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Game Notes: Clemson vs. UNC

Game Notes: Clemson vs. UNC

Oct. 15, 2001

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Game Six: Clemson vs. North Carolina

Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001 12:00 Noon (EST) Memorial Stadium (81,474) Clemson, SC

In the Rankings Clemson – 13 AP, #15 USA Today/ESPN North Carolina – Unranked

Television: ESPN2Play By Play: Mark Jones * Color: Chris SpeilmanSideline: Holly Rowe

Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports NetworkPlay By Play: Jim Phillips * Color: Mike EppleySideline: Rodney Williams

Series History: Clemson leads 31-17-1Tickets: Only General Admission Available1-800-CLEMSON

Special Day: Homecoming

Clemson Personnel Update * Altroy Bodrick (LB) – Tore his ACL in a preseason scrimmage Aug. 18. Will red-shirt the season. * Roscoe Crosby (WR) – Re-sprained a knee in practice on Oct. 4. Also suffered broken nose in post-game celebration at Georgia Tech. Questionable for North Carolina. * Tony Elliott (WR) – Suffered broken wrist vs. Georgia Tech, will miss North Carolina game. Out 4-6 weeks. * Marcus Houskin (CB) – Suffered broken neck vs. Wofford and is out for the season. * Kevin Johnson (CB) – Suffered broken rib vs. Georgia Tech. Questionable for North Carolina. * Jackie Robinson (WR) – Suffered broken jaw vs. Virginia on Sept. 22. Doubtful for North Carolina. * Kevin Youngblood (WR) – Suffered broken leg in Aug. 21 scrimmage. Has not played all year. Will not play at N.C. State. Could return late in the season.

Dantzler Dazzles (Woodrow Dantzler’s Heisman Website) Clemson quarterback’s performance in the Tigers 45-37 victory in Raleigh last week is hard to put into words. It was the greatest combination of rushing and passing for a Clemson football player in history and ranks among the best in college football history.

A look to the NCAA record book tells us that only one player in one game has ever had at least 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game. Washington’s Marques Tuiasosopo had 302 yards passing and 207 rushing against Stanford on Oct. 30,1999, the only player in history to achieve the 300/200 in the same game.

Last week, Dantzler passed for 333 and 184 net yards rushing. Had it not been for two sacks in the second quarter, one of 13 yards and another of 11, Dantzler would have joined Tuiasosopo in that exclusive club. As it was, Dantzler’s performance was the fifth best in ACC history in terms of total offense, and a Clemson record. The ACC mark is 554 yards of total offense by Rusty LaRue for Wake Forest against N.C. State in 1995.

Dantzler did more than just pick up yardage, he led the Tigers to six touchdowns. He ran for two and passed for four, and the six touchdowns combined broke the Clemson single game record that had stood since 1947. Dantzler tied the Clemson single game record for touchdown passes in a single game, a mark he now co-owns with his backup, Willie Simmons.

It was Dantzler’s top passing game as a Tiger, and in many ways the best by any Clemson quarterback. The graduate student from Orangeburg, SC completed 23-27 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. His passing efficiency rating of 237.6 was a Clemson record for a minimum of 20 attempts. His stats included a 79-yard pass to freshman Airese Currie, the longest pass play for the Tigers in five years.

Dantzler achieved the 517 yards of total offense one game and two weeks after gaining 418 yards in Clemson’s thrilling 47-44 win over a ninth-ranked Georgia Tech team in Atlanta. Obviously it is the top total offense figure for consecutive games in Clemson history.

Here is a list of Clemson Records Dantzler Set in the win at N.C. State: *Single game passing efficiency (Min 20 attempts) — 237.58 *Single game total offense — 517 yards (333 passing, 184 rushing) *Single game touchdown responsibility – 6 *Tied single game touchdown passes – 4 *Single game completion percentage (min 20 attempts) — .851 *Career total offense – 6874 *Career total offense vs. same team – 1127 vs. NC State

Below is a chart that documents Dantzler’s stats the last two games
Category vs. Georgia Tech vs. NC State Avg.
Total Offense 418 517 467.5
Passing yards 254 333 293.5
Rushing yards 164 184 174
Passing (Cm-Att) 18-32 23-27 20.5 – 29.5
TDs Rushing 2 2 2
TDs Passing 2 4 3
Passing Efficiency 143.6 237.7 186.6
Yards/Play 7.33 10.34 8.74

Dantzler Stats Similar to Ward Heisman Numbers Woodrow Dantzler received rave reviews for his performance against NC State on October 13th.

N.C. State strongside linebacker Brandon Jamison told The State Newspaper, “He has got to be one of the best athletes in America…That is why he is up for the Heisman. The man can run. He can pass. He has moves. He has speed. He can break tackles. There is nothing bad you can say about him.”

During the broadcast on Jefferson Pilot television, guest commentator and legendary former ACC coach Bill Dooley remarked, “If I had him as a quarterback, I’d get back into coaching.” Another person who was impressed was NC State coach Chuck Amato. “I had the fortune to be around Charlie Ward (at Florida State, 1992-93) and Dantzler has more athletic ability. He is their football team. He’s their inspiration.

“He put on a display out there today that I don’t know if we’ll ever see again in this stadium. I hope not by an opposing quarterback. I can’t imagine a better player in the country in America. We must have set a record for missed tackles on him.”

Ward, now the starting point guard for the NBA’s New York Knicks, won the Heisman Trophy in 1993 when he led Florida State to the national championship and a 12-1 record. He did so with an all-around game as he had the ability to run as well as pass.

Dantzler has had similar success as a runner and passer this year. A look to the stats shows that Dantzler is ahead of Ward’s pace in total offense/game, touchdown responsibility per game, rushing yards per game. They have similar stats in passing efficiency and completion percentage.

Comparison of 2 Quarterbacks
Category Ward, 1993 Dantzler, 2001
Passing Yards/Game 275.6 239.8
Rushing Yards/Game 30.8 103.2
Total Offense/Game 306.5 343.0
Touchdowns/Game 2.82 3.00
Passing Efficiency 157.82 153.0
Completion % .695 .689
Yards/Attempt 7.97 8.10

Dantzler Ranked in Top 25 in Five Categories Woodrow Dantzler is ranked in the top 25 in the nation in five different statistical categories, including second in two important areas. The Tiger signal caller who now owns 30 school records is second in the country in total offense, second in completion percentage, sixth in scoring responsibility, 12th in passing efficiency and 25th in rushing. That’s right, 25th in rushing. Dantzler is the only player in the nation ranked in the top 25 of both passing efficiency and rushing.

Dantzler trails only Florida quarterback Rex Grossman in passing efficiency and is second only to Wes Counts of Middle Tennessee State in completion percentage. Counts is 114-159 so far this year for a 71.7 completion percentage. Dantzler has hit on 102-148 for a 68.92 percentage.

Dantzler has gained 516 yards on the ground for an average of 103.2 yards per game. He is second among quarterbacks nationally on a per game basis to Keith Boyea of Air Force, who has averaged 111 yards per game through five contests.

No Clemson player has ever ranked in the top 25 in the nation in five different categories for the course of the season. Dantzler was 21st in passing efficiency and 25th in scoring responsibility last year. Keith Adams (1999), Tony Horne (1997), Nelson Welch (1992) and Chris Gardocki (1989) are the only players to rank in the top 25 in three different areas in the same year. Dantzler is trying to become the first Clemson quarterback to rank in the top 25 in the country in total offense since Steve Fuller finished 21st in 1978.

Dantzler on Pace for 2,000/1,000 Season Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler has averaged 343 yards per game in terms of total offense. That is more than 100 yards per game ahead of his own Clemson single season pace of 241.6 yards per game set last year.

