North Carolina vs Clemson Games Notes |
Game 4: Clemson vs North Carolina
Saturday, September 23, 2006 Kickoff: 12:10 PM Clemson Memorial Stadium (81,474) Sold Out Television: Lincoln Financial Play by Play: Steve Martin Color: Rick Walker Sideline: Mike Hogewood Clemson Radio Network Play by Play: Pete Yanity Color Commentator: Will Merritt Sideline: Chad Carson Series History: Clemson leads 33-18-1 At Clemson: Clemson leads 16-7 last Meeting: Clemson won 36-28 at Clemson, 2003 Three Tigers Named ACC Players of the Week Duane Coleman, Gaines Adams and Roman Fry were all named ACC Players of the Week for the Tigers victory at Florida State on September 16. Coleman was named the Defensive Back of the Week, Adams was named the Defensive Lineman of the Week and Fry was named the Offensive Lineman of the Week, giving Clemson three of the four major weekly honors. Coleman was Clemson’s top tackler in the game with 10 and he also had a fumble recovery. Adams had a pair of sacks and seven total tackles. Those two players were major reasons Clemson held FSU to 204 yards total offense, 102 on the ground and 102 in the air. It was the best total defense by a Clemson defense against Florida State. Fry had 13 knockdown blocks and graded 87 percent for 53 plays, helping the Tigers gain 151 yards rushing against the nation’s top rushing defense. Florida State had allowed just13 yards rushing per game entering the contest. But, Clemson gained 67 yards rushing on the final drive to score with eight seconds left and pull out the game 27-20. Clemson Returns to Polls Clemson returned to the AP and USA Today Coaches polls on September 17 after a week outside the top 25 after its win at ninth- ranked Florida State. Clemson is ranked 19th by Associated Press and 23rd by USA Today coaches according to the polls released on Sunday, September 17. That was the second highest ranked team Clemson has defeated on the road in its history. The only win that is ranked higher is the 10-8 victory over eighth-ranked North Carolina in 1981. Clemson was 18th in both polls during the preseason this year and remained in that position after the season opening win against Florida Atlantic. Clemson dropped to 26th in the poll points in AP and 27th in USA Today after the one-point overtime loss to Boston College. The Tigers jumped from unranked to 19th by AP after the 27-20 win at ninth-ranked Florida State on September 16. That was the biggest jump from being unranked to a spot in the polls since the 2001 season when unranked Clemson won at ninth ranked Georgia Tech 47- 44 in overtime, then moved to 19th in the AP poll. The four position disparity in the polls this week is the largest for a Clemson team since September 22, 1997. That week Clemson was 17th in AP and 21st in USA Today. The record for the biggest disparity in ranking for Clemson between the two polls is eight spots. On October 8, 1951 Clemson was 16th in AP, but 24th in the UPI poll. The UPI ranked 25 teams for a few weeks during that season for some unknown reason according to the ESPN Encyclopedia of college football. Clemson has now been ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll for seven of the last eight polls. The Tigers finished 21sth in the final poll of both AP and USA Today last year. Proctor Has Consistent Start to Senior Season Will Proctor is off to a strong start as the Tigers quarterback this year. The fifth-year player in his first year as a starter has led the Clemson offense to nearly 400 yards per game through the first three games. Clemson ranks second in the ACC in total offense, second in rushing offense and second in passing offense. Clemson leads the ACC in scoring with 38 points per game. Those are pretty strong rankings considering Clemson has played two of its three games against current top 25 teams Boston College and Florida State. Proctor ranks second in the ACC in passing efficiency with 145.4 rating points, second only to Virginia Tech’s Sean Glennon. Proctor and Glennon will face each other when the Tigers play the Hokies on October 26 on a Thursday night in Blacksburg. That game will be televised nationally by ESPN. Proctor has thrown for a league best six touchdown passes with just one interception and he has completed 54-90 passes, exactly 60 percent. He is also second in the ACC in passing yards per game with 234.3. Proctor has started four games at quarterback in his career, three this year and the Duke game last year. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all four games he has started, including last week when he was 16-30 for 194 yards and a touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey. The native of Winter Park, FL is just two games away from tying the Clemson record for consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass. Mike Eppley had a streak of six straight games in 1984 and Woody Dantzler had a six-game streak in 2000. Charlie Whitehurst had two five-game streaks in his career. Tiger Defense Holds Seminoles to 204 Yards While Clemson’s offense is near the top of the ACC stats in most areas, the Clemson defense is also well represented in the latest league data. Vic Koenning’s defense is third in the ACC in total defense, allowing just 263 yards per game, and is third in pass efficiency defense with 97.8 rating points. Clemson is actually 19th in the nation in that category. The defense has also forced seven turnovers, a big reason Clemson is second in the ACC in turnover margin. Clemson allowed Florida State to gain just 204 yards of total offense, a perfectly balanced 102 rushing and 102 passing. Ironically, that is the exact same rushing total the Seminoles got against Clemson in the 35-14 Tiger win at Death Valley in 2005. Florida State has scored just one touchdown against Clemson over the last eight quarters. Florida State has scored a pair of special teams touchdowns during that time. The 204 yards of total offense by Florida State last Saturday was the fewest Florida State has ever recorded against Clemson. The previous low was recorded in 2005 when Florida State had just 226. Gaines Adams had a strong game against Florida State, the second consecutive year he has been a factor against Bobby Bowden’s team. He had seven tackles and two sacks last Saturday. Duane Coleman, Clemson’s leading tackler on the season with 26 stops, had 10 tackles at Florida State to lead the Tiger point prevention unity. North Carolina Update North Carolina enters Saturday’s game at Clemson with a 1-2 record. John Bunting’s team plays a tough schedule as the Tigers will be their second top 20 opponent this year. They have already faced Virginia Tech, ranked 