Clemson Bowl Notes

Dec. 4, 2001

Clemson’s Bowl History Clemson has a rich bowl tradition. The Tigers have a 12-12 record in bowl games and the 12 bowl victories rank in a tie for 20th in NCAA history . This will be Clemson’s 25th bowl appearance. Clemson’s first bowl appearance was in the 1940 Cotton Bowl when the Tigers defeated Frank Leahy and Boston College 6-3.

This will be Clemson’s 14th bowl game since 1985, a 17-year period. Clemson had six bowl victories in the 1985-96 time period but has lost five consecutive bowl games. Clemson’s last bowl win was in 1993, a 14-13 win over Kentucky at the Peach Bowl. Clemson’s last win in the Gator Bowl was in 1989 over West Virginia, 27-7.

Clemson has some bowl wins over some of the greatest coaches in college football history:

Frank Leahy, the second winningest coach in college footballhistory on a percentage basis, when Clemson defeated Boston Collegein the 1940 Cotton Bowl Joe Paterno of Penn State, the secondwinningest coach in Division I college history on a total winsbasis, when Clemson defeated Penn State in 1988 Citrus Bowl, 35-10.Woody Hayes of Ohio State, the 16th winningest coach in collegefootball history on a total wins basis, when Clemson won 17-15 inthe 1978 Gator Bowl, Hayes’s last game as coach Barry Switzer ofOklahoma, the 5th winningest coach in Division I college history ona winning percentage basis, when Clemson defeated Oklahoma in 1989Citrus Bowl, Switzer’s final game as coach. Tom Osborne ofNebraska, the 13th winningest coach in college football history ona total wins basis, in the 1981 Orange Bowl, which gave Clemson itsonly National Championship. Don Nehlen of West Virginia, the 5thwinningest active coach in college football during this season,when Clemson defeated West Virginia, in the 1989 Gator Bowl .

Dantzler Reaches 2000/1000 Goal Woodrow Dantzler became the first player in Division I history to reach 2000 yards passing and 1000 yards rushing in the same season when he gained 135 yards rushing against Duke on December 1. Dantzler reached the accomplishment with an 18-yard touchdown run on a fourth-down play in the third period. He played just one more snap the remaining 20 minutes.

Dantzler finished the regular season with 2360 passing and 1004 rushing. He ranks 41st in the nation in rushing and 36th in passing efficiency, the only player nationally to rank in the top 50 in both areas. He averaged 214.5 yards a game passing and 91.3 rushing over the course of the regular season.

His 378 yard total offense performance against Duke gives him an average of 305.8 yards per game in total offense, a Clemson record for a season and eighth best in the nation. He also set Clemson records for passing yards in a season, single season completions, passing yards in a career, touchdown passes in a career and 200-yard total offense games in a season with eight. He also became just the third player in college history to pass for 5000 and rush for 2500 in a career.

Dantzler had 947 rushing and 1691 passing in 2000 during the regular season. The closest to achieve the milestone prior to Dantzler was Brian Mitchell of Lousiana-Lafayette, who had 1311 rushing and 1966 passing in 1989. Mitchell has been in the NFL many years and is one of the top kick return players in the league.

Records/Accomplishments by Clemson Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler

Became first player in NCAA history to pass for at least 2000yards and rush for 1000 yards in the same season. He had 243passing and 135 rushing vs. Duke, giving him 2360 passing and 1004rushing for the season. Dantzler also became just the third playerin NCAA history to reach 5000 yards passing and 2500 yards passingin a career. The others to do it are Antwan Randle-El of Indiana,who played his final college game for Indiana on the same day, andBrian Mitchell of Louisiana-Lafayette, who completed his career in1986-89. Dantzler broke the following records against Duke: Mosttouchdown passes in a career-had four vs. Duke to give him 37 forhis career, breaking the record of 35 by Nealon Greene in 1994-97.Most passing yards in a career-had 243 vs. Duke to give him 5819for his career, ahead of the 5719 Nealon Greene had from 1994-97.Set record for passing yards in a single season-had 243 vs. Duke togive him 2360 for the season, ahead of the previous mark of 2212 byNealon Greene in 1997. Broke his own record for touchdownresponsibility in a season-had five touchdowns passing (4) andrushing (1) vs. Duke , giving him 27 for the season. He broke ownrecord of 24 he had set last year. Broke single season touchdownpass record-had four vs. Duke to give him 17 for the season, aheadof the 16 set by Nealon Greene in 1997. Broke single season recordfor pass completions-Had 12 vs. Duke to give him 188 for theseason. Broke the previous record of 180 held by Nealon Greene in1997. Tied Clemson single game record for touchdown passes withfour. He tied record he co-owns with teammate Willie Simmons andNealon Greene. Had 378 yards of total offense. It was his eighthgame of at least 200 yards this year, breaking his own record ofseven games of at least 200-yards in a season. It was his seventhgame of at least 300 yards this season. He already had the recordfor 300-yard games in a season.

