Clemson vs. Maryland Game Notes

Nov. 11, 2002

Game Eleven: Maryland at Clemson

Saturday, November 16, 2002 7:45 PM Memorial Stadium Clemson, NC

Television: ESPN2 Play By Play: Jeff Hullinger Color: Todd Christensen Sideline: Stacy Paetz

Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties Play By Play: Jim Phillips Color: Rodney Williams Sideline: Pete Yanity

Series History: Clemson leads 27-21-2

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Clemson Now Bowl Eligible Clemson has a 6-4 record and became bowl eligible with its 42-12 victory at North Carolina last weekend. This is the 15th time in the last 18 years Clemson has been eligible for a bowl game. It is the fourth straight year Clemson has been eligible under Head Coach Tommy Bowden. If the Tigers advance to a bowl, it would be the first time since the 1988-91 era that Clemson has gone to a bowl game at least four years in a row.

It would be special for Clemson’s senior class. No Clemson senior class has gone to four bowls since the senior class of 1991 led by Levon Kirkland and Ed McDaniel. Clemson has a 13-12 overall record in bowl games. Clemson ranks in the top 20 in college history in bowl victories and total bowl appearances.

Clemson is eligible for selection to the Gator Bowl (Jan. 1), the Peach Bowl (Dec. 31), the Tangerine Bowl (Dec. 23), the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte (Dec. 28) or the Seattle Bowl (Dec. 30). The selections are made in that order.

Clemson’s Bowl History (13-12)

Bowl Site Opponent (Rk) W/LScore 1939 Cotton Dallas, TX BostonCollege (11) W 6-3 1948Gator Jacksonville, FL Missouri W 24-23 1950 Orange Miami, FL Miami(FL) (15) W 15-14 1951 Gator Jacksonville, FL Miami (FL) (15) L0-14 1956 Orange Miami, FL Colorado (20) L 21-27 1958 SugarNewOrleans, LA LSU (1) L 0-7 1959 Bluebonnet Houston, TX TCU (7) W23-7 1977 Gator Jacksonville, FL Pittsburgh (10) L 3-34 1978 GatorJacksonville, FL OhioState (20) W 17-15 1979 Peach Atlanta, GABaylor (20) L 18-24 1982 Orange Miami, FL Nebraska (4) W 22-15 1985Independence Schreveport, LA Minnesota L 13-20 1986 GatorJacksonville, FL Stanford (20) W 27-21 1987 Citrus Orlando, FLPennState (20) W 35-10 1988 Citrus Orlando, FL Oklahoma (10) W 13-61989 Gator Jacksonville, FL WestVirginia (17) W 27-7 1990 Hall ofFame Tampa, FL Illinois (18) W 30-0 1991 Citrus Orlando, FLCalifornia (14) L 13-37 1993 Peach Atlanta, GA Kentucky W 14-131995 Gator Jacksonville, FL Syracuse L 0-41 1996 Peach Atlanta, GALSU (17) L 7-10 1997 Peach Atlanta, GA Auburn (13) L 17-21 1999Peach Atlanta, GA MississippiSt. (15) L 7-17 2000 GatorJacksonville, FL VirginiaTech (6) L 20-41 2001 Humanitarian Boise,ID LouisianaTech W 49-24

Whitehurst 2-0 as Starter Clemson freshman quarterback Charlie Whitehurst has posted a 2-0 record as a starter this year. Both victories have come within the last two weeks, victories on the road at Duke and North Carolina.

Whitehurst is the first Clemson freshman quarterback to win his first two starts since Dexter McCleon did it in the last two games of the 1993 season. McCleon, a red-year freshman at the time, defeated South Carolina in the regular season finale and Kentucky in the Peach bowl to end that season, Ken Hatfield’s final season. McCleon then moved to the secondary and never played quarterback again so he ended his career with a 2-0 record.

Whitehurst is trying to become the first freshman since 1985 to win three starts. The only other Clemson freshman quarterback to win more than two games as a starter is Rodney Williams, who posted a 5-3 record in 1985 as a red-shirt freshman. Williams won his first four games that year as a starter, the only Clemson freshman to win his first four games as a starter.

As you can see by the chart below, it is difficult for a freshman to lead a team to victory. Clemson freshman starting quarterbacks are just 14-17 since 1952, so Whitehurst’s accomplishments are significant.

