South Carolina vs Clemson Postgame Notes

by Press Release - Sat Nov 25 22:15:18 GMT-04:00 2006

• Jad Dean had made eight consecutive field goals before he missed from 39 yards on the last play of today's game. He had missed just one field goal, a 53-yard boot at Wake Forest, since he had a 32-yarder blocked and returned for a touchdown at Florida State in the third game of the year. He had made 11 of his last 12 entering today's game. Dean had been 11-12 on field goals in Death Valley this year with the only miss coming on a 32-yard miss against Florida Atlantic in the season opener. In fact, over his career, Dean had been 27-29 at home on field goal attempts inside the 40. Today was just his third miss at home on a field goal attempt inside the 40.

• C.J. Spiller gained 155 yards in 10 carries in today's game. It marked the second consecutive game that he has gained at least 150 yards rushing. This marks the first time since the 2001 season that a Clemson player has rushed for at least 150 yards in consecutive games. Woody Dantzler, who was at today's game, had 164 against Georgia Tech and 184 against NC State in consecutive games that year. Spiller is the first Clemson running back to gain at least 150 yards rushing in consecutive games since Terry Allen in 1988. Allen had 154 against Wake Forest and 167 against North Carolina in consecutive games that year.

• Spiller now has 914 yards rushing this season to go with James Davis 1134. This is the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers have had two running backs gain at least 900 yards in the same season. Clemson has had two 1000 yard rushers in the same season, but one was quarterback Woody Dantzler in 2000.

• Spiller now has 914 yards rushing in just 124 carries. He has 10 rushing touchdowns and 12 overall. He now has a 7.37-yards per carry average. If the season ended today that would be the second best yards per rush average in Clemson history. The standing record for a season is 7.39 yards per carry by Billy Hair in 1950.

• Spiller's 7.37 yards per rushing attempt is the best by an ACC player since Warrick Dunn had a 7.48 average for Florida State in 1995 and the fourth best in ACC history. Dunn is Spiller's favor NFL player and that is why he wears #28 in his honor.

• Spiller now has 914 yards rushing for the season and needs just 60 rushing yards in a bowl game to break Terry Allen's freshman rushing record of 973 in 1987.

• The Davis and Spiller combination now has 27 rushing touchdowns this year, breaking the Clemson record for rushing touchdowns by two Clemson players in the same year. Travis Zachery and Dantzler had 26 combined in 2000 and that was the previous mark.

• Chansi Stuckey had four catches for 47 yards today and extended his streak with at least one reception to 30 consecutive games. It is the second longest streak in Clemson history behind the 36-game streak by Jerry Butler from 1975-78.

• Today marked just the fifth time in Clemson history the Tigers had three touchdown plays of 50 yards or more in the same game. It also occurred against Furman in 1950, Georgia Tech in 1987 and Louisiana Tech in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl. The three plays today were the 76-yard pass reception by Jacoby Ford, the 80 yard run by C.J. Spiller and the 82-yard interception return by Jock McKissic.

• Clemson now has 14 touchdown plays of 50 yards or more, more than any other team in Clemson history.

• Making big plays was not enough for Clemson today. The Tigers averaged 7.2 yards per play, but lost the game. This was the highest yards per play average for Clemson in a loss since 2002. Clemson had a 7.2 yards per play average in a 48-31 loss at Florida State in 2002. Clemson now averages 6.52 yards per play for the season, on pace to break the Clemson record for a season, 6.16 in 1950.

• Thomas Hunter had 35 receiving yards today, giving him 305 for the season. He is the first Clemson tight end to go over 300 receiving yards in a season since Bennie Cunningham had 312 in 1975.

• Clemson ends the regular season with four losses, three by three points or less. Clemson now has eight losses over the last two seasons and seven have been by six points or less. Virginia Tech's 24-7 win in Blacksburg this year is the only loss by over six points over the last two years.

Clemson vs. South Carolina Series Notes

• Clemson had three touchdown plays of at least 50 yards today against South Carolina. It marked the first time in history that Clemson had at least three scoring plays of 50 yards or more in the same game against South Carolina. In fact, entering today, Clemson had had just two touchdown plays of 50 yards or more against South Carolina since 1978. Yet the Tigers lost today's game.

• This was the first time since the 1996 game that both teams scored at least 28 points. That 1996 contest was a 34-31 South Carolina victory. That was the last time South Carolina defeated Clemson at Clemson. Clemson assistant head coach Brad Scott was the South Carolina coach in that game. That was also the last time South Carolina scored more than 30 points against Clemson.

• And speaking of that game in 1996, Clemson kicker Matt Padgett missed a 37-yard field goal with 11 seconds left of that game. Today, Jad Dean missed a 39 yard field goal with 13 seconds left. That was also the last time South Carolina defeated a top 25 Clemson team. The Tigers were 22nd in the AP poll entering the 1996 game and 24th today.

• South Carolina defeated Clemson after the Tigers had two weeks to prepare for the first time since 1896, the first game in the history of the series. Clemson had been 7-1 against South Carolina with two weeks to prepare historically.

• So much for the importance of an extra week of preparation. When Clemson defeated Georgia Tech this year, 31-7 in its most impressive performance of the year, Georgia Tech had two weeks to prepare for the Tigers.

• South Carolina is now 7-1 against Clemson when the Tigers are attempting to defeat the Gamecocks for a fifth straight season. Clemson has now beaten South Carolina five times in a row since a seven game streak from 1934-40.