Dantzler is doing it with balance between the running game and the passing game. He has 516 yards rushing and 1,199 passing for 1,715 total. That is an average of 103.2 yards per game rushing and 239.8 yards per game passing. That is a pace to reach 2,638 yards passing and 1,135 yards rushing for the course of an 11-game season.

If Dantzler can keep the pace up he would become the first quarterback in Division I college football history to have 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season. He had 947 rushing and 1,691 passing last season during the regular season. If he is to achieve the distinction he will have to do it in the regular season as NCAA records do not count bowl games.

The closest to achieve the milestone is Brian Mitchell of Lousiana-Lafayette, who had 1,311 rushing and 1,966 passing in 1989.

Healthy Dantzler Means Success for Clemson Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler is running a little ahead of his record pace of 2000 before he suffered a lower leg injury. Dantzler was among he leading contenders for the Heisman Trophy and ranked in the top 25 in the nation in passing and rushing at this time last year. Then he suffered an injury at North Carolina. After averaging more than 300 yards a game in total offense for the first seven games, he had three straight games of less than 100 yards, as he played limited time in games eight, nine and 10.

Now healthy again, Dantzler has run off five straight games of at least 200 yards total offense, including three in a row of at least 300. He has gotten better and better each week this year and has increased his total offense figure by nearly 100 yards each of the last two weeks. That will be a challenge this week, as a 100-yard increase over last week would mean a 600-yard game. That won’t happen against a defense as sound as North Carolina’s.

Still, it is interesting to note that Clemson has won 12 of its last 13 games with a healthy Dantzler in the lineup. That dates back to the last game of the 1999 regular season, a win at South Carolina. He played sparingly in the loss to Mississippi State in the 1999 Peach Bowl. The Tigers went 7-0 with a healthy Dantzler to open last year and are 4-1 with a healthy #1 this year.

That computes to a 12-1 record. The only loss a 26-24 defeat to Virginia when the Cavaliers scored on the last play of the game. He has been very productive in those 13 games, averaging 313.2 yards a game in total offense, 104 per game on the ground and 209.2 through the air. He has been very consistent in those 13 games, recording at least 250 yards of total offense in 11 games and accounting for at least two touchdowns in all but one of the contests. He has accounted for 37 touchdowns in those 13 games rushing and passing.

Dantzler Reaches 4,000/2,000 mark, Now Owns 30 Clemson Records Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler became the first quarterback in ACC history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 2,000 when he had his 517 yard total offense game at N.C. State. He needed just 57 yards rushing in that game to do it and he shattered the barrier with 184 yards on the ground.

Including bowl games, Dantzler has 2,216 rushing and 4,658 passing in his four-year career. So far this season, Dantzler has 516 yards rushing and 1,199 passing for 1,715 total, an average of 343 yards per game in total offense. He ranks first in the conference in total offense per game and is second in the nation. Additionally, he is first in the ACC in passing efficiency and is third in rushing.

The graduate student has connected on nearly 69 percent of his passes this year, a record pace, and is now at 58.9 percent for his career, also best in school history.

Dantzler became Clemson’s all-time leader in total offense with his performance at Tech and now has 6,874 career yards, ahead of the previous record held by Nealon Greene.

Dantzler also has jumped into the lead in terms of career passing efficiency. His big game against Georgia Tech boosted his efficiency rating to 133.43, best in school history by a couple of percentage points.

Dantzler on Clemson career Records ListsRank/Category/Figure Left for Record *1st, quarterback rushing (2216) has record *1st, completion percentage (.589) has record *1st in touchdown responsibility (52) has record *1st in total offense (6874) has record *1st in passing efficiency (133.43) has record *2nd in interception avoidance (2.62) 2.55 percent *2nd in total plays (1082) 77 plays *2nd in completions (359) 100 completions *2nd in passing yards (4658) 1064 yards *3rd in touchdown passes (29) 7 TD passes

Clemson Records Held by Dantzler (30)Single Game (8) *Touchdown Responsibility-6 vs. NC State, 2001 *Total Offense-517 vs. NC State, 2001 *Completion % (Min 20 attempts)–.851 vs. NC State, 2001 *Completion % (Min 15 attempts)–.941 vs. The Citadel 2000 *Yards rushing by a quarterback-220 vs. Virginia, 2000 *Passing Efficiency (Min 15 attempts)-247.2 vs. The Citadel, 2000 *Passing Efficiency (Min 20 attempts)-237.6 vs. NC State, 2001 *Touchdown Passes-4 vs. NC State, 2001

Season (13) *Total offense-2899, (2000) *Quarterback rushing-1028, (2000) *100-yard rushing games by a quarterback-4 (2000) *Touchdowns rushing and passing-24 (2000) *200-yard total offense games-9 (2000) *300-yard total offense games-4 (2000) *Consecutive 200-yard total offense games-7 (2000) *Consecutive games throwing a TD pass-6 (2000) *100-yard rushing, 300-yard total offense games-4 (2000) *Most yards rushing in series of 3 games-520 (2000) *Most yards rushing in series of 4 games-623 (2000) *Most total offense/game in season–241.6 (2000) *Most total offense plays in season-434 (2000)

Career (9) *Completion percentage in career–.589 *Career passing efficiency-133.4 *Total offense–6874 *Yards rushing by a quarterback in a career–2216 *100-yard rushing games by a quarterback-8 *Most total offense/game in career-214.8 *Most 300-yard total offense games in career–8 *Most 100-yard rushing, 300-yard total offense games in a career-8 *Most touchdowns rushing and passing in a career–52

Clemson Career total Offense leaders
Rk Name Years Plays Rush Pass Total
1. Woodrow Dantzler 98-01 1052 2216 4658 6874
2. Nealon Greene 94-97 1158 1067 5719 6786
3. Steve Fuller 75-78 1089 1737 4359 6096
4. Rodney Williams 85-88 1024 863 4647 5510
5. Homer Jordan 79-82 859 971 3643 4614
6. DeChane Cameron 88-91 765 926 3300 4226
Clemson Career Leaders in Completion Percentage
Rk. Name Years Com Att Pct
1. Woodrow Dantzler 98-01 359 610 .589
2. Nealon Greene 94-87 458 805 .569
3. Chris Morocco 86-89 89 157 .567
4. Brandon Streeter 96-99 294 519 .566
5. Mike Eppley 80-84 252 449 .561

Dantzler Named National Player of the Week Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler was named National Player of the Week by USA Today.com for his performance against Georgia Tech. Dantzler gained 418 yards of total offense in Clemson’s 47-44 victory at Atlanta, 164 rushing and 254 passing. He ran for two scores and threw for two. His 11-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw on the last play of overtime gave the Tigers the victory.

It marked the first time a Clemson player had won the National Player of the Week from USA Today.com. Dantzler was also the ACC Player of the Week according to the site, the third time in three years he has won that honor. He was the ACC Player of the Week according to the site in 1999 for his 435-yard performance against Maryland, and in 2000 when he led the Tigers to a 62-9 win over Missouri.

Dantzler was named National Player of the Week in 2000 by cnnsi.com for his performance at Virginia. He had 220 yards rushing, an all-time ACC record for a quarterback, and 154 passing in Clemson’s 31-10 win over the Cavs.