Records of Clemson Freshman Starting QBs

Year Record Home AwayFirstStart Steve Fuller 1975 0-1 0-0 0-1 L at Alabama WillieJordan 1975 1-5 1-2 0-3 L, at Georgia Tech RodneyWilliams 1985 5-33-1 2-2 W, Virginia Louis Solomon 1992 1-0 1-0 0-0 W, Duke PatrickSapp 1992 1-3 1-1 0-2 L, WakeForest Dexter McCleon 1993 2-0 0-0 2-0W, at S. Carolina Nealon Greene 1994 2-4 1-1 1-3 L, Georgia WoodyDantzler 1998 0-1 0-0 0-1 L, N. Carolina Charlie Whitehurst 20022-0 0-0 2-0 W, at Duke Totals 14-17 7-57-12 4-5 in first start

Whitehurst Already Has Broken Records Charlie Whitehurst has started just two games, but he already has established 23 Clemson records on a game and season basis. Granted, 15 of them are freshman marks, but still, he is off to quite a start statistically and in the win column. It is safe to say it is the best start ever for a Clemson quarterback from an offensive production and touchdowns standpoint.

In his first start at Duke two weeks ago, Whitehurst completed 34-52 passes for 420 yards and four touchdowns. He threw for 215 yards in the fourth quarter alone, a Clemson record for one period. His 34 completions were a Clemson single game record, as were his 420 passing yards. In fact, his 420 yards passing were the second best ever for an ACC quarterback in his first college start. Dave Brown threw for 444 yards for Duke in his first college start in 1989.

Against North Carolina, Whitehurst completed 12-20 passes for 274 yards and four more touchdowns. His passing efficiency rating computed to 241.1, an all-time Clemson record for passing efficiency in a single game, given a minimum of 20 attempts.

Whitehurst now has completed 64-102 passes for 874 yards and nine touchdowns. He has thrown just one interception. His 161.9 passing efficiency is at a record rate for any Clemson quarterback given a minimum of 100 attempts. He has already broken the Clemson freshman record for touchdown passes, passing yards, and completions.

If he played in 75 percent of the Clemson games his efficiency would be second best in the nation, even ahead of Byron Leftwich of Marshall, who has a 157 figure for the year.

Records Set by Charlie Whitehurst in 2002 Overall Clemson (8) *Most completions in a game (34) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Most passing yards in a game (420) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *$Most touchdown passes in a game (4) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 a and vs. North Carolina, 11-9-02 *Most passes attempted without an interception (52) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Most total offense plays (65) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Highest passing efficiency, min of 20 attempts (241.1) vs. North Carolina, 11-9-02 *Passing yards in consecutive games (694) vs. Duke, UNC, 2002 *Most yards passing in a quarter (215) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 $indicates tied record

Clemson Freshman Records (15) *Most completions in a game (34) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Most passing yards in a game (420) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Most touchdown passes in a game (4) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 vs. North Carolina, 11-9-02 *Most passes attempted without interception in a game (52) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Most total offense plays in a game (65) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Total offense in a game (414) vs. Duke, 11-2-02 *Passing Efficiency in a game (241.1) vs. North Carolina, 11-9-02 *Completions in a season (62) *Passing yards in a season (874) *Completion percentage in a season (62.7) *Touchdown passes (9) *Touchdown/interception ratio (9/1) *Yards per pass attempt in season (8.57) *Yards per completion in season (13.7) *Touchdown responsibility in a season (10)

Great Day for Clemson Track Team Clemson has a history of dual sport athletes, especially when it comes to players who have run track and played skill positions on the Tiger football team. James Trapp is still in the NFL (10th year) with the Baltimore Ravens. He might have been Clemson’s greatest track athlete in history and is in the Clemson Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in that sport. Doug Thomas, the only Clemson player in history with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same year (1990) was also an All-American in track before playing with the Seattle Seahawks.

The tradition continues based on Saturday’s game at North Carolina. Airese Currie and Tye Hill both will run on Clemson’s for Bob Pollock’s Clemson track team this year. Hill red-shirted last year due to a foot injury, but Currie earned All-America honors on the 4X100 relay team outdoors. Clemson finished second in that event outdoors at the NCAAs in Baton Rouge last year. Currie has been timed in 10.40 in the 100 meters, while Hill’s best is 10.51.

Both players nearly had 100-yard days at North Carolina. Currie caught two passes for 90 yards, while Hill, seeing his most extensive action since the Virginia game, had 14 carries for 105 yards. For the season, Currie has 11 catches for 242 yards and three touchdowns. His 22.0 yards per reception figure is best on the team. Hill has 204 yards in 35 attempts so far, a 5.8 average, best among the running backs.

Currie has jump-started the Tigers on the comeback trail each of the last two weeks. His 47-yard touchdown reception on a fourth-and-10 play from the Duke 47 brought Clemson from 14 points back to just a 24-17 deficit. The Tigers went on to a 34-31 win. At North Carolina, Clemson trailed 9-0 before he caught an 83-yard scoring pass from Charlie Whitehurst in the first quarter. That was the third longest pass play in Clemson history and the longest since 1978. It was the longest pass completion in the history of Kenan Stadium.

