Wake Forest vs Clemson Game Notes |
Game 6: Clemson vs. Wake Forest
Saturday, October 17, 2009 Kickoff: 12:10 PM Clemson Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (81,500) Television: Raycom Steve Martin, Doc Walker, Mike Hogewood Clemson Radio Network Announcers: Pete Yanity, Will Merritt, Patrick Sapp Series History: Clemson leads 56-17-1 at Clemson: Clemson leads 33-7 at Memorial Stadium: Clemson leads 28-7 At Winston-Salem: Clemson leads 20-10-1 Last Year: Wake Forest 12, Clemson 7 Last Clemson Win: 44-10 at Clemson in 2007 Last Wake Forest win at Clemson: 29-19 in 1998 Games over last 6 Years: 3-3 Clemson Personnel Update J.K. Jay (OT)--Freshman who had season end¬ing back surgery in August. Stanley Hunter (LB)--Retired from football due to epilepsy Jamaal Medlin (DT)--Retired from football due to knee micro fracture. Milestones in Range, Streaks •C.J. Spiller needs just 59 all-purpose running yards to become the first ACC player in history to reach 6000 all-purpose yards in a career. When he does he will become just the 27th player in NCAA FBS history to reach 6000 all-purpose yards. •C.J. Spiller needs three receptions to reach 100 for his career. He needs just nine receptions to become Clemson’s career leader for a running back. He has 97 and record is 105 by Travis Zachery (1998-2001) •Jacoby Ford has now caught at least one pass in 20 consecutive games he has played. •Saturday will mark Chris Chancellor’s 33rd consecutive start at cornerback. It will be Crezdon Butler’s 31st consecutive start at the opposite cornerback. •Crezdon Butler needs 80 interception return yards to become Clemson’s career leader. •Saturday will be Thomas Austin’s 30th consecutive start in the offensive line. •Clemson team has made 99 consecu¬tive extra points. Current kicker Richard Jackson is 11-11 this year following 88 in a row by Mark Buchholz in 2007-08. Last miss was in the Mu¬sic City Bowl at end of the 2006 season by John Early. Clemson vs. Wake Forest Series •Clemson owns 56 wins over Wake Forest in history, its second highest victory total over any opponent. Clemson has 65 wins over South Carolina. Forty-six of those wins against Wake Forest have taken place since the ACC was formed in 1953. Clemson is 33-7 against Wake Forest in games played in Clemson and is 28-7 in Death Valley in the series that dates to a 13-0 Clemson win in Charlotte in 1933. •Wake Forest won last year’s game by a 12-7 score in Winston-Salem. It was the last game of Tommy Bowden’s career at Clemson as he resigned the Monday after the Thursday night game. •Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe has a 3-5 record against Clemson in his eight years at Wake Forest. All three of the wins have taken place at Wake Forest. He is 0-3 in Death Valley and Wake Forest has not won at Clemson since 1998 when Jim Caldwell coached the Demon Deacons to a 29-19 win. Wake Forest has won just twice at Clemson since 1962 and Caldwell won both games. He also defeated Clemson in 1993, Ken Hatfield’s last year as Clemson coach. •This will be Dabo Swinney’s first game as Clemson head coach against Wake Forest. The Tigers are 3-3 against Wake Forest in the six games he has coached in the series since he came to Clemson as an assistant coach. •Clemson won the 2006 game at Wake Forest, 27-17. Gaines Adams, now with the Tampa Bay Bucs of the NFL, had a game changing 66-yard fumble return on a botched field goal attempt in the fourth quarter to cut the Demon Deacons lead to 17-10. The Tigers scored 24 points in the fourth period to gain the victory. Current Tiger running back C.J. Spiller had a 72-yard run in that game. •Clemson played at Wake Forest three times in a four year period from 2003-06. Clemson was 2-1 in those three games at Wake Forest during that time. But with last year’s loss, Clemson has lost three of its last four at Wake Forest. However, Clemson has won four in a row over Wake Forest in Clemson. • The Deacs won 45-17 in 2003 against a Clemson team that finished the year 9-4 and ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Clem¬son won four in a row after that game and Wake Forest lost its last three games. •Clemson has a 46-9-1 edge in the series since 1953, a .830 winning percentage. Clemson has played Wake Forest in football 56 consecutive years, as the last year the two schools did not play was 1952. The two schools are in the same division, so they will continue