1998 Football Game Notes

June 24, 1998

Sept. 5 Furman at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 38-10-4 This game will be the 53rd meeting between Clemson and its oldest football rival, Furman…the two teams met in 1896 in the first game in Clemson football history…Clemson won the game 14-6 in Greenville…Clemson has won 26 straight games against Furman dating to a 12-0 Paladin win at Clemson in 1936…the two teams have met just five times since 1964…Clemson has outscored the Paladins 227-21 in the last eight meetings…Furman has not scored a touchdown against Clemson since 1961…Clemson has won 33 in a row over Southern Conference teams since a 6-0 loss to South Carolina in 1952…Clemson has won 42 games in a row over teams currently in the Southern Conference…ten of the last 12 Southern Conference teams to play the Tigers have failed to score a touchdown..Tommy West is 3-0 against Furman in his coaching career, 2-0 at Clemson and 1-0 in his season at UT-Chattanooga when he club won a 45-42 thriller in the season finale…Furman is coached by former Clemson player Bobby Johnson and he is 0-2 vs. the Tigers…Johnson played for the Tigers between 1970-72 and was academic All-ACC as a junior and senior…he had seven takeaways in 1972, most by a Clemson player between the 1953-81 era…Johnson was Clemson defensive coordinator in 1993 under Ken Hatfield…Furman had just 99 yards total offense against Clemson in 1994, best defensive game by the Tigers since West has been head coach…the Paladins had -29 yards rushing against Clemson in the Tigers 19-3 victory in 1996, the fewest rushing yards by a Tiger opponent in history….current Clemson kicker David Richardson had two field goals, including a 40-yarder, in Clemson’s last victory over Furman in 1996….current Clemson outside linebacker Rahim Abdullah had three quarterback sacks in the 1996 game, the only freshman in Clemson history to have three sacks in one game…the Clemson defense had 12 quarterback sacks in the game, highest total in Clemson history….Clemson has a 76-18-8 record in season openers over the years and has won 13 of its last 15…Clemson is 3-0 on this date in history.

Sept. 12 Virginia Tech at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 17-7-1 Clemson and Virginia Tech meet on Hall of Fame Day at Death Valley on Sept. 12…this will be a meeting between two of the 18 teams across the country who have been to a bowl game at least three consecutive years…Virginia Tech lost to North Carolina in the Gator Bowl last season…both teams were 7-5 in 1997…this is the first meeting between Clemson and Virginia Tech since the 1989 season…one of Virginia Tech’s top running backs is Lamont Pegues, who was Clemson’s top rusher in 1994 with 390 uards in 92 attempts…Pegues also played at Clemson in 1995 before transfering…Pegues will be the only player on the field who has had a 100-yard rushing game in Death Valley, he had 136 in a victory over Georgia Tech in 1994….current Clemson offensive line coach John Latina is a Virginia Tech graduate and played against Clemson in 1978 in Death Valley…Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is 0-3 against Clemson, losses in consecutive years to Danny Ford’s coached Tigers in 1987 (22-10), 1988 (40-7) and 1989 (27-7)…in Beamer’s first meeting against Clemson in 1987, Wesley McFadden rushed for 226 yards in 32 attempts…Tommy West was an outside linebacker coach at Clemson for all three of those games…Clemson and Virginia Tech met on the gridiron in six consecutive years (1984-89) and the Tigers won five of the six…the Hokies last win was by a 20-14 margin in the season opener of 1986 in Death Valley…Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Ricky Bustle played for the Tigers 1973-76, he earned letters in his final three seasons…Clemson has 60 wins in the decade of the 1990s and Virginia Tech has 57…while the two teams have played just 25 times in history, the series does date to 1900, a 17-5 Clemson victory…Clemson is 7-2 lifetime against Virginia Tech in Death Valley with the VPI wins coming in 1986 and 1954…Clemson is 3-1 lifetime on Sept. 12.

Sept. 19 Clemson at VirginiaSeries: Clemson leads 32-4-1 This game will be played on September 19th, the only perfect day in Clemson history given a minimum of three games played…Clemson has a perfect 8-0 record on this date, including a 13-3 win over a fourth-ranked Georgia team in 1981…The Tigers won the first 29 games of the series, but Virginia has a 4-3-1 advantage in the eight meetings in the decade of the 1990s…Virginia won last year, 21-7 at Clemson the Tigers Homecoming, one of just two Homecoming losses for Clemson since 1970..Clemson won the last meeting between the two teams in Charlottesville, 24-16 over a 15th-ranked Wahoo team….Clemson had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the contest, Raymond Priester and Kelton Dunnican, something Clemson has not done since…current Clemson OLB Howard Bartley had career high tying 8 tackles in the contest…linebacker Chris Jones had a season high seven tackles against Virginia in 1997…Adrian Dingle had then career high 7 tackles, including three tackles for loss…Antwan Edwards had 11 tackles vs. Virginia in 1996…Kevin Laird had three punts inside the 20 and a 43.6 average against Virginia in 1997….Virginia offensive coordinator Sparky Woods coached against Clemson for South Carolina between 1988-90.