11th in the latest AP poll, and now will face 19th ranked Clemson. Their other loss is to an undefeated Rutgers team in the season opener, and they will play at top 20 Notre Dame in November. North Carolina is coming off a 45-42 victory over Furman, a team Clemson will face next year. The Tar Heel offense has been productive and ranks third in the ACC in total offense, gaining 372.3 yards per game. The Tar Heels and Tigers are the only two teams in the ACC ranked in the top four of the league in both rushing offense and passing offense. Ronnie McGill, a native of Clover, SC, was the top rusher for UNC in 2003 and 2005 and he is on the way to a third team rushing title this year. He has averaged 74.3 yards per game so far and has a 4.6 average. The top receiver is Hakeem Nicks, who is seventh in the league in receptions per game with 4.67. Brooks Foster is third in the conference in reception yards per game with a 62-yard average on 17 catches for 186 yards. North Carolina has used two quarterbacks this season. Cam Sexton is listed as the starter entering this game. The freshman from Laurinburg, NC has completed 23-41 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown. He has a passing efficiency of 145.3, just below Will Proctor’s 145.4. Joe Dailey has completed 34-53 passes for 289 yards as the backup quarterback. The North Carolina defense is led by Jacoby Watkins, another native of Laurinburg, NC, who has 20 tackles and two passes deflected. D.J. Walker, a free safety, also has 20 stops for the year. Hilee Taylor is a defensive end, still another player from Laurinburg, NC, who has 11 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage. This will be North Carolina’s only appearance at Death Valley between 2003 and 2010. After Saturday’s game the two teams don’t meet again in the regular season until 2010 when they play in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will next come to Clemson in 2011. Clemson vs. North Carolina Series Clemson holds a 33-18-1 lead in the series with North Carolina that dates to 1897, the second year of Clemson football. The 1897 game was just the sixth game in Clemson football history and the Tar Heels won that game 28-0. It was the first game for the Tigers against a team that is now in the ACC. Clemson has won four of the five meetings since Tommy Bowden became the Tigers head coach in 1999. Bowden’s teams have scored at least 31 points in each of the four wins against North Carolina, but just three in the loss. Bowden’s Tigers scored 31 points in a 31-20 win at Death Valley in 1999 against Tar Heel team coached by Carl Torbush. The Tigers won the 2000 game 38-24 behind four touchdown passes by backup quarterback Willie Simmons, who was on for an injured Woody Dantzler. Simmons is now a video graduate assistant with the Clemson football staff. Clemson was ranked 13th in the nation entering the 2001 meeting with the Tar Heels and Woody Dantzler was coming off the best back to back performances in Clemson history by a Tiger signal caller. He had 418 yards total offense in an overtime win against Georgia Tech and 517 in a win at NC State. Over 84,000 Clemson fans attended that Homecoming game in 2001, but Julius Peppers and the North Carolina defense had a plan to stop Dantzler and held him to a season low 127 total yards rushing and passing in a 38-3 North Carolina win. That Tar Heel team went on to defeat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Charlie Whitehurst threw four touchdown passes in a 42-12 Clemson win at North Carolina in 20-02. Tye Hill had the only 100-yard rushing day of his career in that victory. The next year Hill moved to defense and he is now a starting cornerback with the St. Louis Rams. Clemson has won 17 of the last 23 meetings in the series. The Tigers have a 16-7 lead in games played at Clemson and Death Valley, and a 15-10-1 advantage in games in Chapel Hill, including a 14-9-1 lead in games at Keenan Stadium. The landmark game of the series took place at North Carolina in 1981. The Tigers won that contest 10-8 behind an outstanding defense led by Jeff Davis and Jeff Bryant. It was the first meeting of top 10 ACC teams in the history of the conference, as Clemson was undefeated and ranked second in the nation entering the contest, while the Tar Heels were 7-1 and ranked eighth.. Jeff Bryant recovered a North Carolina lateral with a minute left to clinch the victory for the Tigers, a key win in Clemson’s National Championship season. Tigers from the Tar Heel State Clemson has just three players on its travel roster from the state of North Carolina. C.J. Gaddis of Raeford, NC, a starting cornerback, Crezdon Butler, a reserve cornerback from Asheville, NC, and Antwon Murchison, a reserve defensive tackle from Aberdeen, NC are the three Tigers on the travel roster from the Tar Heel state. Chris Hairston is a freshman from Winston-Salem, NC and Carver High School who is also on the Clemson roster. The freshman offensive lineman will be red-shirted this season. Last Meeting was a Thriller Clemson won the last meeting between the Tigers and the Tar Heels by a 36- 28 score on October 25, 2003. It was an eight- point margin, but the decision came down to virtually the last play of the game. Clemson gained 528 yards of total offense, 309 passing and 219 rushing, but still had to have a great play by its defense to save the game. Clemson has never lost a game in which it has gained 500 yards of total offense, but the streak nearly ended on this day in Death Valley. Clemson held the 36-28 lead when North Carolina took over the ball with three minutes left. Devin Durant, now a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, completed five consecutive passes and also scrambled twice for first downs on the drive. On second- and-six from the Clemson 14, he ran to the left and appeared to have his sights set on a tying touchdown. But, he was hit hard by Travis Pugh and Jamaal Fudge and the ball popped loose. The ball carried across the goal line into the endzone where David Dunham recovered for a touchback with just 42 seconds remaining. Fudge had quite a day for the Tigers with an interception return of 21 yards and seven tackles. Leroy Hill added 11 tackles and two tackles for loss. Duane Coleman, currently a starting cornerback for the Tigers, had 111 yards rushing 13 attempts, his career high in rushing yards in a single game. Airese Currie, now with the Chicago Bears, had four receptions for 87 yards and Derrick Hamilton added three receptions for 103 yards and a 100-yard kickoff return for a score. He became the first player in Clemson history with 100 yards receiving and 100 