Clemson Has Four Wins over Teams with Winning Records Clemson has four wins over teams with winning records this season. The Tigers have defeated a 6-5 Central Florida team, a 6-5 Wake Forest team, a 7-4 NC State team and a 7-4 Georgia Tech team. Three of the four wins over teams with winning records have come on the road.

This is the most wins over teams that have finished the year with winning records since 1990 when Clemson had a school record tying six wins over teams that finished the year with a winning record. Clemson also had six wins over teams with a winning record in 1989, Danny Ford’s final season. The chart below includes bowl games, and only includes wins over Division I-A opponents.

This year marks just the 10th time in school history that Clemson has defeated as many as four teams with winning records in the same season. It is just the ninth time Clemson has done it in regular season play.

Young Named Rimington Award Finalist Clemson center Kyle Young has been named one of five finalists for the Dave Rimington Award. The announcement was made Saturday prior to Young’s final home game against Duke.

The honor, which is presented to the top center in college football, will be awarded in Lincoln, NE on December 15th. It is named after former Nebraska All-American and Outland Trophy winner Dave Rimington. Young is joined on the list by LeCharles Bentley of Ohio State, Mel Fowler of Maryland, Seth McKinney of Texas A&M and Brett Romberg of Miami (FL). Young was one of the finalists for the award last year. Earlier this week, Young was named. a third-team All-American by The Football News and The Sporting News. It marked the second straight year that Young had been honored as an All-American by both of those publications.

Young is perhaps the most honored lineman in Clemson football history. He was also named the recipient of the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award as the league’s top student-athlete football player earlier this week. On December 11th he will be one of eight Division I football players to receive a National Football Foundation Scholarship. He is a two-time first-team Academic All-American and is on track to win his third first-team honor later this month. If he does that he will be just the second three-time first-team Academic All-American in college football history.

Young leads the Tigers in knockdown blocks with 140, a figure that broke his own Tiger record. He has been Clemson’s highest rated blocker in 10 of the 11 games this year, including nine in a row. He has led the team in knockdown blocks in seven games. The native of Clemson has started 39 games in a row heading into the bowl game.

Clemson Seniors Close Out Season in a Bowl Game Clemson’s 23 seniors will make their final appearance in a bowl game. The class includes some of Clemson’s top players in history. Woodrow Dantzler already holds 38 Clemson records. Kyle Young has started 39 straight games and is a two-time All-American at center. Will Merritt and T.J. Watkins are three-year starters on three of the five Clemson offenses in history to average at least 400 yards per game.

The defense has been led by Chad Carson, a two-time academic All-American who ranks fifth in school history in tackles, and Charles Hafley, one of just two defensive backs in school history to have two different seasons of at least 100 tackles.

The class has been three bowl games, a bowl invite each of the last three years. The class won three out of four games against South Carolina and defeated every other ACC team except Florida State. The win over a #9 Georgia Tech team in Atlanta was the highest ranked Clemson victory in 20 years, the second highest ranked road win in school history. Six of the members of the class already have earned their undergraduate degrees and others will be receiving their degree in December and May.

Young Named All-American by Football News Clemson center Kyle Young has been named a third-team All-American by The Football News and Sporting News.

Young, a graduate student and a native of Clemson, was one of nine ACC players named to the three teams. Young was joined on the third-team offense by Maryland center Melvin Fowler and Virginia wide receiver Billy McMullen.

North Carolina lineman Julius Peppers and Maryland linebacker E.J. Henderson were named first-team All-Americans by Football News. The second team included Maryland running back Bruce Perry, Georgia Tech defensive end Greg Gathers, NC State linebacker Levar Fisher and Maryland punter Brooks Barnard.

A candidate for the Rimington Award, which goes to the top center in college football, Young has started 39 games in a row heading into his home finale against Duke on December 1. A Summa Cum Laude graduate from Clemson last May, he will receive a National Football Foundation Scholarship in December, one of eight Division I players to receive the scholarship.