to play annually. •Clemson has a 20-10-1 lead in the series in games played at Wake Forest, including 12-6-1 in games played at Groves Stadium. •Only one coach in history won as many as four games against Clemson without a loss in Death Valley and the coach was from Wake Forest. Frank Howard and Peahead Walker had a close friendship, but Peahead had a 4-0 record against Howard in Death Valley. •Clemson has won 11 out of 15 against Wake Forest dating to 1994. The Demon Deacons won back-to-back games in 1992-93, the only time Wake Forest has won consecu¬tive contests against Clemson since 1946-47. Wake Forest is looking for back to back wins in the series this year as well. •Clemson has a 7-3 record against Wake Forest under Tommy Bowden, but five of the seven Clemson wins were decided by 10 points or less. •The two teams have played at three neutral sites games over the years, including Tokyo, Japan. Clemson won that game in 1982 by a 21-17 score to close out an ACC Champion¬ship season. •Clemson defeated a Wake Forest team coached by current Virginia coach Al Groh on Halloween Day 1981 by an 82-24 score. That is the highest scoring game in ACC history in¬volving two league teams. Clemson was 12-12 on third down in that game, a school record. The Tigers went on to win the national championship that season. Most Wins by Clemson vs. Opponents
Opponent Record
South Carolina 65-37-4
Last Year vs. Wake Forest
Wake Forest 12, Clemson 7
At Wake Forest, October 9, 2008
D.J. Boldin’s seven-yard touchdown reception with 5:28 left in the game propelled #21 Wake Forest to a 12-7 victory over Clemson at BB&T Field on October 9. The game, a Thursday-night contest televised by ESPN, was the last of Head Coach Tommy Bowden’s tenure at Clem¬son.
After Wake Forest maintained a 3-0 lead at halftime, Jacoby Ford’s “circus” touchdown catch gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead entering the fourth quar¬ter. But a Demon Deacon field goal and Boldin’s touchdown gave Wake Forest a five-point win in the defensive struggle.
Wake Forest outgained the Tigers 342-198 thanks in part to 82 plays, compared to just 58 plays for Clemson. The Demon Deacons totaled 156 yards on the ground and 186 through the air, while Clemson was held to just 21 rushing yards.
The Demon Deacons won the field-position battle, as their average starting field posi¬tion was 12 yards better than Clemson’s (38-26). Wake Forest did not allow a sack, did not commit a turnover, and won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 12 minutes. The Demon Deacons also were 10-21 on third-down conversions and held the Tiger offense to just 2-14 on third down. Wake Forest committed just two penalties, including one on offense, as well.
Riley Skinner was 22-34 for 186 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass. He also rushed for a game-high 73 yards on 11 carries. Josh Adams added 56 yards on the ground, while Ben Wooster had five catches for a team-high 36 yards.
Cullen Harper was 15-35 for 177 yards along with a touchdown and interception. His fa¬vorite target was Ford, who had five receptions for 43 yards, both team-highs, along with a touchdown catch. James Davis had a team-high 25 rushing yards.
The Wake Forest defense forced four consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons moved the ball effectively in the first quarter but had very little to show for their efforts thanks to a stout Clemson defense.
Boldin carried 19 yards and Adams fol¬lowed with a 23-yard rush on Wake Forest’s first two offensive plays of the game. After a 21-yard scramble by Skinner set up first-and-goal at the one, Clemson stiffened on the next three plays to force a field-goal attempt. A bad snap and hold then caused Shane Popham to miss a 25-yard field goal.
On Wake Forest’s next possession, it drove 62 yards for the game’s first score. Skinner’s pass to Brandon Pendergrass set up first-and-goal at the Clemson five. But again, the Tigers with¬stood and Popham made a 22-yard field goal.
Clemson moved the ball for the first time midway through the second quarter. Harper con¬nected with Tyler Grisham for 22 yards, then C.J. Spiller ran 10 yards. But Spiller suffered a leg injury on the play and was lost for the game. Later in the drive, Clemson stalled one yard short of a first down at the Demon Deacon 47. The Tigers called for a fake punt, but Michael Hamlin was stopped for no gain.