Sept. 26, Wake Forest at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 49-13-1 The Tigers have won 19 of the last 21, including 4-0 under Tommy West….the Deacs victory at Death Valley in 1993 is their only triumph at Clemson since 1961….Clemson has held Wake Forest under 21 points nine games in a row including last year’s 33-16 Clemson victory in Winston-Salem….. Antwan Edwards had 11 tackles in the Clemson win in 1996 at Tigertown…Clemson will strive for its 50th win in history over Wake Forest…Robert Carswell had 11 tackles and two passes broken up in his second college start at Wake Forest in 1997…David richardson had four field goals, including a career best 52-yarder in the win at Wake Forest…Terry Witherspoon had a season high 76 yards on 11 rushes in Clemson’s win at Wake Forest in 1997…South Carolina is the only other team Clemson has beaten at least 50 times…Clemson is 4-5-2 on Sept. 26th in history. Enclosed is a summary of game notes for each upcoming football game this year. Thought you could turn it into a summer preview of the coming schedule. Tim bourret

Oct. 3, Clemson at North CarolinaSeries: Clemson leads 29-16-1 Clemson Assistant Head coach Les Herrin was a North Carolina assistant in 1988…the Tigers have won nine of the last 12, and 13 of the last 17 in the series….current Tiger Rahim Abdullah was Clemson’s MVP in 1996 game in Chapel Hill…DoMarco Fox had a blocked punt late in the fourth period for Clemson, a play that put the Tigers on the Tar Heel 10-yard line in the final minute…Fox also had nine tackles and an 11-yard interception return in that game…Kevin Laird had three punts over 50 yards and a 46.1 average on nine punts against North Carolina in 1997…Harold Means had a career high 15 tackles against North Carolina in 1997…Clemson’s 1996 offensive coordinator, Darrell Moody, is an assistant coach at North Carolina…Clemson won at North Carolina in Tommy West’s first year, 1994, in a big upset…North Carolina was ranked 12th heading into the game and Clemson ended that year with a 5-6 record, but the Tigers came away with a 28-17 victory thanks to five field goals by Nelson Welsh…Clemson is 4-8-1 on October 3rd in history.

Oct. 10, Maryland at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 24-20-2 Clemson is 23-2-2 on Homecoming over the last 27 years with the only losses coming to Georgia Tech in 1989 and to Virginia last year. ..Clemson has taken the lead in the series with Maryland 24-20-2…the Terps always held the lead between 1971-93…since the Terps scored 53 against Clemson in 1992, they have scored just 12 points…Clemson had consecutive shutouts of the Terps in 1993-94-95…Clemson has won 10 of the last 11 games and five in a row from Maryland….Maryland has scored just two touchdowns in Death Valley in the last 11 years, covering a span of five games…Robert Carswell had 11 tackles and three passes broken up in his first college start at Maryland in 1997..DoMarco Fox had a season high tying nine tackles at Maryland in 1997…Adrian Dingle had three sacks for 25 yards to tie a Clemson single game record in the Tigers win at Maryland in 1997….the Terps have not scored a TD in Death Valley since a 40-7 Clemson victory in 1991, the game that Clemson won to clinch its last ACC championship…Terps defensive coordinator is former Clemson linebacker coach Wally Ake…Tommy West is 4-0 against Maryland..Clemson is 6-7-0 on October 10th in history.

Oct. 17, Clemson at Florida StateSeries: Florida State leads 9-2-0 Clemson has lost six in a row to Florida State with the last win coming in Tallahassee in 1989..in fact, both of Clemson’s wins in the series have taken place at Florida State…Clemson and Florida State have both been ranked in the top 20 in the nation in the AP poll heading into six of the last eight games…Clemson has eight veteran players on its roster from the state of Florida (Rahim Abdullah, Jacksonville; Alex Ardley, Tallahassee; Darell Crutchfield, Jacksonville; Brent Banasiewicz, Monticello; Donald Broomfield, Olustee; John Thompson, Jacksonville; Rod Gardner, Jacksonville; Theo Mougros, Tarpon Springs; Ryan Romano, West Palm Beach) ….Clemson wide receivers coach Rick Stockstill and inside linebackers coach Reggie Herring, are both Florida State graduates…Herring is in the Seminoles Hall of Fame and Stockstill was a two-year starter at quarterback…Fred Hoover, another FSU grad, worked his 400th consecutive game as Clemson’s head trainer when the Tigers met the Seminoles in 1995 at Clemson…Hoover’s streak is now at 434 heading into the season…Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews used to be a secondary coach at Clemson…punter Kevin Laird had a career high 47.6 average on seven punts against Florida State in 1997…Brandon Streeter made his first college start against Florida State last year and was 6-12 for 72 yards and had a 32-yard touchdown run against the Seminoles…Clemson is 6-4-0 on October 17th in history.