Dantzler is the first Tiger in history to be named a National Player of the Week twice. A Clemson player has been named National Player of the week 10 times in history, including Dantzler’s performance at Georgia Tech. Here is a listing:

Clemson National Player of the Week Selections
Year Player Opponent Named By
1951 Glenn Smith Auburn Associated Press
1958 Harvey White Vanderbilt Associated Press
1974 Willie Anderson South Carolina Sports Illustrated
1978 Bubba Brown NC State Sports Illustrated
1980 Willie Underwood South Carolina Sports Illustrated
1995 Brian Dawkins Duke Sports Illustrated
1999 Brandon Streeter Virginia USA Today
Keith Adams Duke Bronko Nagurski Award
2000 Woodrow Dantzler Virginia CNNSI.com
2001 Woodrow Dantzler Georgia Tech USA TODAY.com

Homecoming Success Clemson faces North Carolina for Homecoming today. The Tigers are 26-2-2 since 1971 on Homecoming with the only losses coming to Georgia Tech in 1989 and Virginia in 1997. The first homecoming game at Clemson took place on Sept. 30, 1922 when Centre defeated Clemson at Riggs Field, 21-0. Clemson has celebrated Homecoming every year since 1922 with the exception of the 1930 and 1938 seasons. Clemson has a 56-18-3 record on Homecoming over the years, a .747 winning percentage. Clemson has outscored the opposition 1,644-1,010 in those previous 77 games, an average victory of 21-13.

Clemson is 4-1 lifetime against North Carolina on Homecoming. Clemson gained victory in 1960 (24-0), 1962 (17-6), 1995 (17-10) and 1999 (31-20). The only loss came in 1964 by a 29-0 score. The star for the Tigers the last time the two teams met on homecoming was a reserve quarterback named Woodrow Dantzler. Dantzler came off the bench in the second period to lead the Tigers to a 31-20 victory.

Clemson vs. North Carolina Series Clemson holds a 31-17-1 advantage in the series with North Carolina that dates to 1897, the second year of football at Clemson. That 1897 game was just the sixth game in Clemson football history and the Tar Heels won the contest 28-0. It was the first game for the Tigers against a team that is currently in the ACC. Obviously the league was not formed until 1953. Clemson has won 11 of the last 15 games and 15 of the last 20 in the series, but North Carolina has won three of the last five. Clemson won last year in Chapel Hill, 38-24 and at Clemson in 1999, 31-20. Prior to the 1997 17-10 North Carolina victory, the Tar Heels had not won at Clemson since 1980, a 24-19 victory on ABC-TV. Lawrence Taylor provided the key play of that game for North Carolina, a sack of Clemson quarterback Homer Jordan late in the fourth period with Clemson inside the Tar Heel 10. Clemson had won seven in a row over North Carolina in Death Valley by a combined score of 188-69. In 1995, the Tigers were victorious,17-10. It was a classic defensive game. Brian Dawkins, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, provided the big play with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. Nealon Greene threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Joe Woods and Anthony Simmons had 19 tackles. Mond Wilson, playing for the injured Andye McCrorey, had 16 tackles for the Clemson defense, which intercepted five North Carolina passes, two by Peter Ford and one by Andy Ford. Clemson has six wins over North Carolina when the Tar Heels enter the game as a ranked team. The most shocking took place in 1992 when a Clemson team that would end the season with a 5-6 record, earned a 40-7 victory over 18th-ranked North Carolina. It is the largest margin of victory for Clemson in the series.

Last Year vs. North Carolina Freshman quarterback Willie Simmons threw four touchdown passes to help Clemson erase a 17-0 first-half deficit and defeat North Carolina, 38-24. Simmons entered the game when Woodrow Dantzler injured his right foot on a 24-yard keeper with 6:32 remaining in the first half. Simmons exceeded all expectations by completing 10 of 18 passes for 228 yards – the highest total by a Clemson quarterback so far this season. The game featured the largest Tiger comeback since 1992, when Clemson rallied from a 28-0 halftime deficit to defeat Virginia.

Simmons entered the game with the luxury of having Rod Gardner in the receiving core. Gardner finished with seven catches for a school record 182 yards. The three-touchdown effort earned him ACC Offensive Back-of-the-Week honors and it tied the Clemson single game touchdown reception record.

Clemson outscored the Tar Heels 38-7 after falling behind early. Clemson’s prime-time players rose to the occasion as the Tigers faced the most urgent situation of the season. Chad Carson had a team-high 16 tackles. Robert Carswell had nine. Adams and Carswell each came up with timely second-half interceptions to help seal the victory. The 34-yard interception return was the first of the year for Carswell, who led Clemson with six picks in 1999. Sophomore defensive end Nick Eason recorded five tackles and two sacks for loss of 11 yards.

Jeff Reed kicked a 26-yard field goal to put the Tar Heels on the board first. Clemson failed to earn a first down on its opening two possessions of the game. Brandon Russell ran for a two-yard touchdown to complete a six-play 81-yard drive that took only 2:12 off the clock. On their next possession, Ronald Curry connected with Sam Aiken for a 57-yard completion as the Tar Heels again drove over 80 yards on six plays. Clemson trailed 17-0 with 12:18 remaining in the second quarter.

Dantzler suffered a bruised foot at the end of a 22-yard in the second quarter, so Simmons came off the bench. His first completion of the game came in the form of a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jackie Robinson with 5:42 left before the half. Robinson finished with four receptions for 76 yards, career highs. On a third-down play on North Carolina’s next possession Keith Adams forced a fumble for a two-yard loss. Joe Don Reames returned the ensuing punt 51 yards to the Tar Heel 26. Simmons connected on all three of his attempts on Clemson’s drive. A 20-yard Gardner reception cut North Carolina’s lead to 17-14 by halftime.

Early in the third period, Bosley Allen muffed a Jamie Somaini punt and Clemson recovered the ball. After a 27-yard pass to Robinson, Aaron Hunt tied the game with a 22-yard field goal.

Simmons connected with Gardner for touchdowns on two consecutive possessions to complete the 31-0 scoring run. The Tar Heels made it a one-possession game when Saunders rushed for a touchdown with 9:17 remaining in the contest.

With about four minutes left, North Carolina took over the ball down seven points. But, Keith Adams intercepted a Curry pass and retuned the first interception of his career 27 yards to the North Carolina 2. Travis Zachery pushed into the endzone on his second attempt to make the score 38-24.

Reserve Quarterback Has Led Tigers vs. UNC In each of the last two games between Clemson and North Carolina a reserve quarterback has come off the bench to lead Clemson to victory. Woodrow Dantzler turned the trick as a reserve in 1999, then Willie Simmons came off the bench to lead the Tigers to a win in Chapel Hill in 2000.

Brandon Streeter was Clemson’s starting quarterback in 1999 and hit 8-11 passes for 77 yards on the opening drive. However, Julius Peppers intercepted a Streeter pass to stop the drive. Later in the period, Streeter was injured when linebacker Tim Burgess fell on him while scrambling near the Tar Heel bench.

That brought on Dantzler, who had played only sparingly to that point. The sophomore led the Tigers to 31 points over the last three periods and a 31-20 win. Dantzler was 7-15 for 131 yards passing and also picked up 82 yards in 11 rushes, including a 56-yard touchdown run with 8:35 left that iced the game.

Last year Dantzler had the Tigers off to a 7-0 start and a number-five national ranking as the team headed to Chapel Hill. Dantzler gained 90 yards in total offense over the first period, but suffered an injury with 6:32 left in the first half on a 24-yard run. That brought in freshman Willie Simmons. All Simmons did was lead the Tigers to 38 points over the last 36 minutes. He completed 10-18 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns, tying the Clemson single game record. His 228 yards were high for a Clemson quarterback in 2000. Rod Gardner caught three touchdown passes for the Tigers.