Late in the second quarter, Popham missed wide-right on a 39-yard field-goal attempt. Clemson took over and advanced 39 yards into Wake Forest territory, but a desperation fourth-down pass fell incomplete, keeping the score 3-0 at halftime.
After the two teams combined for four punts to start the third quarter, Wake Forest moved the ball inside the Tiger 30. But Skinner’s pass on fourth-and-four pass was incomplete.
The Tigers took over and drove 70 yards in eight plays to take the lead. Harper found a wide-open Nelson Faerber for 35 yards. Three plays later on third-and-two, Wake Forest was flagged for pass interference to extend the drive. Then on second-and-goal from the 10, Harper found Ford over the middle for six points. Ford bobbled the ball as he made his way to the goal line but hung on just before he was hit by a Demon Deacon defender.
After a Tiger punt, Wake Forest took over at its own 22. After two rushes that netted -9 yards and a five-yard penalty, the Demon Dea¬cons faced third-and-24 from their own eight. But Skinner connected with Boldin over the middle for a crucial 28-yard gain. Wake Forest continued to march down the field, converting two more third downs. The drive was capped by Boldin’s seven-yard touchdown catch and run with 5:28 remaining in the game. The two-point-conversion try was unsuccessful.
After two incompletions and a sack, Xavier Dye responded with a clutch 19-yard catch and run on fourth-and-17 in Clemson territory. But another fourth-and-long was not converted.
Brandon Maye paced the Tiger defense with 13 tackles, while Chris Clemons had 10. Kevin Alexander and Jarvis Jenkins added two tackles for loss apiece for Clemson, who had 14 tackles for loss (by 12 different players) and 10 pass breakups (by seven different players) in the game.
Last Meeting vs. Wake Forest at Clemson
Clemson 44, Wake Forest 10
November 10, 2009 at Clemson, SC
Clemson scored points on eight of its 10 possessions, as the #20 Tigers cruised to a 44-10 win over Wake Forest at Memorial Sta¬dium on November 10, 2007. It was Clemson’s fourth victory in a row.
The Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, only to see Wake Forest narrow the margin to 10-7 late in the first quarter. But Clemson scored 17 points in the second quarter and 17 more in the second half to earn a 34-point victory.
Clemson totaled five touchdowns and three field goals. Its offense accumulated 411 yards, including 266 passing and 145 rushing, along with 26 first downs. Clemson also con¬verted 7-12 third downs and punted only twice. Meanwhile, the Tiger defense limited the reigning ACC Champions to 286 total yards, including only 82 on the ground.
Cullen Harper was 27-35 for 266 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. He also added a touchdown run. Aaron Kelly had a game-high 10 catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyler Grisham caught nine balls for 100 yards and a score. Kelly broke the school record for touchdown catches with his 10th and 11th of the season.
James Davis rushed for a game-high 62 yards on 21 carries, and C.J. Spiller added 54 rushing yards on only eight carries.
Spiller was also a part of Clemson’s outstanding special teams. He had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (the first allowed by Wake Forest since 2002) and added 34 yards on two punt returns. Spiller, who had 194 all-purpose yards, became the first Tiger in history to have a kickoff return for a score in back-to-back games.
Mark Buchholz, who earned ACC Specialist-of-the-Week honors, was 3-3 on field goals, including kicks of 48, 52, and 46 yards. He became the first Tiger in history to kick three field goals of at least 45 yards in a game. He was also the first Tiger since 1997 to kick a field goal of at least 50 yards.
Clemson took the opening kickoff and drove 69 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Harper’s 15-yard pass to Michael Palmer on third-and-eight along with a pass-interference penalty on third-and-12 set up Harper’s seven-yard keeper for a score.
After a three-and-out by Wake For¬est, Harper again connected with Palmer, this time for 24 yards into Demon Deacon territory. However, the drive stalled and Buchholz kicked a 48-yard field goal.
The Demon Deacons narrowed the score to 10-7 on their next drive. Riley Skinner’s 20-yard pass to Kenny Moore on third-and-13 moved the ball into Tiger territory. Nine plays later, Josh Adams capped the 14-play, 71-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run up the middle.