Hunt Groza Award Semifinalist Clemson placekicker Aaron Hunt has been named as one of the 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, the honor presented to the top placekicker in college football.

The award will be presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl in a ceremony on Tuesday, December 10, at the Sheraton West Palm Beach Hotel at City Place in West Palm Beach, FL. The award is named in the honor of Lou Groza, who revolutionized the kicking position by creating the idea that a player could be exclusively used as a kicker. He played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns with whom he won four NFL championships and the NFL Player of the Year award in 1954.

Hunt has made 11 of 14 field goals, and 33 of 34 on extra points so far this season, and is now 31-42 on field goals and 122-126 on extra points for his Clemson career. He is currently 32nd in the nation in field goals per game and is 51st in scoring this year. Hunt, now Clemson’s career leader in extra points, is sixth in school history in scoring with 215 points. At Duke, he kicked a 21-yard field goal with eight seconds left to beat Duke, 34-31. It marked the second time in his career that he has won a game with a field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Hunt made 4-4 field goals in the win over Louisiana Tech. He became the first Clemson player to record four field goals in a game since 1998 when David Richardson had four in the season opener. Hunt’s day included a 47-yard field goal, second longest boot of his career. Hunt had field goals of 47, 22, 37 and 38 yards, distances that total to 144 yards. That was the seventh most yards on made field goals in a single game in Clemson history.

Clemson all-time Scoring List

Name Pos Years TD PATFG Pts 1. Nelson Welch PK 1991-94 0 85-92 72-102 3012. Travis Zachery RB 1998-01 50 300 3. Obed Ariri PK 1977-80 099-103 63-97 288 4. Chris Gardocki PK 1988-90 0 72-72 63-89 261 5.David Treadwell PK 1985-87 0 92-93 47-66 233 6. Bob Paulling PK1979-83 0 107-109 23-41 209 6. Aaron Hunt PK2000-02 0 122-126 31-42 215 7.Bob Pauling PK 1979-83 0 107-129 23-41 209 8. Lester Brown RB1976-79 32 192 9. Fred Cone RB 1948-50 31 3-4 189 10. Ray MatthewsRB 1947-50 28 168 Terry Allen RB 1987-89 28 168 Kenny Flowers FB1983-86 28 168

Running Game Key to Success under Bowden How important is the running game to Clemson under Tommy Bowden? The Tigers are 17-1 under Bowden when the Tigers rush for at least 200 yards. That stat was enhanced in the Ball State game when the Tigers gained 203 rushing in the victory over Ball State. Clemson gained a season high 256 yards on the ground at North Carolina, a reason Clemson was 8-8 on third down conversions in the second half.

Clemson has won 14 straight when rushing for at least 200 yards dating to the 1999 Georgia Tech game when the Tigers rushed for 231 yards, yet lost the contest, 45-42.

Clemson is 24-5 under Bowden when the Tigers win the rushing yardage stat. That includes a 4-1 record this year. Clemson is also 15-3 under Bowden when it has a 100-yard rusher.

Clemson had a pair of 100-yard rushers at North Carolina as Bernard Rambert had 19-106, a career high in yardage, while freshman Tye Hill added 14 for 105, also his career high. Hill had not carried the ball since running 32 yards for a score at Virginia back in early October. He scored on an eight-yard run in the second half.

That marked the first time since the 1996 Virginia game in Charlottesville that Clemson had two running backs in the same game gain over 100 yards. Kelton Dunnican and Raymond Priester accomplished that feat.

A third running back had a big game for the Tigers. Fullback Chad Jasmin had three catches for 47 yards and two scores in the win at North Carolina. It marked the first time since 1986 that a Clemson running back caught two touchdown passes in the same game. All-American Terrence Flagler had two receiving scores at Wake Forest that year.

Sharpe Leads offensive Line vs. North Carolina Clemson had its top game of the season from its offensive line in the win at North Carolina. The line had a combined 46 knockdown blocks, including 13 intimidation blocks. The team leader in terms of intimidation blocks was junior walk-on center Tommy Sharpe.

The 255-pounder from Albany, GA had 11 knockdowns, including two intimidation blocks for his 64 plays of action. He graded 86 percent in the contest and had a big part in Clemson’s 530-yard performance, a season high. Clemson also had a season high 256 yards on the ground and Sharpe had a lot to do with that.

Sharpe started the win over Georgia Tech earlier this year so Clemson is 2-0 in games he has started. He has virtually come out of nowhere. He does not even have a bio in the Clemson media guide…. He will have one next year.