Clemson Has Sold Tickets for Bowls Clemson’s strong fan following has a lot to do with that Clemson has been to 14 bowls in the last 17 years. Clemson has been to a bowl game seven times in the last 10 years and in every case the Clemson athletic department sold at least 17,500 tickets.

The totals listed below do not include Clemson fans that bought tickets directly from the bowl. Clemson has averaged 19,400 tickets sold through its athletic department for the last seven bowl games, or all its appearances since 1991. The high figure came in 1999 when 24,227 tickets were sold through the athletic department for the 1999 Peach Bowl game with Mississippi State. That was Tommy Bowden’s first year as Clemson head coach and the Tigers had a 6-5 record entering that game. Clemson sold 17,767 tickets to last year’s Gator Bowl game against Virginia Tech.

The record number of tickets sold for a bowl game came in 1977 when Clemson sold 36,600 to its Gator Bowl game with Pittsburgh. That was Clemson’s first bowl game in 18 years. Clemson sold 26,000 to the Orange Bowl in Miami against Nebraska. Many Clemson fans bought their tickets straight from the bowl that year.

Facts on Clemson’s Youth Clemson has one its youngest teams in years. There is good leadership from the senior class of 18 players on the travel roster, but 34 of Clemson’s 44 players on the two-deep are slated to return next year. Out of the nine ACC schools, only Duke has more players expected to return with 35.

When it comes to defense, the youth notes considerable. Nineteen of Clemson’s top 22 are expected to return next season. That can be confusing because starting defensive tackle Nick Eason is listed as a graduate student. Most graduate assistants are in their final year of eligibility, but not Nick. He graduated in three years and had a red-shirt year athletically, so he still has another year and is expected to return. Clemson and Duke are the only players in the ACC with 19 of its top 22 players on defense expected to return next season.

Clemson has seven freshmen listed as first or second team on defense. Clemson and Wake Forest are the only ACC schools to have seven freshmen on their defensive 2-deep. These freshmen, five of whom are first-year freshmen, see significant playing time.

Donnell Washington is a defensive tackle who has seven tackles for loss this year, tied for third on the team. Moe Fountain has six and is tied for fourth on the club. Ryan Hemby has started two games at cornerback and has 11 tackles, while linebacker Eric Sampson had 14 tackles off the bench to key the defensive effort in the win over Wake Forest. He has 35 tackles for the season.

Three of Clemson’s top five receivers are freshmen. Derrick Hamilton leads the team with 49 catches for 590 yards. Roscoe Crosby is coming off his top game, as he hd 6-139 and two touchdowns receiving against Duke. That was a Clemson record for receiving yards in a game by a freshman. He now has 23 catches for 390 yards. The catch total is a Clemson season record for a freshman. Airese Currie is fourth on the team in receptions with 17 for 315 yards. His 315 receiving yards are a Clemson first-year freshman record, as is his team leading 18.5 yards per reception.

Hamilton Returns Kickoff 100 Yards for TD Freshman Derrick Hamilton returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in Clemson’s 37-20 loss at Maryland. He became the first Tiger in almost 100 years to take a kickoff return goal line to goal line for a score. The only other 100-yard kickoff return for a score on record is a 100-yard return by John Maxwell against Cumberland College in 1903. That game was played on November 26, 1903 and was played in Montgomery, AL in what was considered to be the “Championship of the South”. That turned out to be John Heisman’s last game as Clemson Head Coach.

Hamilton really raced 103 yards on his return at Maryland, as he fielded the ball three yards deep in the endzone, raced up the Clemson sideline, then ran to the other side of the field and ran the remaining 50 yards down the Maryland sideline. It was just the eighth kickoff return for a touchdown in Clemson history, the first since 1990.

Ironically, the last time Clemson had a player return a kickoff for a touchdown was against Maryland. In 1990, in a game played at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, Doug Thomas ran 98 yards for a score on a kickoff return in an 18-17 win over the Terps.

Clemson once went 25 years without a kickoff return for a touchdown. Clemson did not have a kickoff return for a touchdown between Hal Davis’s 98-yard return against Georgia in 1962 and Joe Henderson’s 95-yard return for a score against Georgia Tech in 1987. Henderson’s return for a score broke a streak of 999 consecutive punt or kickoff returns without a touchdown, a 17-year streak.

Getting back to Hamilton, he finished the day with 153 yards on two official kickoff returns at Maryland. The 71.5 yards per return set a Clemson record. He broke Henderson’s record of 60 yards per return against Tech in 1987. His 153 yards in kickoff returns rank fifth best in school history for a single game. David Thomas had a record 174 yards on five returns at Georgia Tech in 1972.