Oct. 24, Clemson at DukeSeries: Clemson leads 27-14-1 Clemson has won 14 of the last 16 games against Duke, including last year’s 29-20 overtime thriller…that was first overtime game involving two ACC teams in history… Clemson outside linebacker Rahim Abdullah returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown to clinch the overtime victory in 1997…he also had 11 tackles and a sack in that game…David Richardson had three field goals, including a 36-yarder in overtime, helping Clemson to victory in 1997…Brian Wofford had a career high 95 reception yards on three catches and a touchdown against Duke in 1997…Duke has not scored over 20 points against the Tigers in the last six years and just in the last eight meetings…Clemson offensive line coach Mac McWhorter was an offenisve line coach at Duke in 1990-91….Duke defensive coordinator Bobby Trott was Clemson’s defensive coordinator in 1990….this is Clemson’s final road game of the season…Clemson is 6-5-0 on October 24th in history..

Oct. 31, North Carolina State at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 42-23-1 This will be a matchup of two of the top two rushing teams in the ACC in 1997….Wolfpack head coach Mike OCain is a 1977 Clemson graduate and was a quarterback for the Tigers between 1973-76…he defeated Clemson in Death Valley in 1994, as he became the first Clemson graduate to beat Clemson….he has not beaten the Tigers since…OCain is the first Clemson graduate to serve as a Division I head coach since 1904 when Shack Shealy, Clemson class of 00, became the head coach of the Tigers…this is the 18th annual Textile Bowl, Clemson has a 12-5 lead in the series since it was named the Textile Bowl in 1981…Clemson was 5-3 against N.C. State when Tommy West was an assistant coach with the Tigers (1982-89)…Clemson outside linebacker Rahim Abdullah has scored a touchdown on a fumble return against NC State each of the last two seasons…Antwan Edwards had a season high nine tackles at NC State in 1997…this game starts a stretch of three straight home games to end the season for the Tigers….Clemson has a 12-6 record on Halloween, including the 82-24 win over Wake Forest in 1981.

Nov. 12, Georgia Tech at ClemsonSeries: Georgia Tech leads 40-20-2 This will be Clemson’s first home Thursday night game in history…the contest will be televised on ESPN with an 8:00 PM start…it is Clemson’s first game on a Thursday since the 1963 season when Clemson and South Carolina played on Thanksgiving Day due to the death of President Kennedy…when Clemson won over the Yellow Jackets in 1994 it was the coaching debut of George OLeary….Tech’s hasn’t won at Death Valley since 1989 when they handed Clemson’s its first homecoming defeat since 1970…..Georgia Tech has a 38-10-2 advantage over Clemson in games played at Georgia Tech over the years, including 30-6-1 in Bobby Dodd Stadium, but Clemson has a 7-2 advantage in games at Clemson…Georgia Tech never played at Clemson until 1974 and the 36 games played between the two teams between 1908 and 1973 were contested in Atlanta….Mal Lawyer had a career high 79 yards on four receptions and a touchdown at Georgia Tech in 1997…Brian Wofford had a carer high six catches for 52 yards in the game against Georgia Tech in 1997…Terry Witherspoon had 12-61 rushing against Georgia Tech in 1997…DoMarco Fox had six tackles and a career high three passes broken up at Georgia Tech in 1997…Clemson offensive line coach Mac McWhorter was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech between 1980-87, his first full-time assistant coaching job…Howard Bartley had career high eight tackles against Georgia Tech in 1996…Clemson is 8-4 on Nov. 12th in history.

Nov. 21 South Carolina at ClemsonSeries: Clemson leads 56-35-4 The visiting team has won this game seven straight years, the first time that has happened since the two teams began playing a home and home series in 1960…a South Carolina victory would tie the all-time NCAA record for road wins in a series in consecutive years…the Kansas and Kansas State series had eight straight road wins in the 1920 and early 1930s… Clemson has had .500 or better record entering the South Carolina game, 21 straight years, South Carolina has had .500 or better record entering the game 14 of the last 21 years…West coached in eight games in this series as an assistant between 1982-89, and Clemson had a 5-2-1 advantage in those games…West was 1-1 as an assistant coach for South Carolina against Clemson in 1991 and 1992….the first 57 games of this series were played in Columbia…Clemson running backs coach Rich Bisaccia was an assistant coach at South Carolina between 1989-93, while Tiger outside linebackers coach David Bibee was the secondary coach with the Gamecocks during the same time period ….former Clemson assistant coaches Chuck Reedy and Woody McCorvey are now assistant coaches at South Carolina…Clemson has won seven of the last 10 in the series, including each of the last five games in Columbia…Antwan Edwards had a 58-yard interception return against South Carolina in 1996 and was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week….in 1997 Edwards had two interceptions, including one he returned for a score, and was again named ACC Defensive Back of the Week…Edwards has six career interceptions, half are against South Carolina…Rahim Abdullah had a season high 8 tackles, including two tackles for loss, against South Carolina in 1996…David Richardson was 2-2 on field goals and scored 11 points in win over South Carolina in 1997…Javis Austin had 19-90 rushing against South Carolina in 1997, his top game as a freshman…Clemson is 8-1 in Columbia since 1980…17 years ago to the day, Clemson clinched its 11-0 perfect season with a 29-13 victory over South Carolina in Columbia…Braxton Williams was member of that team, his son is on this year’s Clemson team…Clemson is 5-5-1 on Nov. 21st in history.