Clemson Offense Proficient in Second Half Clemson has scored at least 45 points and gained at least 500 yards of total offense in each of its last two games, a 47-44 overtime win over Georgia Tech and a 45-37 victory over N.C. State. Clemson’s point total against Tech was its high total against the Yellow Jackets since 1903, a 73-0 win behind coach John Heisman. Clemson’s 45-37 victory against N.C. State was the highest point total Clemson has ever scored against the Pack.

A reason for the high scoring has been proficiency in the second half. Clemson has scored four touchdowns in the second half after halftime in each game. Clemson has had 12 possessions in the second half the last two games combined (not including possessions when trying to run out the clock) and has nine touchdowns. Once Clemson was held on downs and once Clemson kicked a field goal. Clemson has had to punt in the second half just once in the last two games. Some of the touchdown drives have been deliberate and some have been time consuming, as the chart below shows

Clemson Second half Possessions last two weeks
Opponent Plays-Yds Time Result
Georgia Tech 4-80 1:37 Touchdown
Georgia Tech 13-80 5:11 Touchdown
Georgia Tech 18-80 6:25 Touchdown
Georgia Tech 3-(-6) 1:16 Punt
Georgia Tech 4-60 1:53 Touchdown
Georgia Tech 6-25 OT Touchdown
N.C. State 4-54 0:57 Touchdown
N.C. State 8-69 3:31 Touchdown
N.C. State 13-92 5:51 Touchdown
N.C. State 4-39 1:31 Touchdown
N.C. State 5-79 2:24 On Downs
N.C. State 6-34 3:14 Field Goal

North Carolina Update North Carolina has been the comeback story of college football within the 2001 season. The Tar Heels, coached by former North Carolina player John Bunting, lost its first three games of the year, all to teams currently in the top 20 of the nation. North Carolina lost away from home to defending National Champion Oklahoma, 41-27, at undefeated Maryland 23-7, and at Texas 44-14.

Since then, North Carolina has defeated Florida State, 41-9, won at N.C. State 17-9, defeated East Carolina 24-21 and last week downed Virginia 30-24. The win over Florida State was just the third ACC loss for the Seminoles since they joined the conference in 1992. The top player on the North Carolina team is on defense. The top

player on the Clemson team is on offense. That will be an interesting matchup in today’s game in Death Valley. North Carolina’s Julius Peppers could be the top selection in the NFL draft this coming spring. He has an incredible 17 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six passes defensed and two interceptions this year. His pursuit of Dantzler will be worth the price of admission.

But, North Carolina has some other outstanding defensive players, a prime reason opponents have scored just 15.8 points per game over the last four games. David Thornton is the top tackler with 74 stops in seven games, including seven tackles for loss. Quincy Monk, another linebacker, has 65 tackles, while Dexter Reid has 53 stops and two interceptions. Mike Waddell has 10 passes defensed, among the top figures in the ACC.

The offense has picked up the pace of late, including scoring 30 points against Virginia last week. North Carolina uses two quarterbacks. Ronald Curry, along with Peppers a member of the North Carolina basketball team that played at Clemson last year, has throw for 563 yards and three touchdowns. He is North Carolina’s career leader in total offense.

Backup Darian Durant has been more productive statistically, completing .593 of his passes for 852 yards and eight scores. He also has 116 yards rushing, ahead of Curry’s 100 yards. Regardless, both quarterbacks can run and throw. Andre Williams is the top ball carrier with 402 yards and three touchdowns. Kory Bailey has 23 receptions, the same total as Bosley Allen, a gifted 6-3 junior. Allen is also among the best kick returners in the ACC.

Offense Superb Against Top Defenses Clemson’s offense has been performing at a high level of efficiency over the last two games, in fact an unparalleled level for consecutive games. Add to that the fact that both games have been on the road make the production especially remarkable.

Over the last two weeks Clemson has averaged 27.5 first downs, 293.5 yards passing and 241 yards rushing. The Tigers have averaged 534.5 yards of total offense and 6.56 yards per game, not to mention scoring 46 points per game.

Clemson has not achieved these stats against inferior defenses. N.C. State and Georgia Tech were both ranked in the top 20 in the nation in scoring defense and many other categories heading into their games with Clemson. In six games this year Georgia Tech has given up 98 points and 47 of them are to Clemson.

Clemson scored three times as many points as N.C. State has given up this year against its other four opponents, four times as many points as Tech has given up. N.C. State had given up just 313.8 yards of total offense per game prior to the Clemson game, then the Tigers got 567. Tech has given up just 253.2 per game when not playing Clemson, but the Tigers gained 502 against the Yellow Jackets.

Clemson Offense vs. N.C. State State Defense
Category vs. Everyone Else vs. Clemson
Points 15.5 45
First Downs 18.0 28
Rushing Yards 163.2 234
Passing Yards 150.5 333
Touchdowns 2.0 6
Yards/Play 4.5 7.2
Total Offense 313.8 567
Clemson Offense vs. Georgia Tech Tech Defense
Category vs. Everyone Else vs. Clemson
Points 10.2 47
First Downs 13.8 27
Rushing Yards 85.8 248
Passing Yards 167.8 254
Touchdowns 1.0 7
Yards/Play 3.90 6.0
Total Offense 253.2 502

Clemson Gains 500 Yards In Consecutive Road Wins Clemson has had at least 500 yards in each of its last two games. That is certainly an accomplishment anywhere, but especially on the road. Clemson gained 502 yards at Georgia Tech and 567 at N.C. State in gaining consecutive victories. It marks the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers have had at least 500 yards in consecutive road games. The 567 yards gained at N.C. State were the most recorded on the road since 1903 when John Heisman coached Clemson to a 73-0 victory with 615 yards, all on the ground.

Clemson had one of its top offensive games in the Tommy Bowden era in the 47-44 win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 29. The Tigers gained 502 yards of total offense, third highest figure under Bowden and second best in an ACC game.

It marked just the second time in Clemson history that the Tigers had at least 500 yards of total offense against a top 25 team. The only other occasion came in 1983 when Clemson had 544 yards against an 11th ranked Maryland team in a 52-27 Clemson victory.

It was a balanced attack for the Tigers, perhaps the most balanced in Clemson history for a 500-yard performance. Clemson had 248 rushing and 254 passing in the contest. It marked just the fourth game in Clemson history that Clemson had at least 240 yards rushing and passing in the same game.

Clemson has now had four 500-yard total offense games under Tommy Bowden. Clemson is now 40-0-1 in its history when gaining at least 500 yards of total offense. The only non-victory came in 1991 when Clemson gained 511 yards in a 20-20 tie with Virginia.

Zachery Approaching 3,000/1,000 Club Clemson senior running back Travis Zachery is among the best all-around ball carriers in the nation. That is one reason he was listed among the preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award. So far this year Zachery has 310 yards rushing and 242 yards receiving, giving him 552 yards from scrimmage. It ranks him fifth in the ACC in all-purpose running. He has had five touchdowns rushing and got his second receiving at N.C. State last Saturday.

Zachery now has 2792 yards rushing in his career and 885 receiving. No Clemson player in history has had at least 3,000 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving. It is quite a difficult accomplishment, something only three players in ACC history have accomplished. The others to do it are Leon Johnson, a former running back from North Carolina (1993-96), Warrick Dunn of Florida State (1993-96), and Terry Kirby of Virginia (1989-92). Zachery needs 208 yards rushing and 115 receiving to pull off the 3,000/1,000 double.