Hamilton certainly contributed to Clemson’s record 218 kickoff return yards at Maryland. The previous best was just 188 yards on nine returns at Tulane in 1946.

Hamilton’s kickoff return is listed as a tie for third in school history for the longest play of any kind. There are two plays longer in the record books. Prior to the 1970s, plays could be recorded longer than 100 yards, based on where the ball was fielded in the endzone. In 1968, Richie Luzzi returned a missed field goal against Georgia 108 yards for a score. Two years later, Don Kelley was credited with a 102 yard interception return. Those would both be scored as 100-yard returns by today’s standards.

Hamilton is now second in the nation in kickoff returns with his 31.7 yard average. He is also leading the ACC in that category.

Bowden Earns Third Straight Bowl Bid Clemson became bowl eligible with its win over Duke on December 1. With this bowl bid, Tommy Bowden is now the first coach in Clemson history to lead the Tigers to a bow l game in each of his first three years with the program.

Danny Ford had a 26-9 record through his first three full seasons as Clemson head coach, but his 1980 Tigers had a 6-5 record and were not selected for a bowl game. Ken Hatfield was 24-10-1 in his first three years, but his third Tiger team was 5-6 and did not go to a bowl. Frank Howard was 16-10-2 in his first three years, but he did not take the Tigers to a bowl game until his ninth season, 1948. Of course, there were very few bowl games in those days.

With one regular season game to go and perhaps a bowl game, Bowden trails only Ford, Hatfield and Josh Cody (1927-29) as far as total victories after three seasons. Cody was 21-9-1 for his first three years. Bowden is 20-14 in his first two years plus 10 games.

Dantzler Ranked Among Winningest Clemson QBs Woodrow Dantzler has an 18-11 record as a starting quarterback over the last three years, currently tied for seventh in total wins by a Clemson starting quarterback with All-American Bobby Gage, who led the Tigers from 1946-48.

Dantzler tied Harvey White, an All-ACC performer from 1957-59 with the win over Duke. DeChane Cameron is next on the list with 19. The only 20-game winners in Clemson history are Rodney Williams (32), Nealon Greene (24), Homer Jordan (22), Mike Eppley (21) and Steve Fuller (21).

Dantzler has actually been a starter in 19 Clemson victories the last three years. However, one of his starts (vs. Duke in 1999) was as a wide receiver and he does not get credit as the starting quarterback in that game.

Clemson’s career leader in victories for a starting quarterback is Rodney Williams, who started 32 Clemson wins between 1985-88. That is a mark that could stand for a while as someone would have to average eight wins a year as a starter for four seasons just to tie Williams. Williams is tied with Chris Weinke of Florida State for the ACC record. The NCAA leader is Peyton Manning, who started 39 victories at Tennessee.

Dantzler Named Semifinalist for Davey O’Brien Award Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler was one of 12 semifinalists for the 2001 Davey O’Brien Award. The Award, which is chosen by national sportswriters and commentators, goes to the best quarterback in college football.

Dantzler has had at least 300 yards total offense in seven of the last nine games, including a school record 517 yards at NC State on October 13th. He also had six touchdowns in that game, four passing and two rushing, tying the ACC record for touchdown responsibility in a game. He had a five-touchdown game and 378 yards of total offense in the win over Duke, his final game in Death Valley.

Dantzler was named one of 10 “leading candidates” for the Walter Camp Award earlier in November. That honor is presented to he top player in college football.

Hunt 10-12 on Field Goals Clemson placekicker Aaron Hunt will always hold a special place with Clemson fans. His 25-yard field goal with three seconds left gave the Tigers a 16-14 win over the Gamecocks last year at Clemson. It was the latest game winning kick for a Clemson player since 1987 when David Treadwell kicked a field goal with two seconds remaining to defeat Georgia in a game at Clemson.

Hunt kicked kicked on field goal and seven extra points against Duke and is 10-12 this season. He booted a 48-yard field goal against North Carolina, the Tigers only points of the day. The 48-yard field goal would have been good from over 50 yards and it was the longest of Hunt’s career. In fact, it was the longest by a Clemson kicker 1997 when David Richardson kicked a 48-yard field goal in the Peach Bowl against Auburn.