On Clemson’s next drive, Harper’s 30-yard pass to Grisham moved the ball to midfield. Seven plays later on third-and-10, Harper hit Kelly for 13 yards. Harper later found a wide-open Grisham in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Another three-and-out by Wake Forest and Spiller’s 28-yard punt return set Clemson up at the Demon Deacon 31. Kelly caught passes on each of the last three plays of the drive, including a 10-yard touchdown reception.
Clemson got the ball back at its own 20 with 1:18 left before half¬time. Three more receptions by Kelly helped move the ball to the Demon Deacon 36 with one second left. Buchholz then drilled a 52-yard field goal after time had expired, upping the Tigers’ lead to 27-7.
Moore’s 55-yard punt return to the Clemson 37 breathed new life into Wake Forest in the third quarter. But three plays netted only two yards, and Sam Swank made a 52-yard field goal.
Spiller took the ensuing kickoff at the Tiger 10 and outran the Demon Deacons for a 90-yard kickoff return for a score, giving Clemson a 34-10 lead.
Kevin Marion’s 38-yard kickoff return gave the Demon Deacons the ball near midfield. Then on second-and-eight from the Clemson 27, Wake Forest was flagged for a holding penalty. Skinner was then sacked and intercepted (by Chris Chancellor) on the next two plays.
Spiller rushed 31 yards on the next play to the Wake Forest 38. After the drive stalled, Buchholz booted a 46-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
Wake Forest mounted a 66-yard drive into the red zone. But three in completions by Skinner, including one on fourth down, turned the ball over.
Clemson responded with a 13-play, 84-yard drive that took 7:29 off the clock. Grisham’s 24-yard run on a reverse advanced the ball into Wake Forest territory. After the Tigers were flagged for a holding penalty, Spiller carried 12 yards and Harper connected with a leaping Kelly for a nine-yard touchdown pass for the game’s final score.
Nick Watkins led the Tiger defense with 15 tackles. Phillip Merling was named ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week thanks to his eight tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, and four quarterback pressures. Kourtnei Brown, Jamie Cumbie, Ricky Sapp, and Dorell Scott also added one sack apiece for the Tigers.
Clemson Veterans vs. Wake Forest
Kevin Alexander (DE): Recorded three tackles in 22 snaps in 2007 against Wake Forest; Started and had a career-high six tackles at Wake Forest in 2008.
Da’Quan Bowers (DE): Had four tackles off of the bench in 33 snaps at Wake Forest in 2008.
Crezdon Butler (CB):Recorded two tackles at Wake Forest in 2006; Started and recorded four tackles in 52 snaps in 2007; Played 43 snaps as a starter at Wake Forest in 2008.
Chris Chancellor (CB): Played 11 snaps off the bench with two tackles in 2006; Had five tackles and an interception in a start against Wake Forest in 2007; Started and played 71 snaps with two pass breakups in 2008 at Wake Forest.
Kavell Conner (LB): Recorded one tackle as a reserve in 2006; Had six tackles in 14 snaps against Wake Forest in 2007; Played 63 snaps as a starter in 2008, recording nine tackles, including one tackle for loss.
Jacoby Ford (WR):Ran once for 13 yards and caught a season-high four passes at Wake Forest in 2006; DNP vs. Wake Forest in 2007 due to injury; Caught five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown at Wake Forest in 2008.
Jarvis Jenkins (DT):Recorded one tackle in 13 snaps against Wake For¬est in 2007; Totaled five tackles (two for loss) and two quarterback pres¬sures at Wake Forest in 2008.
Byron Maxwell (CB):Played for 24 snaps as a reserve and recorded 3 tackles (one for loss) in 2007; Recorded seven tackles and one pass breakup off the bench at Wake Forest in 2008.
Brandon Maybe (LB):Started and recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss, in the 2008 game at Wake Forest.
DeAndre McDaniel (S):Recorded one tackle for loss in 20 snaps against Wake Forest in 2007; Tallied six tackles in his second career start at Wake Forest in 2008.
Ricky Sapp (DE):Played just seven snaps in 2006, recording a quarter¬back pressure; Matched a career-high seven tackles, including one sack, and three quarterback pressures against Wake Forest in 2007, Recorded five tackles, including one tackle for loss, and two quarterback pressures at Wake Forest in 2008.