Zachery scored three touchdowns at Tech and one more at N.C. State, giving him 46 for his career, already a Clemson record. He has scored 40 touchdowns in his last 29 games. His three scores at Tech gave him eight for his career against the Yellow Jackets, including six at Grant Field in Atlanta. Zachery is from nearby Marietta, GA. Zachery enters the North Carolina game with 2792 career rushing yards, third best in school history. He moved ahead of Terry Allen (now with Baltimore Ravens) on the all-time list. Now, only Kenny Flowers and Raymond Priester have more rushing yards than Zachery. Zachery had 125 all-purpose yards at Georgia Tech and 124 more at N.C. State. He now has 3953 for his career, second best in school history. Raymond Priester is the career leader in all-purpose running with 4282. Zachery needs just 47 yards against the Tar Heels to reach 4000 for his career. He is 329 behind Raymond Priester.

Clemson Career Rushing Leaders
Rk Name Years Att Avg TD Total
1. Raymond Priester 94-97 805 4.93 21 3966
2. Kenny Flowers 83-86 590 4.94 26 2914
3. Travis Zachery 98-01 633 4.41 38 2792
4. Terry Allen 87-89 523 5.31 28 2778
5. Buddy Gore 66-68 600 4.29 15 2571
Clemson Career All-Purpose running Leaders
Rk. Name Years Rush Rec KR-PR Total
1. Raymond Priester 94-97 3966 316 4282
2. Travis Zachery 98-01 2792 885 0-276 3953
3. Buddy Gore 66-68 2571 65 637-0 3273
4. Kenny Flowers 83-86 2914 192 40- 3146
5. Ray Mathews 47-50 1886 650 294-298 3128

Hamilton Approaching Freshman Record Freshman wide receiver Derrick Hamilton continued his outstanding rookie season with eight catches for 106 yards at N.C. State. The red-shirt freshman from Mullins, SC now has 31 receptions for 339 yards and a touchdown. He needs just three catches against North Carolina to break Terry Smith’s freshman record. Smith had 34 catches in 1990. He needs 142 yards to break Smith’s freshman receiving yardage mark.

Hamilton’s 106 yards receiving at State broke Ray Williams single game freshman receiving yardage mark. Ironically, Williams mark had been recorded against N.C. State, a 105 yard effort in 1983. Hamilton is now 21st in the nation in receptions per game with 6.2 and is second among freshmen. Hamilton is third in the ACC in receptions per game and is sixth in yardage.

It was a big day for Clemson freshman receivers at N.C. State. In addition to Hamilton’s heroics, freshman tight end Ben Hall had three catches for 39 yards and his first college touchdown. Airese Currie had a 79-yard reception in the fourth period from Woodrow Dantzler to put the quarterback over the 300-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Clemson freshman receivers caught 12 passes for 224 yards and two scores on the day.

Bush Had Best Game vs. N.C. State Senior defensive tackle Jovon Bush had his most productive day as a Tiger in the win at N.C. State. The native of Hardeeville, SC is in his senior year, but it is his first year as a starter. He has made the most of it and that included the game in Raleigh.

Bush had eight tackles in the game, most by a Clemson down lineman this year. His total included two tackles for loss and four quarterback pressures. He ranked third on the Clemson defense in tackles for the day in his 62 plays on defense.

Bush now has 25 tackles for the season, more than any other defensive tackle. He also has nine quarterback pressures in his 305 snaps on the field. Bush had 20 tackles as a reserve each of the last two years, meaning he has taken just five games to exceed his previous high tackle total for a season.

Young Defenders Make Contribution at N.C. State Many young players made a significant contribution to Clemson’s defensive effort at N.C. State. With injuries sidelining Kevin Johnson and Nick Eason much of the day, Tommy Bowden had to turn to some inexperienced players to help the Tigers hold off the talented Wolfpack offense.

One of the players who made a big contribution was freshman defensive tackle Donnell Washington. He came off the bench to record five tackles, but two were sacks and each thwarted a Wolfpack drive. Washington had a pair of quarterback pressures and a pass broken up in his 50 plays. He had 41 points in the coaching staff’s grading system, more than any other Clemson defensive player in the game. Toure Francis was at a cornerback in place of the injured Kevin Johnson. The original walk-on came up big with five tackles and two passes broken up in his 54 plays. He had played just 49 snaps all year prior to Saturday’s game.

Freshman cornerback Ryan Hemby also made a contribution with an interception and a pass broken up in his 27 snaps.

Offensive Line Playing Well One of the reasons for Clemson’s success against Georgia Tech and N.C. State was the play of its offensive line. The veteran group includes three players who are graduates (Will Merritt, Kyle Young and T.J. Watkins) and two red-shirt juniors (Gary Byrd and Akil Smith). They combined to help the Tigers gain 502 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns and 47 points in the victory. It was the most points Clemson has scored against Georgia Tech since a 73-0 Tiger victory in 1903. John Heisman was Clemson’s coach in that game.

The starting offensive line combined for 68 knockdown blocks in the game, high total for the season. In fact, the total against Georgia Tech was 20 more than the previous best of 48 knockdowns for the starting offensive line against Central Florida.

Four different starters had double figures in knockdown blocks in the game. T.J. Watkins led the way with 19, while Akil Smith had 17, more ever for a Clemson tackle. Center Kyle Young had 14 and Gary Byrd added 11. Smith was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for the first time in his career. Will Merritt was the only Tiger who failed to reach double figures, but he had seven.

Clemson’s starting offensive line came back to get 58 knockdown blocks in the win at N.C. State. Kyle Young led the way with 19, while Will Merritt added 13 and Gary Byrd had 11.

Kyle Young leads the team in knockdown blocks with 64, more than halfway to his team best 120 set last year. T.J. Watkins is second with 60, while Merritt has 50. Gary Byrd has picked up 48, while Akil Smith has 41. Smith leads the team in intimidation blocks with 11.

Win at Tech Was Landmark Victory Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark accomplishment in many ways. The Yellow Jackets were ranked ninth in the nation in the AP poll heading into the game. The victory was the highest ranked win on the road by a Clemson team in 20 years. The last one and the highest ranked win on an opponent’s home field took place in 1981 when Clemson won at eighth ranked North Carolina.

The win at Georgia Tech was more remarkable in that Clemson entered the game ranked 25th in the nation in the USA Today poll, unranked by AP. Clemson was ranked second in the nation when it won at North Carolina in 1981.

The win at Tech was the 17th in Clemson history over a top 25 team on the road. It was the first since 1997 when Clemson won at 25th-ranked N.C. State and it was the first top 10 road win since 1992 when Clemson won at 10th-ranked Virginia.

A road win over a top 25 team means a tombstone will be added to the entrance at the Clemson practice fields. A tombstone commemorating the victory is added each time Clemson gets a road win over a top 25 team.

Clemson Road Wins over Top 25 Teams

Year Opponent Rk Score
1948 Wake Forest 19th 21-14
1950 Wake Forest 17th 13-12
Miami (FL) 15th 15-14
1954 Florida 14th 14-7
1959 North Carolina 12th 20-18
1977 Georgia 17th 7-6
1978 Maryland 11th 28-24
1981 North Carolina 8th 10-8
1982 Maryland 18th 24-22
1983 North Carolina 10th 16-3
1986 Georgia 14th 31-28
1989 Florida State 16th 34-23
1992 Virginia 10th 29-28
1994 North Carolina @12th 28-17
1996 Virginia 15th 24-16
1997 N.C. State @25th 19-17
2001 Georgia Tech 9th #47-44
@Coaches poll only, # overtime

Clemson’s Highest Ranked Wins The win for over ninth ranked Georgia Tech was be the highest ranked Clemson win regardless of site since 1981 when Clemson defeated fourth-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, a 22-15 victory that gave Clemson the National Championship.