kickoff return yards in the same game. His 100-yard return erased a 28-23 North Carolina lead in the third period when both teams scored 14 points. Charlie Whitehurst completed 18-34 passes for 309 yards to lead the offense. There are 16 current Clemson players who played in the 2003 game against North Carolina. The list alphabetically includes Gaines Adams, Nathan Bennett, Tramaine Billie, Cole Chason, Duane Coleman, Jad Dean, Marion Dukes, Dustin Fry, Roman Fry, Sergio Gilliam, Thomas Hunter, Reggie Merriweather, Brandon Pilgrim, Brent Smith, Chansi Stuckey, and Anthony Waters. Billie and Waters are injured and will not play against North Carolina. Tigers Win at Florida State with Late Score by Davis Clemson registered a landmark victory in many wins in its 27- 20 win at 9th ranked Florida State last Saturday. The victory was the first for the Tigers in Tallahassee since Florida State joined the ACC for the 1992 season, and the first by any Clemson team in Tallahassee since 1989 when Danny Ford was the head coach of the Tigers. Fittingly, Ford and his 1981 National Championship team will be honored at Death Valley on Saturday. While Clemson hadn’t won at Tallahassee in 17 years, neither had a lot of teams. Florida State was 54-2 in home ACC games since Bobby Bowden’s team joined the ACC in 1992. Both previous losses at home in ACC play had been to NC State, in 2001 and 2005. Clemson has now won three of the last four from the Seminoles and that makes this senior class the first ACC senior class to post a winning record against the Seminoles. Florida and Miami (FL) senior classes have done it since 1992, but they were not ACC teams. Clemson gained the victory with a last minute 85-yard drive for a touchdown, a drive that culminated with a one-yard scoring run by James Davis with just eight seconds left. That was the second latest game winning touchdown in Clemson history. The only touchdown scored later in a game that gave the Tigers a victory took place in 1958 when Harvey White scored on a three-yard run with three seconds left to give Clemson a 12-7 win at Vanderbilt. Florida State was ranked ninth in AP entering the game and that is the second highest ranked team Clemson has beaten on the road in school history. The record for the highest ranked team Clemson has beaten on the road is a #8 North Carolina team in 1981. The Tigers also defeated a ninth-ranked Georgia Tech team in Atlanta in 2001. Clemson has six wins over top 10 teams on the road in its history and Tommy Bowden has been the coach in three of those six games. Latest Clemson Game Winning Touchdowns
Year Opponent Site Time Play
Clemson’s Highest Ranked Road wins
Year Opponent AP-UPI Score 1981 North Carolina 8-9 10-8 2006 Florida State 9-10 27-20 2001 Georgia Tech 9-11 47-44 (OT) 2004 Miami (FL) 11-10 24-17 (OT) 1992 Virginia 10-10 29-28 1986 Georgia 14-10 31-28
All Five Offensive Line Starters are Back
Clemson returns all five starters in the offensive line for 2006.
That has been a good indication of a successful season, as the Tigers
are a combined 39-9 the last four seasons Clemson has returned all five
starters in the offensive line.
The stat dates to the 1981 season when Clemson had all five
starters back on the way to a 12-0 record and the school’s only National
Championship. The other seasons in the last 25 years that Clemson has
had all five starters back are 1987 (10-2), 1995 (8-4) and 2000 (9-3).
Clemson ranked in the final top 16 of each poll in each year but 1995.
Clemson was a combined 39-9 overall, including 24-5 in ACC games
(.828).
This year’s five returning starters on the offensive line include
center Dustin Fry, a preseason selection for the Dave Rimington Award,
offensive guard Roman Fry (no relation), a preseason list selection for
the Outland Trophy, offensive tackle Barry Richardson, the only junior of
the group who has been a preseason All-American by at least one
service, offensive guard Nathan Bennett and offensive tackle Marion
Dukes. Roman Fry was a second team All-ACC selection last year.
The five offensive linemen have a combined 106 starts in their
respective careers, tied for fourth in Division I among active players.
Fresno State’s starting offensive line has a combined 123 starts, while
Tulsa has 111, Central Florida has 108 and Oregon State is tied with
Clemson at 105. Wake Forest’s starting offensive line has 103 combined
starts so two of the most experienced offensive lines in the nation will
due battle in Winston Salem on October 7.
Among the active Tiger offensive line, Nathan Bennett has the
most career starts with 28. He is followed by Marion Dukes with 26,
Barry Richardson with 32, Dustin Fry with 16 and Roman Fry with 13.
Recent Clemson Teams with Five Offensive Line Starters Returning
Year W-L ACC ACC Fin AP-USA
1981 12-0 6-0 1st 1-1
1987 10-2 6-1 1st 12-10
1995 8-4 6-2 2nd NR-NR
2000 9-3 6-2 2nd 16-14
2006 2-1 1-1 19-23
Total 41-10 25-6
(.804) (.806)
Coleman First Member of 50-50 Club
Duane Coleman was Clemson’s top tackler entering the Florida
State game with 10. When he had his 15th tackle of the season back on
September 9 at Boston College, he became the first player on record to
have 50 tackles and 50 pass receptions in a Clemson career. The
Clemson tackle stats go back to 1975, so prior to that, especially in the
two-way era, someone might have had 50 receptions and 50 tackles.
But, we doubt it because teams did not throw to backs out of the
backfield much in the two-way player era.
Coleman started his career as a running back, one with good
hands, so Tommy Bowden’s offense threw the ball to him out of the
backfield often. He had exactly 50 receptions for 427 yards between
2003 and 2005. It is interesting to point out that Coleman had perhaps
his best game as a running back against North Carolina in 2003. In that
contest he gained a career high 111 yards rushing on just 13 carries, and
had four receptions for 48 yards, giving him a career high 159 all-
purpose running yards.
Coleman played running back his first two and half years, then
moved to the secondary for the second half of last year. He moved into
the starting lineup for the last three games and finished the year with 35
tackles. He was Clemson’s leading tackler last year in the win over
Florida State, his first career start, then duplicated the feat last week
when he had 10 stops, just his sixth career start.
Welcome Back Danny Pearman
Danny Pearman is in his first year as an assistant coach at
North Carolina, but he certainly is no stranger to games at Clemson
Memorial Stadium. Pearman is a 1987 Clemson graduate who was a
member of the Clemson team as a tight end between 1984 and 1987.