C.J. Spiller (RB): Ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in 2006 at Wake Forest; Had 8-54 rushing, and added a 90-yard kickoff re¬turn for a touchdown vs. Wake Forest in 2007; Rushed for 10 yards on two carries and a 26-yard kickoff return in 2008 against Wake Forest before he suffered a hamstring injury that forced him out of the game.
Clemson Competitive, but Looking for a Close Win
Clemson enters the Wake Forest game with a 2-3 record. All three losses have been by four points or less, a 30-27 loss at Georgia Tech, 14-10 against a top 15 TCU team that is now in the top 10, and a 24-21 loss at Maryland in its most recent game.
The Tigers have been in every game to the end this year and in the 12 games under Dabo Swinney over two years. Clemson has a 6-6 record under Swinney and five of the six losses have been by five points or less. The worst margin of defeat is 14 points at Florida State last year. But, Clemson cut the margin to seven points with a minute left. FSU scored a late touchdown after Clemson attempted an onside kick.
Over the last 62 games Clemson has lost just three games by 15 points or less. Those losses were by a 24-7 score at Virginia Tech in 2006, by 18 points at home to Virginia Tech (41-23) in 2007 and by a 34-10 score to Alabama in the season opener of 2008.
Clemson is 18-3 over the last four years in games decided by 15 points or less and 5-12 in games decided by seven points or less.
While Clemson has played a lot of close games of late, so has Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have lost four straight games decided by five points or less over the last two years, including a pair of three point losses this year. Wake Forest has also won two games by seven points or less this year.
Wake Forest has played its share of close games in the Jim Grobe era. Wake Forest has had 50 of its 103 games in the Jim Grobe era decided by seven points or less (entering Maryland game on October 10) and they have a 26-24 record in those games. That includes a 5-0 record in 2006 when they won the ACC Championship. They are 16-13 in games decided by 15 points or more in that time.
Wake Forest’s worst margin of defeat in the last 57 games (dat¬ing to 2004) was a 44-10 Clemson win over Wake Forest in 2007. That was Wake Forest’s last appearance in Death Valley.
Tigers Visit Nursing Home
Each year during the open date week the Clemson football team takes part in a community service outing. Last year Clemson went to the Greenville Hospital to visit cancer patients during its open date prior to the Boston College game. On Tuesday, October 6, the Tigers went to the NHC Healthcare Center in Anderson, a nursing home just 20 miles from Clemson. The Tigers spent the afternoon with many patients in their 90s.
Spiller Compares Favorably with All-Purpose Greats
It is difficult to quantify the all-around accomplishments of Clem¬son running back C.J. Spiller this year and over his career. He became the ACC’s career leader at Maryland when he had 176 all-purpose yards and now has 5941 for his career. He needs just 59 to become the first ACC player in history with 6000 all-purpose yards. He is on pace to reach the 7,000-yard mark by the end of the season, something only three previous FBS players have accomplished.
Entering the October 17 game with Wake Forest he has 2695 yards rushing, 1074 yards receiving, 1631 yards in kickoff returns and 541 in punt returns. In the TCU game last Saturday he joined former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush of Southern California as the only FBS players in history with at least 2500 yards receiving, 1000 yards rushing 1500 in kickoff returns and 500 in punt returns.
Spiller’s impact on the game can be compared with some previ¬ous Heisman winners, or near Heisman winners who handled the ball as all-purpose players. Below is a comparison of season and career stats for Spiller, Tim Brown (Notre Dame 1984-87), Rocket Ismail (Notre Dame 1988-90), Desmond Howard (Michigan 1989-91) and Reggie Bush (South¬ern California, 2003-05).
So far this year, Spiller is averaging 207 yards per game. Only Bush and his 222.3 average during the 2005 season, is higher.
Brown averaged 173.4 in 1987, his Heisman year, and Ismail averaged 156.4 in 1990, the year he finished second in the Heisman balloting. Howard aver¬aged 155 yards per game in 1991 when he won the Heisman.
Spiller has 16 touchdowns of 50 yards or more in his career, including four already this year. Ismail had 13, Reggie Bush had 13, and Tim Brown had nine. Howard’s career total unavailable at this time.
Spiller already has three kick returns for touchdowns this year, two on kickoffs and one on a punt. All have been at least 77 yards in length. He has had a play of at least 60 yards in each game so far this year.