Regardless of site, Clemson now has nine wins over top 10 teams in its history, three in Death Valley. Clemson has now had 21 wins over top 25 teams since 1986 and has had at least one ranked win in 14 of the last 15 seasons (including this season). The Tigers defeated Virginia, 33-14, in 1999 when the Cavs were ranked 19th (USA Today), then downed a 25th-ranked South Carolina team last year.

The win over Tech now assures that Tommy Bowden will have at least one ranked win in each of his first three years with the Tigers. The win over Tech was the fifth highest ranked win in school history.

Clemson’s Top 10 Victories

Year Opponent Site Rk Score
1981 Georgia Clemson, SC 4 13-3
1981 Nebraska Miami, FL 4 22-15
1959 Texas Christian Houston, TX 7 23-7
1981 North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 8 10-8
2001 Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA 9 47-44
1967 N.C. State Clemson, SC 10 14-6
1983 North Carolina Clemson, SC 10 16-3
1988 Oklahoma Orlando, FL 10 13-6
1992 Virginia Charlottesville, VA 10 29-28

Tigers win in Overtime Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 47-44 in overtime on Sept. 29, just the second time in history that Clemson has participated in an overtime game. Clemson is now 2-0 since the rule came into effect for the 1996 season. Clemson’s only other overtime game was a 29-20 victory over Duke in 1997. Clemson won by the odd margin when Rahim Abdullah returned an interception 63 yards for a score to end the game. The Tigers had scored three points on their offensive possession when David Richardson kicked a field goal.

Including the two overtime games, Clemson has now won four games in its history on the last play of the game. In addition to the Duke game listed above and Dantzler’s touchdown run to beat Tech, David Treadwell twice booted field goals on the last play of the game to give Clemson a victory. In 1985 he booted a 36-yard field goal on the last play to give Clemson a 20-17 win at Virginia Tech. Then, the following year he kicked a 46-yard field on the final play to give Clemson a 31-28 victory at Georgia.

Not included in the list are the heroics turned in by lineman Bob Patton in 1950. A top 20 Wake Forest scored a touchdown with five seconds left to come within 13-12 of the Tigers at Winston-Salem. The two-point conversion rule was not in college football at the time, so Wake Forest attempted to kick the extra point and tie the game. Patton broke through the Wake Forest line and blocked the attempt, giving Clemson the victory. The clock ran out on the ensuing kickoff.

Clemson Victories on the last Play of the Game
Year Opponent Score Clinching Play
1985 Virginia Tech 20-17 Treadwell 36-yard field goal
1986 Georgia 31-28 Treadwell 46-yard field goal
1997 Duke 29-20 (OT) Abdullah 63-yard interception return
2001 Georgia Tech 47-44 (OT) Dantzler 11-yard run

Leake Among National Leaders Clemson sophomore linebacker John Leake is among the national leaders in tackles according to the first round of NCAA defensive statistics released Oct. 1. Through games of Sept. 29, Leake ranked 11th in the nation in tackles with 13.5 per game. He is now at 13.6 tackles per game and has 68 for the season to lead the team.

Leake is tie for 11th in the nation with Auburn sophomore Dontarrious Thomas, who also had 54 through four games. Those two players lead all sophomores in the nation.

Leake would get some votes for most improved player in the nation if there was such an award. He did not play a single snap on defense as a first-year freshman, and made all nine of his tackles on special teams. Now he has played 305 plays through five games and ranks 11th in the nation and second in the ACC behind N.C. State’s Levar Fisher in tackles per game. Fisher, who led the nation last year, is currently third at 16.33 tackles per game. Hanik Milligan of Houston, a junior, leads the nation with an average of 21 tackles per game.

Hafley Leader of Clemson Secondary Clemson safety Charles Hafley ranked among the national leaders in three defensive categories through games of Sept. 29. The graduate student from Pompano Beach, FL had 34 solo tackles in the first four games of the season to rank 11th in the nation in solo tackles per game with an 8.5 figure. He ranked second in the ACC in the category.

Hafley has two interceptions through four games and his 0.5 interceptions per game ranks30th in the nation. Finally, Hafley is tied for 26th in passes defensed per game. He had five passes broken up and two interceptions for seven total passes defensed through the first four games of the season.

Hafley has 50 tackles through the five games, third on the Clemson team behind Chad Carson. He had double figures in three consecutive games, including 15 in the loss to Virginia and 14 in the win over Georgia Tech. He has played more snaps than any other Tiger with 368.

O’Cain Faces Former Teams Current Clemson quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain in the process of facing a past employer in consecutive weeks. O’Cain, a 1977 Clemson graduate, served as head coach of N.C. State from 1993-99. He replaced Dick Sheridan at N.C. State in 1993 and took the pack to an 8-4 record, including a Peach Bowl invitation. The next year he had the pack at 9-3 in the regular season, including a victory over Clemson in Death Valley, the first Clemson graduate to defeat the Tigers. He and Lou Holtz are the only two coaches in N.C. State history to take the Pack to a bowl game in their first two years with the program.

His 1998 season included a win at Texas and a triumph over Florida State, one of just three league losses for the Seminoles since they joined the ACC in 1992. He took the pack to another bowl game in 1998, his third as head coach of the Pack.

Ironically, one of O’Cain’s top games as a player at Clemson came against N.C. State. In 1976, he rushed for 140 yards against the Pack, the Clemson quarterback rushing record for a game until 1994. As a Tiger he still ranks 14th in school history in passing efficiency.

In the 2000 season he served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at North Carolina. The Tigers face the Tar Heels at Clemson Saturday.

O’Cain was presented with the game ball after Clemson won at N.C. State on Oct. 13. He is just the second person in three years to receive a gameball from Head Coach Tommy Bowden. The other is Bob Bradley, former Clemson Sports Information Director who worked his 500th consecutive Clemson football game when the Tigers won at Duke in 2000. Bradley died of cancer just a month later.

Bowden 7-1 Week After a Loss Clemson faced an uphill battle when it went to Georgia Tech. The Tigers were trying to defeat a top 10 team on the road after suffering a heart-breaking loss to Virginia with one second left. But, the Tigers have done well coming off a loss under Bowden. In his two and a half years as Clemson head coach the Tigers are now 7-1 in regular season games coming off a loss. The lone loss, and thus the only two-game losing streak of Bowden’s career came last year at Florida State. After a loss to Tech at Clemson, the Tigers dropped a 54-7 decision at Florida State. Clemson broke the streak against South Carolina. Bowden was 3-1 at Tulane coming off a loss. Thus, he is 10-2 in his head coaching career the week after a loss.

Five Tigers on Football Writers Association Watch List Five Clemson players were on the Football Writers Association All-American Watch List heading into the season. Four of the players are on offense and one on defense. All five should play at Tech. The list includes quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, running back Travis Zachery, guard Will Merritt, center Kyle Young and linebacker Chad Carson.

Clemson vs. Duke moved to Dec. 1 The Clemson vs. Duke football game, originally scheduled for Sept. 15 at Clemson, will be played Dec. 1 at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The contest was postponed due to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington Sept. 11. The game will kickoff at 1:00 PM.

This will be the latest Clemson has played a regular season game since 1956 when the Tigers defeated Furman at Death Valley, 28-7 on Dec. 1. It will be just the sixth regular season game in the month of December in Clemson football history. The latest Clemson has had a regular season game is Dec. 8, a 1928 loss to The Citadel in Charleston.

The change in schedule means that Duke and Clemson will meet in the major sports of football and men’s basketball on consecutive days. The two schools will meet in men’s basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 2. That will be the earliest conference basketball game for the Tigers since 1966. Clemson played at North Carolina to open the 1966-67 season on Dec. 1.