He came to Clemson as a walk-on tight end and was a part of ACC
Championships in 1986 and 1987. The native of Charlotte, NC was the
starting tight end in 11 of the 12 games in 1987 when Clemson had a 10-
2 record and defeated Penn State in the Citrus Bowl in his last game.
Pearman remained at Clemson for the 1988 and 1989 seasons
as a graduate assistant and collected two more bowl rings, plus a 1988
ACC Championship ring. He moved on to Alabama where he was a full
time assistant on Alabama’s 1992 National Championship team. He
remained at Alabama until 1998 when he moved on to Virginia Tech
where he served as a tight ends and offensive tackles coaches under
Frank Beamer. He was an assistant on the Hokies 1999 team that
played for the national championship against Florida State.
Pearman has experienced success everywhere he has played
and coached. He has coached in a bowl game 15 consecutive seasons,
or every year he has been a full-time assistant coach. Including his time
as a player at Clemson, he had gone to a bowl game 21 consecutive
years entering this season.
Pearman is the first of two Clemson graduates who will coach
against Clemson this year. Mike O’Cain, who was a Tiger quarterback
from 1974-76, is the quarterbacks coach at Virginia Tech and will coach
against the Tigers on October 26.
Bowden Has Ties to UNC Offensive Coordinator
Frank Cignetti is in his first year as offensive coordinator at
North Carolina. He has never coached at Clemson, as his only college
coaching stops have come at Fresno State and Pittsburgh and Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. But, he does have a tie to
the Bowden family. His father, also Frank Cignetti, replaced Bobby
Bowden as the head coach at West Virginia in 1976 and was Tommy
Bowden’s head coach during Tommy’s senior season. Tommy then
remained at West Virginia for the 1977 season as a graduate assistant
coach on Cignetti’s staff.
Former Tigers in the NFL
Clemson had 20 former players on NFL rosters when the
season opened earlier this month. The list is led by Brian Dawkins, one
of the top safeties in football, and a five time Pro Bowl Player with the
Philadelphia Eagles in his 11th season in the league. Chris Gardocki is in
his 16th season in the league and is the starting punter for the defending
Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Five players off of Clemson’s 2005 team are on NFL rosters
this year. That list is led by first-round draft choice Tye Hill, a starter at
cornerback for the St. Louis Rams, who had an interception in his first
career game two weeks ago. Charlie Whitehurst made the active roster
of the San Diego Chargers, and scored his first career touchdown for the
Chargers on September 17 on a 14-yard run. Jamaal Fudge
(Jacksonville), Stephen Jackson (Carolina) and Charles Bennett (Tampa
Bay) were all named to practice squads.
Tigers in the NFL
Player Pos CU Years NFL Team Keith Adams LB 1998-00 Miami Dolphins #Charles Bennett DE 2002-05 Tampa Bay Bucs Vince Ciurciu LB 1998-99 Carolina Panthers Airese Currie WR 2001-04 Chicago Bears Brian Dawkins SS 1992-95 Philadelphia Eagles Nick Eason DT 1999-02 Cleveland Browns #Jamaal Fudge SS 2002-05 Jacksonville Jaquars Rod Gardner WR 1997-00 Kansas City Chiefs Leroy Hill LB 2001-04 Seattle Seahawks Tye Hill CB 2002-05 St. Louis Rams Corey Hulsey OG 1996-98 Oakland Raiders #Steven Jackson FB 2003-05 Carolina Panthers Brandon Jamison LB 2002 Atlanta Falcons John Leake LB 2000-03 Atlanta Falcons Dexter McCleon CB 1993-96 Houston Texans #Bryant McNeal DE 2000-03 Oakland Raiders Justin Miller CB 2002-04 New York Jets Trevor Pryce DT 1996 Baltimore Ravens Charlie Whitehurst QB 2002-05 San Diego Chargers Kevin Youngblood WR 2000-03 Atlanta Falcons #Practice Squad
Freshmen Making Contribution
Clemson freshmen C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford are off to solid
starts for the Tigers, leading a group of eight first-year freshmen who
have played so far this year. In fact, Clemson has played 20 freshmen
(red-shirt or first-year) so far this year.
Spiller and Ford have both already established Clemson
records. Spiller went 82 yards for a touchdown on a pass from Will
Proctor against Boston College, the longest touchdown reception by a
Clemson running back and the longest touchdown reception in Clemson
history by a freshman. Ford set a school record in the season opener
against Florida Atlantic for the longest punt return in Clemson history.
His 92-yard punt return in that game broke the record of 90 yards set by
Bobby Gage against NC State in 1948, and by Shad Bryant against
Duquesne in 1938.
In the last 25 years, Clemson has played 140 first year
freshmen, an average of 5.6 per year. That includes the eight this year.
Fifty-nine of the first-year freshmen have been offensive players, while 77
have been defensive players and there have four kickers.
Since Tommy Bowden came to Clemson in 1999, the Tigers
have used 42 first-year freshmen, 15 on offense, 25 on defense and two
on special teams, an average of 5.25 freshmen per year. The most first-
year freshmen Bowden has used in a season is nine in 2001, so this
2006 is one under that total. The record for first-year freshmen used in a
season is 11 in 1985 when Danny Ford was the Clemson coach.
Clemson has played eight first year freshmen this year, tied for
the 15th most in the nation. Temple has played the most with 19, followed
by Illinois with 16 and Mississippi with 14.. Among ACC schools only
Florida State has played more than Clemson. The Seminoles have used
10.
1981 Team Inducted into Ring of Honor Saturday
Clemson’s 1981 National Championship team will be inducted
into the Clemson Ring of Honor Saturday at Memorial Stadium as part of
their 25-year anniversary celebration. Last year the Clemson Ring of
Honor Committee voted to induct all Clemson national championship
teams into each sports respective Ring of Honor on an anniversary year.
All Clemson national championship teams, led by their head
coach, will be inducted eventually. Saturday, Danny Ford and his 1981
football team will be inducted during pre-game ceremonies. As part of
that ceremony, Ford will be presented a replica of the 1981 National
Championship trophy.
In future years in conjunction with a team anniversary, the
1984 and 1987 Clemson men’s soccer teams coached by Dr. I.M.
