Monday 12/28/2009
Dec. 28, 2009
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Clemson Individual Notes * C.J. Spiller became the first player in ACC history with at least 1000 yards rushing and 500 receiving in the same season in tonight’s game. He had 58 receiving yards on three catches tonight to reach 503 yards for the year. He finished the game with 67 yards rushing and finished the year with 1212.
* Spiller scored a touchdown on an eight-yard run in the fourth period, giving him a touchdown in every game this year, the only player in the nation to score a touchdown in every one of his team’s games this year. He also established a Clemson record for consecutive games with a touchdown. That is a streak of 14 in a row. He and Travis Zachery (2000-01) had the mark with 13 entering tonight.
* On the touchdown by Spiller, he also tied the ACC record for touchdowns scored in a season with 21. He and Don McCauley of North Carolina both have 21 for a season. McCauley did it in 1971,
* Spiller finished the night with 172 all-purpose yards, giving him an ACC record 2,670 for the season and 7,588 for his career. He finished his career in second place in FBS history in all-purpose yards. He moved ahead of DeAngelo Williams (Memphis) into second place tonight. The all-time leader is Brandon West of Western Michigan, a senior this year, who ended his career with 7764.
* Spiller finished the season with 1212 yards rushing and 503 receiving for 1715 yards from scrimmage. That is the fourth highest total in ACC history in that category and a Clemson season record.
* Spiller also became Clemson’s all-time touchdown scorer with that eight yard run. It was his 51st, breaking the record of 50 by Travis Zachery (1998-01). He finishes his career one TD short of the ACC record. Wali Lundy of Virginia had 52. Spiller finishes tied for second in ACC history in total touchdowns with his 51. Ted Brown, who also finished sixth in the Heisman voting (tied with Steve Fuller of Clemson) his senior year at NC State (1978), also had 51.
* Jamie Harper had 65 yards rushing in the first half, his second best half of his Clemson career. He had 70 yards in the second half against NC State this year. He finished the game with 79 yards on 8 carries for nearly 10 yards per rush.
* Kyle Parker in the first half, his 16th career touchdown reception. He moved into a tie for fourth place in Clemson history in career touchdown receptions with Derrick Hamilton (2001-03) and Terrance Roulhac (1983-86).
* It was the second straight year Ford scored a touchdown in a bowl game. He had a 41-yard touchdown reception against Nebraska in last year’s Gator Bowl. He is the first Tiger to catch a touchdown pass in consecutive bowl games since Ben Hall did in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl against Louisiana Tech and Texas Tech in the 2002 Tangerine Bowl.
* Clemson linebacker Brandon Maye did not start at linebacker tonight due to a knee injury. He played sparingly in the second period, but could not go and was in sweat clothes for the second half.
* Kyle Parker finished his freshman season with 20 touchdown passes, the most in Clemson history by a freshman and fourth overall in school history. Parker is the fourth quarterback in Clemson history with at least 20 touchdown passes and 2500 yards passing.
* With this win, Kyle Parker is tied for first in the nation in wins by freshman quarterbacks with Matt Barkley of Southern California, who gained his ninth win with the victory over Boston College on Saturday night. No other freshman quarterback active in the bowl season has a chance to reach nine wins this year, so Parker and Barkley will end the year as the national leaders in that category.
Clemson Team Notes * Clemson had a 90-yard touchdown drive in the first half, the longest for the Tigers all year by 10 yards. It is the longest by the Tigers since the Maryland game last year when the Tigers had a 95-yard scoring drive.
* Clemson finished the season with a school record 436 points. The previous record was 430 by the 2007 team.
* Clemson finished the year with 24 touchdowns rushing and 23 passing.
* C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford finish their careers with a combined 11,671 all-purpose yards, the greatest all-purpose duo in FBS Division college football history by 1,418 yards. Each scored a touchdown in their final game together and finished with a combined 72 touchdowns the last four years.
* Clemson finished the year with nine wins, the first time Clemson has done that since 2007 and just the fourth time in the 2000s, Clemson has done it. Clemson was 9-3 in 2000 and 9-4 in 2003.
* Dabo Swinney will finish second in the nation in victories among first-year head coaches with nine wins. Chip Kelly of Oregon is the leader. Swinney’s nine wins are second in Clemson history for a first-year head coach. Ken Hatfield had 10 in 1990.
* Tonight ended Clemson’s three game bowl losing streak. It is Clemson’s first bowl win since a victory over Colorado in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl. Clemson is now 16-16 in bowl games all-time. The Tigers are now 2-1 against Kentucky in bowl games.
* Clemson averaged 6.8 yards per play this evening, the best in Clemson history in a bowl game. The previous record was 6.5 per play against Louisiana Tech in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl.
* Clemson did not have a turnover tonight, just the fourth time in 32 bowl games, Clemson did not commit a turnover. The last time was in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl against Auburn.
* Clemson averaged 5.5 yards per rush in tonight’s game, a school record for rushing average in a bowl game. The previous best was 5.3 yards per rush against Penn State in the 1988 Citrus Bowl.
* Tonight Clemson won the game even though the Tigers ran just 47 plays. It was the fewest offensive plays by the Tigers in a bowl game in history. The previous low was 51 in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.
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