Clemson to Play 92-day Regular season As a result of the terrorist attacks on the East Coast on September 11th, and the subsequent schedule change, Clemson’s 2001 regular season will stretch 92 days, longest in school history. The Clemson vs. Duke game originally scheduled for Sept. 15 was moved to Dec. 1, two weeks after the original season finale at South Carolina on Nov. 17.

The previous longest season in Clemson history was 87 days, set in 1991 when Clemson began the season on Sept. 7, then concluded the regular season on Nov. 30 in Tokyo. That season also finished with a game against Duke. Clemson had 85-day regular seasons in 1984 and 1996. Fifteen consecutive Clemson seasons have lasted at least 78 days dating to the 1986 season that lasted 71 days. The shortest 11-game regular season took place in 1977 and 1980 when the season spanned 70 days. Six other 11-game seasons went across 71 days.

Longest Regular Seasons in Clemson History 2001 Sept. 1 – Dec. 1 (92) 1991 Sept. 7 – Nov. 30 (87) 1984 Sept. 1 – Nov. 24 (85) 1996 Aug. 31 – Nov. 23 (85) 1993 Sept. 4 – Nov. 20 (84) 1982 Sept. 6 – Nov. 27 (83)

Field Position Important Field position is an important statistic in any football game. That has certainly been the case when evaluating the Clemson defense this year. Clemson has allowed 23 scoring drives in five games, 17 touchdowns and six field goals. Opponents have driven over 66 yards for a touchdown just four all year.

Thirty-four times this year the opposition has taken possession of the ball at its own 30 or worse. They have driven for a touchdown just four times in those 34 possessions. They have added three field goals. On 10 of the opposition’s 17 touchdowns, they have had to drive 53 yards or less. That includes a 44-yard drive for the winning drive by Virginia.

Clemson 36-0-1 With 200 Yards Passing and Rushing Clemson is now 10-0 under Tommy Bowden when gaining at least 200 yards or each in the same game. The Tigers are now 36-0-1 in history when gaining at least 200 of each. Clemson first turned the trick against Wake Forest in 1953. Clemson has had three games this year in which it has had at least 200 or each in the same game, including each of the last two.

The program had just 28 such games in the first 103 years of Clemson football prior to Bowden’s arrival and now has had 10 in the 29 games he has been head coach of the Tigers. The streak was nearly snapped at Georgia Tech in 1999. Clemson had 231 yards rushing and 197 passing in the loss at Georgia Tech. The only tie game in which Clemson had at least 200 of each took place in 1976 when Clemson had 248 rushing and 234 passing in a 24-24 tie in Atlanta against Tech.

Clemson in Top 25 Clemson is again ranked in he top 20 of both polls this week. The Tigers have been ranked in the top 25 in the USA Today poll for 25 consecutive weeks. This is the second longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the top 25 in a poll in Clemson history. The record for consecutive top 20 rankings is 41, set between the final poll of the 1986 season and the Oct. 10, 1989 poll. The Tigers were ranked between third and 17th in the nation in all 41 or those polls.

The record for consecutive weeks in the top 25 is 50 in a row between Oct. 24, 1989 and Oct. 19, 1992. The Tigers were ranked between 6 and 25 during that streak. Clemson was ranked between 21-25 in six of those 50 weeks. Clemson has had two other streaks of 14 weeks or more ranked in the top 20. One took place from Sept. 21, 1981 through Sept. 13, 1982, a 15-week streak, while the other took place between Oct. 12, 1959 and Oct. 10, 1960, a 14-week streak.

Carson, Leake top Clemson Tacklers Chad Carson and John Leake are becoming quite a one-two punch on Clemson’s second line of defense. Against Wofford’s run oriented attack numbers 45 and 46 combined for 34 tackles. Carson had 18 and Leake picked up a career high 16. In the win at Tech, Leake had 19 and Carson added 10. They were both in double figures at N.C. State. Leake had 14 and Carson had 11.

For Carson the 18 tackles against Wofford tied for his second highest single game total as a Tiger. The only performance that is higher is the 22-tackle performance he had against Georgia Tech at Death Valley last year. That is an ironic fact in itself considering that Carson’s father played for Georgia Tech.

Carson now has 364 tackles for his career, eighth best in school history. He moved ahead of Tim Jones with seven tackles against Virginia. Next on the list is former teammate Robert Carswell, who had 374 between 1997-00. If he averages 10 tackles a game over the rest of the season he will finish his career ranked fourth in Clemson history, trailing only Bubba Brown, Anthony Simmons and Jeff Davis. That is impressive company.

Leake has a long way to go to catch Carson, but he is taking a similar path. Carson had just 11 tackles his freshman year as a reserve linebacker in 1998. Leake had nine as a reserve last year.

Clemson Career Tackle Leaders 1. Bubba Brown, LB 1976-79 515 2. Anthony Simmons, LB 1995-97 486 3. Jeff Davis, LB 1978-81 469 4. Ed McDaniel, LB 1988-91 489 5. Randy Scott, LB 1975-78 382 6. Keith Adams, LB 1998-00 379 7. Robert Carswell, FS 1997-00 374 8. Chad Carson, LB 1998-01 364 9. Tim Jones, LB 1991-94 338 10. Henry Walls, LB 1983-85 316

Tigers Only Division I Team With Two Academic All-Americans Clemson is the only school in the nation with two returning first-team Academic All-Americans on its roster. Linebacker Chad Carson and center Kyle Young were both named first-team Academic All-Americans in 2000. That was the first time in Clemson history the Tigers had two first-team selections in the same year. Carson is a senior with a 3.94 career GPA in biological sciences. He led the Tigers in tackles last year and ranked fourth in the nation. Young led the Tigers in knockdown blocks last year with 120. He graduated from Clemson with a 3.98 career GPA last year and is now taking postgraduate courses. He was also a first-team Academic All-American in 1999 and is trying to become just the second ACC player in history to be a three time first-team selection. Mike Diminick, who played for Duke in the 1980s, is the only other ACC player to be a three-time first-team selection.

Seven First-Year Freshmen Have Seen Action Clemson played five first-year freshmen in the season opener against UCF. The list included three receivers in Roscoe Crosby, Airese Currie and tight end Ben Hall. On defense, Moe Fountain and Eric Sampson were first-year freshmen who saw action.

Crosby started the game, the first first-year freshman to start at wide receiver in the season opener 1944 when Arthur Hagan started every game as a first-year freshmen. That was during WWII when the United States Armed Services drafted most of Clemson’s upperclassmen.

It didn’t take Crosby much time to have an impact. He caught a Utah pass from quarterback Woodrow Dantzler on the first play of the season and he turned it into a 12-yard gain. He also caught 33-yard pass for Clemson’s longest play of the day from scrimmage. Crosby finished the day with three catches for 64 yards. The yardage total led the Tigers against UCF. Hall also made his first career catch in the contest.

LeRoy Hill became the sixth first year freshman to play in a game when he played linebacker against Wofford. Hill had four tackles in 10 plays of action in the Clemson win. Eric Coleman became the seventh Clemson first-year freshman to see action when he played on the defensive line at Georgia Tech.

Changes from the Press Guide There have been some changes as far as personnel is concerned since the 2001 Clemson media guide was published in July. Three players on the press guide roster are no longer on the team. Freshman Micheaux Hollingsworth has decided to attend a junior college. Freshman Grant Oliver decided to leave Clemson a week into practice and has left school. David Ellis, a two-year letterman at defensive end, decided to leave the team a week into practice.