Hunt has kicked the ball 50 times this year and it has gone through the uprights 47 times. The sophomore is 37-38 on extra points and 10-12 on field goals. He has five field goals of 43 yards or more after not making a field goal over 40 yards all of last year. Hunt made 45-47 extra points last year and is now 82-85 for his career. He had made 44 in a row over before missing an extra point at South Carolina. His miss was from 35 yards as a Clemson player was called for taunting on Clemson’s 54-yard touchdown pass from Woodrow Dantzler to Airese Currie. His 45 made extra points last year set a Clemson record for a season. His attempt total tied the Clemson record. Hunt made 5 of his last 6 a year ago and is 10-12 this year, meaning he has made 15 of his last 18 over two years. He was 10-16 last year overall and is now 20-28 in two years.

Young Named National Football Foundation Scholar Clemson center Kyle Young has been named one of 16 recipients of a Postgraduate scholarship as selected by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The announcement was made Thursday by Chairman of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Jon F. Hanson.

The Clemson graduate and starting center for the Tigers the last three seasons is the first Clemson football player to receive a scholarship from the National Football Foundation since 1978 when Steve Fuller was so honored.

Young is actually just the fifth Clemson football player to receive the honor overall. In addition to Fuller, the others are Jimmy Bell, a quarterback in 1964, Jimmy Addison, a quarterback in 1967, and Ben Anderson, a defensive back in 1972.

Young graduated Summa Cum Laude from Clemson last May and is taking graduate courses this year, his final year of eligibility. He had a 3.98 career GPA and had A’s in every course but one over his four undergraduate years. He has been a first-team Academic All-American each of the last two years and hopes to be a three-time selection this year. The Academic All-America team won’t be announced until December 3rd. He is also the President of Clemson’s LIFELINE organization, the football team’s leadership group.

On the field, Young has led the Clemson offensive line in knockdown blocks this year with 90. He is a big reason Clemson has averaged over 400 yards per game in total offense and has had a positive effect on the play of Woodrow Dantzler, who ranks fifth in the nation in total offense heading into this weekend’s game with Florida State. Young was a second-team All-American on the field last year in addition to his first-team Academic All-America status.

“This is a great honor for Kyle and our football program,” said Head Coach Tommy Bowden. “Clemson has meant so much to Kyle and his family and I know this scholarship award is very meaningful to him. Having grown up in Clemson, he has been following or a part of Clemson football all his life. He is a role model for future Clemson football players and all student-athletes who are at Clemson now or will be in the future.”

Since 1959, when the first class was selected, 602 scholar-athletes have been awarded this high honor based on superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong leadership, and citizenship.

Each scholar-athlete will be awarded an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the Foundation’s 44th Annual Awards Dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, December 11, 2001.

Young will be joined at the Awards Dinner in New York by Terry Kinard, the former Clemson All-American who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on the same night. Clemson is the only school in the nation with a Hall of Fame inductee and a National Football Foundation Scholarship Award winner this year.

Zachery Ranked 2nd in Career Scoring Record Clemson running back Travis Zachery is closing in on a number of milestones. The senior all-purpose running back has scored 50 touchdowns in his Clemson career, already a school record. He has 41 rushing and nine receiving. He scored four in his last game in Death Valley to reach the 50 mark, just the third ACC player in history to do it.

Those touchdowns translate into scoring. He now has 300 points in his Clemson career and needs two to break Nelson Welch’s career record of 301. Welch was a placekicker for the Tigers from 1991-94. He booted a school record 72 field goals and added 85 extra points for his 301 total.

Zachery had his streak of 13 consecutive games with at least one touchdown rushing or receiving, snapped when he failed to score against North Carolina. That is the Clemson record for consecutive games with at least one score. He shattered the mark, as the previous best was a streak of nine straight games by Lester Brown, 1978-79.

Zachery has 49 regular season touchdowns in his career. Only two ACC players in history have reached 50 touchdowns in regular season play. The others to do it are Ted Brown, who had 51 for NC State between 1975-78, and Leon Johnson, who had 50 at North Carolina between 1993-96.

Zachery Reaches 3000/1000 Club Clemson senior running back Travis Zachery was listed among the preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award. Zachery finished the year with 990 yards from scrimmage, 576 rushing and 414 receiving Zachery now has 3058 yards rushing in his career and 1057 receiving. He went over the 1000-yard mark on his 100th career catch against South Carolina. He went over the 3000 yards rushing mark against Duke in his final home game.

He is the first Clemson player in history to reach at least 3000 yards rushing and 1000 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’s rushing total of 3058 is second in school history behind Raymond Priester, a former teammate, who had 3966 in his four years. Zachery went over the 4000-yard mark in all-purpose running in the loss to North Carolina. He now has 4391 in career all-purpose running, a Clemson record. He broke the record held by Priester, in his final home game against Duke.