Ibraham will be inducted into the soccer Ring of Honor at Riggs Fields.
The 2003 Clemson golf team coached by Larry Penley will be inducted
into the Ring of Honor as well. Those coaches will receive a replica of
their team national championship trophy as well.
Book on National Championship Team Available
In conjunction with Clemson’s 25-year anniversary of the 1981
National Championship, Charlotte Observer sports writer Ken Tysiac,
has authored a book entitled “Tales from Clemson’s 1981 Championship
Season.” The book features interviews with players and coaches from
that season in addition to inside stories on what made the Tigers
successful that season.
Tysiac also authored a book on Jim Phillips, entitled “Still
Roaring”. He covered Clemson as the beat writer for The Anderson
Independent and The State Newspaper from 1995-2003.
Tysiac’s book on the Tigers championship season is
on sale at the Clemson bookstore on campus, Mr.
Knickerbocker’s in downtown Clemson, and is also available by
ordering through sportspublishingllc.com. He will be available
for a book signing at Mr. Knickerbocker’s from 9:00 AM to 11:00
AM this Saturday prior to the North Carolina game.
Seven Tigers on Preseason Honors Lists
Seven different Clemson players are on a total of 12 preseason
award lists for 2006. The list is led by Gaines Adams, who appears on
five different preseason awards lists. Last year, Tye Hill reached the final
three of the Thorpe Award (outstanding defensive back), while Jad Dean
was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award.
Adams is on the preseason list for the Walter Camp Award
(college player of the year), the Lombardi Award (top lineman), Bronko
Nagurski Award (top defensive player), the Bednarik Award (top
defensive player) and the Hendrick Award (top defensive end).
Linebacker Anthony Waters is on the preseason list for the
Nagurski Award and the Bednarik Award with Adams, and is also on the
preseason list for the Butkus Award, which goes to the top linebacker in
the nation. Former Clemson linebacker Keith Adams was a finalist for
the award in 2000.
Two Clemson offensive linemen have been named to
preseason lists. Starting center Dustin Fry is on the preseason list for
the Dave Rimington Award. Fry was an intern this summer in the
athletic department for former Clemson All-American Kyle Young. Young
was a two-time finalist for the award in 2000 and 2001. Offensive guard
Roman Fry is on the preseason list for the Outland Trophy which goes to
the top lineman in college football.
Clemson sophomore running back James Davis is on the
preseason list for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. That
honor goes to the top college football player in the nation.
Senior kicker Jad Dean is on the preseason list for the Lou
Groza Award. As stated above he was a finalist last season.
Chansi Stuckey is the returning ACC reception champion and
is on the preseason list of candidates for the Belitnikof Award, which
goes to the top receiver in the nation.
Clemson Preseason Award List Summary
Player Award Preseason List Gaines Adams Walter Camp, Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award Anthony Waters Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Dick Butkus Award Dustin Fry Dave Rimington Award Roman Fry Outland Trophy James Davis Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Chansi Stuckey Fred Belitnikof Award Jad Dean Lou Groza Award
Adams Leads Clemson Defense
Gaines Adams is the leader of the Clemson defense. He is a
unique story in that he played eight-man football in high school at
Cambridge Academy for former South Carolina quarterback Steve
Tanneyhill. He then went to Fork Union Military Academy where he had
22 sacks his one season there.
Adams had 15 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks last year to
lead Clemson in both categories. He had 56 tackles overall. Including
two sacks at Florida State, he now has 17.5 sacks in his career and has
an outside shot at Michael Dean’ Perry’s career record of 28. He had
seven tackles in the win at Florida State and was named ACC Defensive
Lineman of the Week.
Adams is on the preseason list for five different awards,
including the Bednarik and Nagurski Awards and the Ted Hendricks
Award.
Bowden vs. National Championship Coaches
Tommy Bowden has had a habit of defeating veteran
coaches who have won the National Championship since he has been
the head coach at Clemson. He kept the stat going in the season
opener when he defeated Howard Schnellenberger and Florida
Atlantic. He continued it in the third game when he defeated his
father, Bobby Bowden in Tallahassee. That was the third time in four
years he has defeated his father.
Schnellenberger led the University of Miami (FL) to the
national championship in 1983 with an Orange Bowl win over
Nebraska, just two years after Clemson had captured the title with an
Orange Bowl win over the Cornhuskers. Bowden now has 12 wins
over coaches who have won the national championship since 1999,
his first year at Clemson. That includes four in the last six games, as
he defeated his dad and Steve Spurrier at the end of the 2005 season.
Only two other coaches have defeated both Bobby Bowden
and Steve Spurrier in the same year. Phillip Fulmer did it for
Tennessee in 1998, the year his Volunteers won the National
Championship, and Butch Davis did it in 2000, his last year at Miami
(FL).
Bowden already has the Clemson record for wins over
coaches who had won a national championship. Danny Ford had
seven such victories in his Clemson career between 1978-87. The
national championship coaches Ford defeated were Woody Hayes of
Ohio State, Barry Switzer of Oklahoma, Dan Devine of Notre Dame,
Joe Paterno of Penn State and Vince Dooley of Georgia (three times).
He also defeated Tom Osborne of Nebraska, but Osborne had not yet
won a national championship when Ford beat him in the 1982 Orange
Bowl.
Tommy Bowden’s Wins over Championship Coaches
Year Coach School CU-Opp
1999 Lou Holtz South Carolina 31-21
2000 Lou Holtz South Carolina 16-14
2002 Lou Holtz South Carolina 27-20
2003 Bobby Bowden Florida State 26-10
Lou Holtz South Carolina 63-17
Phillip Fulmer Tennessee 27-14
2004 Larry Coker Miami (FL) 24-17
Lou Holtz South Carolina 29-7
2005 Bobby Bowden Florida State 35-14
Steve Spurrier South Carolina 13-9
2006 Howard Schnellenberger Florida Atlantic 54-6
Bobby Bowden Florida State 27-20
Clemson Defense Hit Hard by Injuries
Clemson was without three of its returning starters at
linebacker in Anthony Waters, Michael Hamlin, and Tramaine Billie at
Florida State. Waters and Billie were ranked first and third in tackles on
the Clemson defensive last year, respectively. Billie suffered a broken
foot in the preseason and could miss the entire season, while Waters
tore an ACL in the opener against Florida Atlantic and is lost for the
season.
