Clemson vs. Florida State Football Game Notes

Nov. 10, 2010

Clemson vs. Florida State Series Florida State has a 16-7 advantage in the series with Clemson, but the Tigers have won four of the last five. Clemson’s only loss to Florida State since 2005 took place in Tallahassee in 2008 by a 41-27 score. That 14-point margin is the largest margin of defeat for Dabo Swinney in an ACC game in 18-games in league play as Clemson coach. But, even in that game the Tigers were just seven down in the final minute. FSU scored with 1:49 left after Clemson failed to recover an on-side kick.

Clemson won last year by a 40-24 score as C.J. Spiller set a school record for all-purpose running with 312 yards. Clemson overcame a fourth quarter deficit to win the game.

Clemson became the first ACC school to defeat the Seminoles three years in a row when it won in 2007 at Clemson by a 24-18 score.

Each of the last two games the team that has jumped off to a 10-point lead in the first half has lost the game by at least two touchdowns. Clemson started with a 10-0 lead in Tallahassee in 2008 before losing by 14. Last year, Florida State led 17-7 before Clemson won 40-24.

While Clemson has won four out of five, and five out of seven in the series, Clemson has won in Tallahassee just once since 1990 and that was in 2006 by a 27-20 score.

James Davis was a key to two Clemson wins over Florida State in recent years. Clemson won in 2007 by the 24-18 score on Labor Day night, as Davis rushed for 102 yards in 18 attempts. In 2006, Davis scored the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard run with eight seconds left for a 27-20 Tigers win.

Clemson won the 2005 game at Clemson in Charlie Whitehurst’s last home game by a 35-14 score. It was his second career win over the Seminoles as he also gained victory by a 26-10 score in 2003. Florida State won the ACC championship that year.

Clemson has won four in a row over the Seminoles at Death Valley. Florida State has not won at Clemson since 2001. Florida State won that game by a 41-27 score, the exact same score as its victory over Clemson in 2008 in Tallahassee. In fact three of Florida State’s last four wins in the series dating to 2001 they have scored exactly 41 points against the Tigers.

Clemson has five wins over Florida State since they joined the ACC in 1992 (all since 2003) and two prior to that 1992 season. Those wins came in 1976 and 1989.

The 1989 victory came in Danny Ford’s last year as Clemson coach, a 34-23 victory in Tallahassee. The Tigers used a 73-yard scoring run by Terry Allen and a 73-yard interception return by Wayne Simmons, to jump to a 28-10 halftime lead. That was Florida State’s last loss that year and the Seminoles went on to a 10-2 record and number-three final ranking in the AP poll. Clemson also concluded the season 10-2 and ranked 12th in the final AP poll.

Florida State won 11 consecutive games in the series prior to Clemson’s victory in 2003. All the wins were recorded by Bobby Bowden, who had a 14-7 all-time record against Clemson. Bobby Bowden lost his last four appearances at Clemson’s Death Valley, but his 6-4 record in the facility is still the most victories by an opposing head coach. Vince Dooley (Georgia) is second with five.

The Clemson vs. Florida State games between 1999-07 were known as The Bowden Bowl, as Clemson was coached by Tommy Bowden and Florida State by Bobby Bowden. Bobby had a 5-4 advantage in those nine games, but Tommy won the last three. It is the only meeting of father and son head coaches in Division FBS history. The first Bowden Bowl came in 1999, a 17-14 victory for Florida State. That FSU team went on to win the national championship and the 17 points and three-point victory margin were the smallest for Florida State in that championship season

Five of Clemson’s seven wins in the series have been against top 20 Florida State teams. The only time Clemson beat an FSU team not ranked in the top 25 was in 1976 when Clemson won 15-12 in Bobby Bowden’s first year as head coach.