Comparison of All-Purpose Players Final Seasons
Category Brown Ismail Howard Bush Spiller Year 1987 1990 1991 2005 2009 Games 12 12 12 13 5 All-Purpose Yds 2085 1877 1859 2890 1033 Yards/Game 173.8 156.4 154.9 222.3 206.6 Total TDs 8 6 21 18 5 Touches 143 141 110 283 109 Yds/Play 14.6 13.3 16.9 10.2 9.5 Rushes 34 67 13 200 85 Rushing Yds 144 537 180 1740 360 Rush TDs 1 3 2 16 1 Receptions 45 32 62 37 10 Reception Yds 951 699 985 478 157 Yds/Reception 21.1 21.8 15.9 12.9 15.7 Rec TDs 4 2 19 2 1 Kickoff Returns 29 14 15 28 9 KOR Yards 585 336 412 493 334 KOR Average 20.2 24.0 27.5 17.6 37.1 TDs 0 1 1 0 2 Punt Returns 35 13 20 18 5 PR Yards 405 151 282 179 182 PR Average 11.6 11.6 14.1 9.9 36.4 TDs 3 0 1 1 1 Total TDs via Return 3 1 2 1 3 TDs 50 Yards or More 4 5 4 3 4 Comparison of All-Purpose Players for Career Category Brown Ismail Howard Bush Spiller Career 1984-87 1988-90 1989-91 2003-05 2006-09 Games 43 34 30 39 43 All-Purpose Yds 5024 4187 3943 6551 5941 AP Yards/Game 116.8 123.1 131.4 168.0 138.3 Total TDs 22 15 37 42 35 Touches 340 273 228 639 682 Rushes 98 131 23 433 475 Rushing Yds 442 1015 249 3169 2695 Rush TDs 4 5 2 25 21 Receptions 137 71 134 95 97 Reception Yards 2493 1565 2146 1301 1074 Yds/Rec 18.2 22.0 16.0 13.7 11.1 Recept TDs 12 4 32 13 8 Kickoff Returns 69 46 45 67 60 KOR Yards 1613 1271 1211 1522 1631 KOR Average 23.4 27.6 26.9 22.7 27.2 KOR TDs 3 5 2 1 5 Punt Returns 36 25 26 44 50 Punt Return Yds 476 336 337 559 541 PR Average 13.2 13.4 13.0 12.7 10.8 PR TDs 3 1 1 3 1 Total TDs via Return 6 6 3 4 6 TDs 50 Yards or More 9 13 NA 13 16
Ford Joins Exclusive Club
Jacoby Ford joined an exclusive club when he scored a touchdown on a 17-yard run at Maryland. It was Ford’s first career rush¬ing touchdown, but it gave him a touchdown four different ways over his career. Ford became just the fifth player in Clemson history to account for a touchdown at least four different ways.
He is just the fifth to do it, but two of the five are on this current Clemson team. C.J. Spiller has actually accounted for a touchdown five different ways over his career. Spiller has 21 rushing touchdowns, eight receiving touchdowns, one via a punt return and five on kickoff returns. Additionally, he threw a touchdown pass at Virginia last year.
The only other players to account for at least one touchdown four different ways are Chansi Stuckey (2003-06), Bobby Gage (1945-48) and Ray Mathews (1947-50).
Ford had a punt return and a kickoff return for a score as a fresh¬man in 2006 and has scored 12 touchdowns receiving over his career.
Jacksonville Area strong Recruiting Base for Both Teams
Perhaps today’s game should be played at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL. A look to the rosters of both teams shows us that there are 21 players from the two teams from the Jacksonville, FL area. Wake Forest has 14 players from the Jacksonville, FL area and Clemson has seven.
The list includes both starting quarterbacks, Clemson’s Kyle Parker of Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, and Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner of The Bolles School in Jacksonville.
One oddity is the fact that both teams have players from the same Jacksonville, FL high school with the same last name, but they are not re¬lated. Clemson’s Kyle Parker and Wake Forest’s Andrew Parker are close friends who played at Bartram Trail, but they are not related. The same goes for Clemson snapper Matt Skinner and Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner. Both attended Bolles School in Jacksonville, but they are not related.