A third returning starter from Clemson’s 11th scoring defense of
2005 was injured at Boston College. Michael Hamlin suffered a broken
foot while attempting to make an interception in the fourth period of the
Boston College game and is out for at least 4-6 weeks. He had surgery
on Monday, September 11.
Injuries had not been a problem in the first seven years of the
Bowden era. In his first seven seasons, a total of 142 player games were
missed due to injury, an average of 20.2 player games per season. That
included 78 player games by would be starters, an average of 11.1 player
games per season. The most player games missed due to injury since
Tommy Bowden came to Clemson in 1999 was 40 by the 2002 team.
That season there were 26 games missed due to injury by would be
starters, also the most in his era at Clemson.
Prior to this year, Bowden has had just five would be starters
suffer injuries within the first half of the season who missed he rest of the
season. Those players are Marcus Houskin, safety in 2001 who missed
the last 10 games of the year, Derrick Brantley, defensive tackle in 2002
who missed the last 11 games of the year, Toure Francis, CB, who
missed the last 12 games of the 2002 season, J.J. Howard, DE, who
missed the last seven games of 2003, and Vontrell Jamison, defensive
tackle, who missed the last eight games of 2004.
Despite these injuries, Clemson held Florida State to just 204
yards of total offense, Clemson’s best total defense effort ever against
the Seminoles.
Stuckey Had Career Day at Boston College
Chansi Stuckey had a career high tying 11 catches for 124
yards in the loss at Boston College. His reception yardage total included
62 yards in regulation and an incredible 62 receiving yards in the two
overtimes. The 11 receptions tied for second in school history, trailing
only the 12 catches Airese Currie had against Middle Tennessee State in
2003.
Stuckey had 11 catches in the win over Florida State last year,
so he tied his career high in the performance against Boston College.
Phil Rogers had 11 catches against North Carolina in 1965 and Rod
Gardner had 11 against Marshall in 1999, the first game of the Tommy
Bowden era. Stuckey’s 11 receptions against Boston College tied his
own Clemson record for an ACC game.
Stuckey also went over the 100-career reception mark with his
performance at Boston College. The August of 2006 Clemson graduate
hit #100 with his fourth reception of the game, a six-yard catch in the
second period.
His 110 total receptions are now 10th in school history. He has
already jumped from 15th to 10th on the Clemson career list with his 16
receptions so far this year. He had three catches, including a touchdown
reception at Florida State. He now has six touchdown catches in his
career and three are against Florida State.
In terms of reception yards, Stuckey now has 224 yards for the
season and 1284 for his career. With his 1284 he has a chance to move
into the top 15 in Clemson history against North Carolina. He is
currently in 16 th place, but is just seven yards away from surpassing Ray
Williams’ 1290 total. He went ahead of (1255), John McMakin (1255)
and J.J. McKelvey (1277) in the win at Florida State.
Stuckey leads the ACC in receptions per game and reception
yards per game.
Clemson Career Reception Leaders
Rk Player Years Yards Avg TD Rec 1. Derrick Hamilton 2001-03 2312 13.8 16 167 2. Rod Gardner 1997-00 2498 15.0 13 166 3. Terry Smith 1990-03 2681 16.5 15 162 4. Perry Tuttle 1978-81 2534 16.9 17 150 5. Kevin Youngblood 2000-03 1713 12.1 6 142 6. Jerry Butler 1975-78 2223 16.0 11 139 7. Brian Wofford 1996-99 1857 13.5 13 138 8. Airese Currie 2001-04 2030 14.7 10 138 9. Tony Horne 1994-97 1750 14.6 13 120 10. Chansi Stuckey 2003-06 1284 11.6 6 110 11. Phil Rogers 1965-67 1469 13.9 5 106 12. Travis Zachery 1998-01 1057 10.1 9 105 13. Mal Lawyer 1996-99 1255 12.7 9 99
Tommy Bowden Has 11 top 25 Wins
Clemson has 15 wins over teams who have been ranked in the
top 10 in the nation by at least one service and Tommy Bowden has been
the coach for five of those 15. The list includes a 26-10 victory over third
ranked Florida State in 2003, the highest ranked team Clemson has
defeated in its history. Bowden also had a top 10 win over Tennessee (6)
in the Peach Bowl at the end of the 2003 season, a win at 10th ranked
Miami (FL) in 2004 and a win at ninth ranked Georgia Tech in 2001.He
added a win over ninth ranked Florida State in Tallahassee to the list on
September 16.
Overall, Bowden has 11 top 25 wins in his career at Clemson.
His first came in his first victory, a 33-14 win over 19th ranked Virginia in
1999. Bowden tied Frank Howard for second place on the Clemson
coaching list for top 25 wins with the win at Florida State. Howard had 11
in his career between 1940-69. It should be noted that there were only
10 teams ranked for eight of the years Howard coached. Danny Ford is
the all-time leader with 20 top 25 wins in his career.
Entering this season, this 2006 Clemson senior class had
seven top 25 wins, tied for 10th most in the country with Oklahoma,
Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Ohio State had the most entering the
season with 13. The seniors now have eight with the win over Florida
State.
Bowden Wins over top 25 Teams
Year Opponent Site AP-USA CU-Opp 1999 Virginia H 22-19 33-14 2000 South Carolina H 25-NR 16-14 2001 Georgia Tech A 9-11 47-44 (OT) 2003 Virginia H 25-24 30-27 (OT) 2003 Florida State H 3-3 26-10 2003 Tennessee N 6-7 27-14 2004 Miami (FL) A 11-10 24-17 (OT) 2005 Texas A&M H 17-17 25-24 2005 Florida State H 17-16 35-14 2005 South Carolina A 19-21 13-9 2006 Florida State A 9-11 27-20
Spiller Goes the Distance
Clemson freshman running back turned a pass in the right flat
into an 82-yard touchdown reception from Will Proctor in the second
quarter of the Boston College game. It was a breath-taking run that
featured a traverse across the entire width of the field. He showed why
he was the Florida State 100 meter dash champion in 2006 and the
Golden West National Champion in Sacramento, CA last summer.
