken up and ranked third in the nation in passes

defensed. His interception last Saturday at Maryland was the third of his career

and his first since the 2003 Florida State game.

One thing Hill has been doing all fall is working

on his catching. During early stages of practice and even in pregame warm-ups,

Hill will go through drills with the wide receivers to improve his pass catching

abilities.

It is interesting to note by the list below that

the ACC is the cradle of cornerbacks. No less than five of the top seven

cornerbacks listed are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Will Blackman of

Boston College is ranked fourth and will be coming to Clemson on September 24.

Top NFL Prospects at Cornerback

(Collegefootballnews.com)

Trending on TigerNet

Tigers fall to Notre Dame in ACC Tournament quarterfinals

Former Clemson football assistant named to SEC team's staff

4-star Peach State defender sets commitment date, Clemson in final visits

WATCH: Controversial non-home run call during Clemson-UGA game