Five players have changed positions since the beginning of practice. Braxton K. Williams has moved from star safety to strongside linebacker. Tyrone Lee, a letterman as a reserve tight end last year, has moved to fullback. Eric Sampson, who came to Clemson as a linebacker this year, is now the backup star safety. Brian Carr has moved from quarterback to free safety and freshman Eric Coleman has moved from tight end to offensive tackle.

Seven players have changed uniform numbers:
New # Player Old #
14 Tony Elliott, WR 38
49 Britt Sheman, FB 44
44 Tyrone Lee, FB 87
76 Eric Coleman, OT 89
55 Anthony Williams, LB 57
93 Tif Miller, P 13
99 Maurice Fountain, DE 93

Seven Graduate Students Start for Tigers Clemson has seven graduate students slated to hold starting positions for today’s game with Wofford. That is an all-time record for graduate students on the Clemson football team.

The list is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Woodrow Dantzler, who received his degree in marketing from Clemson in August. Dantzler hugged Clemson President Jim Barker when he was presented his diploma on the stage at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Starting defensive back Charles Hafley and starting defensive tackle Nick Eason both earned their degrees in sociology that same day. Eason’s graduation was especially impressive because he still has two years of eligibility. He earned the degree in three years and three summer sessions and plans to earn a master’s before his eligibility is up. He is the first Clemson football player to earn an undergraduate degree with two years of eligibility remaining.

Four other Clemson players received their degrees prior to this past August, and all four of them are starters on offense. Kyle Young, starting center, and T.J. Watkins, starting guard, earned their degrees in May. Young graduated Summa Cum Laude and is a two-time first-team Academic All-American. Wide receiver Matt Bailey also received his degree that day. Starting offensive guard Will Merritt received his degree in December of 2000, just a few days prior to the Gator Bowl.

Clemson’s Eason Named to AFCA Goodworks Team Clemson defensive tackle Nick Eason was named to the 2001 American Football Coaches Association Good Works team on Wednesday. The AFCA recognizes 11 Division I players every year for their community service involvement. Eason was the only ACC player named to the team. Eason has been active in community service since he first came to Clemson in 1998. Each year the ACC honors six student-athletes at each of its member institutions for their time spent on community service projects. Eason is the only Clemson student-athlete to be chosen for this award three times.

Eason, a graduate student from Lyons, GA, has traveled abroad with the Athletes in Action to speak with students about the positives of athletics and to teach youngsters about sports. He also is a frequent visitor to elementary schools in he area.

Clemson’s defensive MVP last year earned his degree from Clemson in August and still has two years of eligibility remaining (including he 2001 season). He is the first Tiger gridder to earn his degree (sociology) with two years of eligibility remaining.

Eason is the second Clemson football player to be named to the Good Works team. Robert Carswell, now with the San Diego Chargers, was named to the team in 1999.

Young Looks for Landmark Accomplishment Clemson center Kyle Young has been named a first-team Academic All-American each of the last two years. If he is chosen for a third time at the end of the 2001 season he will become just the second offensive lineman in college football history to be chosen a first-team Academic All-American in three different seasons. He would also become just the second ACC player in history to be chosen three times.

The College Sports Information Directors of America have chosen the academic All-America team every year since 1952, so the 2001 team will be the 50th team selected. Players chosen to the team must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA. Young had a 3.98 career GPA and graduated in May, Summa Cum Laude.

Young will try to join former Colorado offensive lineman Jim Hansen as the only three-time first-team selections. Hansen was named in 1990, 1991 and 1992. The only other ACC player to be a three-time first-team selection, regardless of position, is Mike Diminick, a defensive back from Duke, who was named first team in 1986, 1987 and 1988.

Overall, 12 different football players have been named first-team academic All-American three times. Clemson’s Kyle Young will attempt to join that group in 2001.

Three-Time First-Team Academic All-Americans
Name Pos. School Years
Jon Abbott LB Arizona 1975-77
Ron Duncan TE Ball State 1985-87
Jim Hansen OL Colorado 1990-92
Mike Diminick DB Duke 1986-88
Dan Gregus DL Illinois 1980-82
David Patterson WR New Mexico State 1996-98
Joe Heap B Notre Dame 1952-54
John Bergren DL Stanford 1981-83
Scott Henderson LB Texas 1968-70
Kip Corrington DB Texas A&M 1985-87
Jason Hanson PK Washington St. 1989-91
Don Davey DL Wisconsin 1987-90

20 Tigers on NFL Rosters Twenty former Clemson football players, including four from last year’s 9-3 team that finished 14th in the final poll were named to NFL teams earlier this month. The list also included former Tiger lineman Corey Hulsey, who had not played since the 1998 season with the Tigers. Hulsey made the Buffalo Bills roster as a guard. Rod Gardner (WR, Washington Redskins), Robert Carswell (FS, San Diego Chargers) and Darrel Crutchfield (DB, Philadelphia Eagles) were members of Clemson’s 2000 team that stuck with NFL teams as rookies. Terry Witherspoon was named to the San Diego Chargers practice squad. Gardner was a first-round pick and was a lock to make the Redskins. In fact, he is slated to start their season opener. Carswell was a seventh-round pick, while Crutchfield was a free agent.

Five of the 20 players on the list are in at least their 10th year in the NFL. That list includes Chris Gardocki, in his 11th year in the league as a punter. He will play for the Cleveland Browns this year. Terry Allen is a running back with the World Champion Baltimore Ravens, while Levon Kirkland, Ed McDaniel and Chester McGlockton are all former Tigers in their 10th year in the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks will start two former Tiger linebackers in Anthony Simmons and Kirkland, while the Denver Broncos will start two former Tigers at defensive tackle in former All-Pros McGlockton and Trevor Pryce. The Seahawks, Broncos, Ravens, Chargers and Eagles all have two former Tigers apiece.

Former Clemson Players on NFL Rosters
Name Pos Hgt Wgt CU Yrs NFL Exp NFL Team
Terry Allen RB 5-11 205 87-89 10 Baltimore Ravens
Lorenzo Bromell DE 6-6 275 96-97 4th Miami Dolphins
$Brentson Buckner DE 6-2 305 90-93 8th Carolina Panthers
Robert Carswell DB 5-11 215 97-00 R San Diego Chargers
Darrel Crutchfield DB 6-0 177 97-00 R Philadelphia Eagles
$Brian Dawkins DB 5-11 200 92-95 6th Philadelphia Eagles
Adrian Dingle DE 6-3 272 95-98 3rd San Diego Chargers
Antwan Edwards DB 6-1 205 95-98 3rd Green Bay Packers
$Rod Gardner WR 6-3 218 97-00 R Washington Redskins
Chris Gardocki P 6-1 200 88-90 11th Cleveland Browns
$Lamont Hall TE 6-4 260 94-97 3rd New Orleans
Corey Hulsey OG 6-6 338 96-98 R Buffalo Bills
Levon Kirkland LB 6-1 270 88-91 10th Seattle Seahawks
$Dexter McCleon DB 5-10 195 93-96 5th St. Louis Rams
$Ed McDaniel LB 5-11 230 88-91 10th Minnesota Vikings
Chester McGlockton DT 6-4 329 89-91 10th Denver Broncos
Trevor Pryce DT 6-5 295 1996 5th Denver Broncos
Anthony Simmons LB 6-0 230 95-97 4th Seattle Seahawks
James Trapp DB 6-2 190 89-92 9th Baltimore Ravens
#$Terry Witherspoon FB 6-1 250 97-00 R San Diego Chargers
# – Practice Squad, $ – Denotes earned degree from Clemson. Anthony Simmons was back in school over the summer.

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