Clemson Players from Jacksonville, FL Area
Name Pos High School
Jamie Harper RB Trinity Christian Academy
Kyle Parker QB Bartram Trail
Xavier Brewer CB Bartram Trail
Daniel Andrews LB Trinity Christian Academy
Matt Skinner SN Bolles
Rashard Hall DB St. Augustine
Carlton Lewis DB St. Augustine
Wake Forest Players from Jacksonville, FL Area
Name Pos High School
Jeff Griffin OG Bartram Trail
Andrew Parker TE Bartram Trail
Scott Betros LB Bolles
Chance Raines C Bolles
John Russell DT Bolles
Riley Skinner QB Bolles
D.J. Jones CB First Coast
Ramon Booi MG Nease
Jordan Williams WR Nease
John Gallagher DL Nease
Frank Souza DL Nease
Hunter Haynes LB Nease
Ricky Haynes LB Nease
Ted Stachitas QB Nease
Parker at his best vs. Wake Forest…in baseball
Clemson starting quarterback Kyle Parker will play his first football game against Wake Forest on Saturday, but it won’t be the first time he has played a sporting event against the Demon Deacons. Parker has already been a starting outfielder for the Tigers for two springs and he has had success against Wake Forest.
In fact, Parker has his highest batting average, most home runs and RBIs in his career against Wake Forest. In five career games, all starts, against Wake Forest on the baseball diamond, he has 12 hits in 20 at bats for a .600 batting average. He has scored nine runs, batted in 14 and socked five home runs.
He had arguably his best career game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on March 9, 2008 in the second game of a doubleheader. Playing in just his ninth career game and making his eighth career start, Parker was 5-5 at the plate with a Clemson record tying three home runs and seven runs batted in. His three-run home run in the top of the ninth tied the game at 11. Clemson then scored another run in that inning and won 12-11.
This will be just Parker’s sixth career start in football for the Tigers. He would probably be satisfied with a 12-20 passing performance today that would match his batting performance against Wake Forest.
Parker is a red-shirt freshman in football this year, but will be a junior in baseball this spring, an odd circumstance. But, he entered Clemson in January of 2008 and started on the baseball team immediately. He then red-shirted the 2008 football season, leading to the odd situation where he is a freshman on one roster and a junior on another in the same academic year.
Skinner Winningest QB in Wake Forest History
Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner is the winningest quar¬terback in Wake Forest history. He has led the Demon Deacons to a 4-2 record (Brian, assuming a Wake Forest win on Saturday) so far this year and to 30 victories entering today’s game at Death Valley. He is the ACC’s career leader in completion percentage with over a 70 percent rate That includes an 11-11 performance against Navy in the Eagle Bank Bowl last year, an all-time bowl game record for completion percentage.
Skinner has completed 61 of 87 passes for 525 yards and two touchdowns in three previous games against the Tigers. He has a 1-2 record as a starter against Clemson, but he led the Demon Deacons to vic¬tory in the last meeting, a 12-7 Wake Forest win at Wake Forest last year on a Thursday night. His career efficiency is 123.8 against the Tigers.
Spiller Named national Kickoff Returner of the Week
Clemson senior C.J. Spiller was named the National kickoff re¬turner of the week by collegefootballperformance.com for his performance against Maryland. Spiller returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score in the second half of Clemson’s 24-21 loss on October 3. It was quite a return considering a teammate stepped on his left shoe at the 30 yard line, forc¬ing him to run the remaining 70 yards with just one shoe.
It is the second time Spiller has been honored by the website this year. He was the national punt returner of the week by collegefoot¬ballperformance.com for the Boston College game this year when he had a 77-yard return for a score.
Spiller now has two kickoff returns and a punt return for a score this year. He ranks first in the nation in punt returns with a 30.0 average and is fourth in the nation in kickoff returns with a 37.8 average. No Clem¬son football player has ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both categories in the same season previously.
Spiller tied the ACC record for career kick returns for a touch¬down with his 92-yard kickoff return for a score at Maryland. He now has five kickoff returns for scores and one punt return for six total kick returns for touchdowns in his career. Steve Suter of Maryland, who was at the Clemson vs. Maryland game Saturday, had six punt returns for scores in his career with the Terps and Brandon Tate of North Carolina had three punt returns and three kickoff returns for touchdowns during his time with the Tar Heels.
Spiller’s five career touchdowns on kickoff returns lead the na¬tion among active FBS players.
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