That was just his second career reception, but the 82-yarder
set a record for the longest catch in Clemson history by a freshman and
the longest pass reception in Clemson history by a running back.
Overall, it was the fourth longest pass reception in Clemson history and
the longest since Airese Currie had an 83-yard scoring pass from Charlie
Whitehurst at North Carolina in 2002. That was Whitehurst’s second
career start as a Clemson QB.
Spiller had a productive day at Boston College. He finished the
day with 82 receiving yards on three catches, the most receiving yards by
a running back since Travis Zachery had 86 receiving yards against
Wake Forest in 2000. There has been just one 100-yard receiving game
by a running back in Clemson history. Jackie Calvert had three
receptions for 100 yards vs. Duquesne in 1950.
Spiller also had 5-31 rushing (a 6.2 average) and had 3-58 in
kickoff returns for 171 all-purpose running yards in just his second
college game.
Spiller, who attended Union County High in Lake Butler, FL,
narrowed his choices of schools to Clemson, Florida State, Florida and
Southern Cal coming out of high school. He wears #28 in honor of
former Florida State running back Warrick Dunn, his idle growing up.
Chason Much Improved in First Performance 2006
Cole Chason made his first appearance of the season as the
starting punter in the Boston College Game. The graduate did not have
to punt in the opener against Florida Atlantic, the first time since 1988
Clemson did not have to punt in a game.
Chason had six punts for a 40.2-yard average at Boston
College, much improved over his 36.4 average last year. His
performance against Boston College included a career long 55-yard punt,
and he also had two punts inside the 20 in his six attempts. He had a
solid game at Florida State with a 39.4 average on seven punts,
including one inside the 20.
Chason is actually in range of the Clemson record for punts
inside the 20 in a career. He has 53 for his career including the two at
Boston College, 16 short of the Clemson record of 69 by Dale Hatcher
set in 1981-84.
Davis Goes over 1000 Yards
James Davis had 94 yards on the ground in 24 carries at
Boston College. He went over the 1000-mark in his career on his
seventh carry of the game. That seventh carry gave him 31 yards for
the game and 1004 for his career. It was a six-yard run.
Davis reached 1000 yards rushing in just 186 carries, the
second quickest to that landmark level in Clemson history. Ronald
Williams reached 1000 yards in 185 carries, while Terry Allen is now third
with 1000 yards in 187 attempts.
Davis reached 1000 yards in his 13th career game, fourth best
in Clemson history. Williams, Allen and Ray Yauger all did it by their 12th
game. Davis would have tied them had he not played one play against
Georgia Tech last year. That counted as a game played for Davis.
Davis is the top rusher in the ACC this year with an average of
91.3 yards per game. He has now had a 100-yard game, but has been
at least 87 yards for every game. He had 87 in 19 carries against Florida
State, including the game winner with eight seconds left.
Quickest to 1,000-yards Rushing
Career Games Carries Rk Players Years Yards to 1000 to 1000 1. Ronald Williams 1990-92 1824 12 185 Terry Allen 1987-89 2778 12 187 Ray Yauger 1968-70 2439 12 202 4. James Davis 2005-06 1153 13 186 5. Buddy Gore 1966-68 2571 14 6. Billy Hair 1950-52 1579 15 7. Fred Cone 1948-50 2172 18 Harold Goggins 1975-78 1377 18 9. Stacey Driver 1982-85 2293 19 Ken Callicutt 1973-77 2256 19
Clemson Gains 479 Yards But Suffers Loss at Boston College
Clemson gained 479 yards at Boston College, but still lost the
contest. That was the second most total offense yards in a loss in
school history. The record is 492 against Georgia Tech in 1975.
Clemson had 511 yards of total offense against Virginia in 1991, a game
the two teams tied. Clemson had nine pass plays of 20 yards or more to
five different receivers at Boston College. Clemson’s defense did not
allow a pass play or a rush of over 20 yards by the Eagles offense.
Clemson did the Following at Boston College, yet lost the game
*Gained 479 yards of total offense and averaged 6.1 yards per
play.
*Threw for 343 yards, sixth best team performance in Clemson
history through the air
*Out-gained the Eagles by 168 yards of total offense
*Won the rushing game 147-110.
*Had just one turnover, a lost fumble
*Averaged over 40 yards per punt
ïConverted on third down 50 percent of the time (9-18).
*Had a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver and a 93-yard
rusher
*Did not allow a play over 20 yards on defense.
Clemson Improved on third Down
Clemson showed great improvement on third down against
Boston College, especially relative to last year when Clemson was 0-11.
That was the only time on record (since 1978) that Clemson has gone an
entire game without converting on third down. But in the 2006 game in
Boston, the Tigers were 9-18 on third down for 50 percent. Clemson
now leads the ACC in third-down conversion percentage at 51 percent,
having converted 23-45 so far this year.
Tigers Last Six Losses by Combined 18 Points
There are two ways of looking at it. Clemson has now gone
21 consecutive games without losing by more than six points.
Clemson’s 21-game streak without a loss by more than six is
second only to Southern Cal’s streak of 51 consecutive games
without suffering a loss by more than six points. Georgia is third with
a 16-game streak.
The Tigers are 15-6 in those 21 games and all six of the losses
have been by six points or less with three of the six coming in overtime.
Clemson has lost the six games by 18 total points, but if you counted the
three overtime losses as zero (since the score was tied at the end of
regulation), then the six losses have been by just eight total points.
If Clemson had scored just 14 more points in those six losses
the Tigers would be on a 21-game winning streak. Clemson’s last loss
by more than six points was at Virginia in 2004, a 30-10 loss.
This is the longest stretch of games without a loss by more
than six points since the 1980-83 era when Clemson went 25
consecutive games without a loss of more than six points. Boston
College broke that streak in Boston in 1983 with a 31-16 victory over the
Tigers.