4. Terry Allen 87-89 523 5.31 28 27785. Buddy Gore 66-68600 4.29 15 2571

Dantzler Dazzling at NC State Clemson quarterback’s performance in the Tigers 45-37 victory in Raleigh 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.

How can we make such a statement? 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 October 30 ,1999, the only player in history to achieve the 300/200 in the same game.

At State, 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 NC State in 1995. LaRue threw 78 passes in that game.

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.

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.

Here is a list of Clemson Records Dantzler Set in the win at NC State

Single game passing efficiency (Min 20 attempts)-237.58 Singlegame total offense-517 yards (333 passing, 184 rushing) Single gametouchdown responsibility-6 Tied single game touchdown passes-4Single game completion percentage (min 20 attempts)-.851 Careertotal offense-6874 Career total offense vs. same team-1127 vs. NCState

Dantzler Now Owns 39 Clemson Records Clemson Records Held by Dantzler (39) Single Game (8)

Touchdown Responsibility-6 vs. NC State, 2001 Total Offense-517vs. NC State, 2001 Completion % (Min 20 attempts)-.851 vs. NCState, 2001 Completion % (Min 15 attempts)-.941 vs. The Citadel2000 Yards rushing by a quarterback-220 vs. Virginia, 2000 PassingEfficiency (Min 15 attempts)-247.2 vs. The Citadel, 2000 PassingEfficiency (Min 20 attempts)-237.6 vs. NC State, 2001 TouchdownPasses-#4 vs. NC State, Duke, 2001

Season (17)

Total offense-3364, (2001) Passing Yards-2360 (2001)Quarterback rushing-1028, (2000) Most Yards rushing/game by aQB-91.3 (2001) 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback-5 (2001)Touchdowns rushing and passing-27 (2001) 200-yard total offensegames-9 (2000) 300-yard total offense games-7 (2001) Most PassCompletions-188 (2001) Consecutive 200-yard total offense games-7(2000) Consecutive games throwing a TD pass-6 (2000) 100-yardrushing, 300-yard total offense games-5 (2001) Most yards rushingin series of 3 games-520 (2000) Most yards rushing in series of 4games-623 (2000) Most total offense/game in season-305.8 (2001)Most total offense plays in season-517 (2001) Most TouchdownPasses-17 (2001)

Career (14)

Completion percentage in career-.576 Total offense-8523 PassingYardage-5819 Yards rushing by a quarterback in a career-2704100-yard rushing games by a quarterback-11 Most total offense/gamein career-224.3 Most 200-yard total offense games-24 Most 300-yardtotal offense games-13 Most total offense in career vs. oneopponent-1127 vs. NC State, 1999-01 Most 100-yard rushing, 300-yardtotal offense games in a career-11 Most touchdowns rushing andpassing in a career-64 Most total offense plays in a career (1349)#Most 200-yard passing games (12) Most touchdown Passes (37) #tiedrecord

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.

Dantzler trumped that accomplishment with a 517 yard effort against NC State. He was named National player of the week by ESPN.com. He was also named the top player in the country for the first half of the season by CBSsportline. Com and ESPN.com.

Dantzler’s performance against Georgia Tech 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 won it again for the NC State game, giving him four player of the week selections. 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 three times. A Clemson player has been named National Player of the week 10 times in history, including Dantzler’s performance last week. Here is a listing:

Clemson Gained 500 Yards In Consecutive Road Wins Clemson had at least 500 yards in consecutive road wins over Georgia Tech and NC State. A 500-yard total offense game is certainly an accomplishment anywhere, but especially on the road. Clemson gained 502 yards at Georgia Tech and 567 at NC 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 NC 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 September 29th. 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.

Offensive Line Playing Well One of the reasons for Clemson’s success against Georgia Tech and NC State was the play of its offensive line. The veteran group includes three players who are graduates (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 NC State. Kyle Young led the way with 19, while Will Merritt added 13 and Gary Byrd had 11.

Heading into the Duke game Kyle Young led the team in knockdown blocks with 128, breaking his record of 120 set last year. T.J. Watkins was second with 104, while Merritt was 94. Gary Byrd had picked up 81, while Akil Smith has 68.

Tigers win in Overtime at Tech Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 47-44 in overtime on September 29th, 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’s Highest Ranked Wins The win for over ninth-ranked Georgia Tech was 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.