Clemson lost to Boston College by just one point this year, 34-
33 in overtime on September 9, Clemson’s third overtime loss in a row
after five consecutive overtime wins since the rule started in 1996. It
marked the second straight year Clemson has lost in overtime to Boston
College, as the Eagles won at Clemson 16-13 last year in overtime. This
year’s game was a double overtime affair.
Clemson has now played four consecutive overtime games
against the new teams in the ACC, two against Miami (FL) and two
against Boston College. Clemson defeated the Hurricanes in overtime in
Miami in 2004, but lost to the Hurricanes in triple overtime in 2005.
Clemson has its first ACC game with Virginia Tech as an ACC member
on October 26. Don’t bet against an overtime game that night.
Clemson’s Last Six Defeats
Year Opponent Site Score 2004 Duke A 13-16 2005 Miami (FL) H 30-36 (3OT) 2005 Boston College H 13-16 (OT) 2005 Wake Forest A 27-31 2005 Georgia Tech A 9-10 2006 Boston College A 33-34 (2OT)
Waters Has Torn ACL
Clemson senior linebacker Anthony Waters, the Tigers top
tackler in 2005 and the ACC’s top returning tackler for 2006, suffered a
torn ACL during Clemson’s 54-6 victory over Florida Atlantic and will be
lost for the season. An MRI revealed that Waters has a torn ACL and he
will have surgery sometime within the next three weeks. Waters is a fifth
year senior who does not have another year of eligibility. He had the
surgery on Monday, September 18.
In January, Waters had contemplated turning professional, but
decided to return to Clemson and finish requirements towards his
degree. He is finished with his class work and only needs to complete an
internship to receive his degree in December.
Waters led Clemson in tackles in 2005 with 109, including 13.5
tackles for loss and one sack. He added seven passes broken up. The
native of Lake View, SC was listed as a first-team preseason All-
American by Phil Steele, a second-team All-American by Street & Smith
and The Sporting News.
He was also listed on the preseason award list for the Bronko
Nagurski Award and the Butkus Award. He was ranked as the #2
linebacker in the nation by Phil Steele and the #6 linebacker in the nation
by Scout.com entering the 2006 season.
“This is difficult to accept with this being my senior year,” said
Waters. “I will just have to do whatever I can to help this team from the
sidelines from a leadership standpoint this year.
“Many players have come back from this injury to play again. I
look at some of my current teammates who have gone through this injury
(Donnell Clark), and see players from other ACC schools, like Antonio
Cromartie (Florida State) who overcame the same injury to become a
first-round draft choice just last year.
“I am just leaving everything in God’s hands at this point.”
Merriweather Goes over 1500 Yards
Clemson senior running back Reggie Merriweather had nine
carries for 75 yards and a touchdown in the win over Florida Atlantic.
With the 75 yards, the native of North Augusta, SC went over the 1500
yard mark for his career. He now has 1542 for his career and needs
just four more to move into the top 25 in Clemson history. Charlie
Timmons is currently 25th with 1545.
Merriweather averaged 8.3 yards per carry for the season
opener against Florida Atlantic, his best performance on a yards per
carry basis since he had 8-90 against Georgia Tech in 2004. That was
an 11.3 average. Merriweather’s touchdown against Florida Atlantic was
the 19th of his career, all of have been rushing. He is also in the top 25 in
Clemson history in total touchdowns scored.
Merriweather is second on the Clemson team in rushing so far
this year with 101 yards and a 5.9 average.
Ray Ray Leads Special Team Tacklers
Clemson’s top special teams tackler in the season opener
against Florida Atlantic was red-shirt freshman Ray Ray McElrathbey.
The native of Atlanta had three tackles on the six special teams kickoff
returns by Florida Atlantic so he was in on half of the opportunities. He
was named Clemson’s Special Teams Player of the Game by the
coaching staff.
He added a special teams tackle at Boston College so he still
leads the team with four for the season.
McElrathbey was making his first appearance, as he was red-
shirted last year when he was a scout ream player. Tommy Bowden
used his athletic ability last year to prepare his team for the next
opponent. One week he was a running back, the next week an option
quarterback, the next week a wide receiver, then he would play
defensive back.
McElrathbey was in the national news before he even played a
game for Clemson. This summer he was granted temporary custody of
his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr, who lives with him in an off campus
apartment. His mother has struggled with a drug addition, so Ray Ray
has taken on the added responsibility of caring for his brother.
The original story in the Charleston Post Courier has led to
an article in USA Today and Sports Illustrated had an item in
Scorecard in early September..
The NCAA granted him a special waiver on Monday,
September 11, allowing him to have wives and relatives of Clemson
athletic department employees provide transportation for Fahmarr to and
from elementary school. Also a trust will be set up for Fahmarr’s benefit
to provide him with daily food and clothing.
Tigers Score Twice on Returns in Opener
Clemson had two returns for touchdowns in the victory over
Florida Atlantic. Freshman Jacoby Ford raced 92 yards for a touchdown
on a punt return in the fourth period and senior Sergio Gilliam raced 31
yards for a touchdown on a fumble return. In fact, the two returns came
just 4:31 apart and accounted for Clemson’s last two scores of the game.
Clemson’s offense was not on the field over the last 6:48 because of the
two returns.
This marked the seventh time in Clemson history that the
Tigers have had two returns for touchdown in the same game. The last
time it took place was 2004 when Justin Miller tied an NCAA record with
two kickoff returns for scores at Florida State.
Clemson scored a touchdown on special teams, one on
defense and five on offense in Saturday’s win over Florida Atlantic. That
marked the first time since the 1997 South Carolina game that Clemson
had scored at least one touchdown in all three phases of the game
(offense, defense and special teams).
The other games Clemson has scored two touchdowns via
return in the same game are 1954 vs. Citadel (when Walt Laraway
scored on an interception return and a blocked punt return), 1970 at
Maryland, 1987 vs. Georgia Tech, and 1990 vs. Long Beach State.
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