200 of Each Means Clemson Victory Balance is obviously a hallmark of any successful offense. That has been the case for Clemson over the years and under Tommy Bowden. Clemson gained 256 yards rushing and 274 passing in its victory over North Carolina, the second time this year Clemson has had at least 200 of each in a game.

In its 1031-game history, Clemson has a 40-0-1 record when it has at least 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game. The win at North Carolina marked the 14th time in Tommy Bowden 46 games as Clemson coach that the Tigers had at least 200 of each. Clemson did it just 27 times in 985 games prior to his arrival. The only time Clemson did not win when it gained at least 200 of each was at Georgia Tech in 1976 when the two teams played to a 24-24 tie.

Clemson Has Depth at Quarterback

With the emergence of Charlie Whitehurst in the win over Duke, Clemson now has one of the deepest quarterback positions in Clemson history. How many schools in the nation can say they have two quarterbacks who have throw for four touchdowns in a game and have had over 300 yards total offense in a single game.

Clemson can make that statement. Simmons threw for a school record tying four touchdowns at North Carolina in 2000,while Whitehurst did it last week at Duke and did it again at North Carolina the very next week. Whitehurst had a 414-yard total offense day at Duke last week, while Simmons had a 343-yard day at Florida State earlier this year. Both rank among the top 10 single game performances in Clemson history.

Both players have also led Clemson to a come-from-behind victory. In 2000 as a freshman Simmons led Clemson to a 38-24 win at North Carolina. Clemson trailed by 17 points in that game and it is the second greatest comeback in Clemson history. Last week at Duke, Whitehurst led Clemson to victory after the Tigers trailed by as many as 14 points.

So far this season, Simmons has throw for 1503 yards and six touchdowns. Whitehurst has thrown for 874 yards and nine scores. Whitehurst has completed 62.7 percent of his passes, while Simmons has clicked on 58.1 percent of his passes.

Clemson Single Game Total Offense Bests

Rush Pass Player Site-OpponentYear 517 184 333 Woodrow Dantzler a-NC State (45-37) 2001435 185 252 Woodrow Dantzler a-Maryland (42-30) 1999 418 164 254Woodrow Dantzler a-Georgia Tech (47-44 OT) 2001 414-6 420 Charlie Whitehurst a-Duke(34-31) 2002 378 135 243 Woodrow Dantzler H-Duke (59-31)2001 374 141 233 Bobby Gage H-Auburn (34-18) 1947 374 220 154Woodrow Dantzler A-Virginia (31-10) 2000 366 23 343 BrandonStreeter H-Virginia (33-14) 1999 343 50 293Willie Simmons A-Florida State (31-48) 2002337 51 286 Nealon Greene a-Wake Forest (33-16) 1997 336 59 277Woodrow Dantzler H-Florida State (27-41) 2001

Clemson Single Game Completion

Att, Yds Player Site-Opponent(Score) Year 34 52, 420 Charlie Whitehurst A-Duke(34-31) 2002 27 43, 195 Brandon Streeter A-Virginia Tech (11-31)1999 27 38, 329 Brandon Streeter H-NC State (39-46) 1998 26 33, 206Nealon Greene H-Virginia (7-21) 1997 25 48, 237 Tommy KendrickA-Florida State (13-39) 1970 25 55, 273 Patrick Sapp A-Maryland(23-53) 1992 25 34, 251 Woody Dantzler H-Virginia (24-26) 2001 2543, 242 Willie Simmons H-Louisiana Tech (33-13) 2002

Clemson vs. Maryland Series Clemson holds a 27-21-2 advantage in the series with Maryland. The first game of the series was played in 1952, one year before both teams became charter members of the ACC. Maryland won each of the first four games in the series.

Clemson has won eight of the last nine games against the Terrapins, but fell to the eventual ACC Champions last year by a score of 37-20. Derrick Hamilton became the first Clemson player since Doug Thomas in 1990 to return a kickoff for a touchdown in the second half of that contest.

Clemson has a 15-10 record against Maryland in games played at Memorial Stadium. The last time Maryland defeated the Tigers in Clemson was a 34-31 victory back in 1985. Maryland won the ACC Championship that year under former coaching great Bobby Ross. Clemson has won eight in a row over Maryland in Death Valley, including a 35-14 win in 2000. Clemson has outscored Maryland 251-47 in those eight wins combined, an average victory margin of 25.5 points per game. The average score is 31.4 to 5.9 during those eight games in Death Valley.

Perhaps the most significant win in the series for Clemson was in 1978 when Charley Pell led the Tigers to a 28-24 victory at Maryland, who was 9-1 at the time. Steve Fuller completed an 87-yard scoring pass to Jerry Butler in that game, still the second longest in Clemson history. Last week, when Charlie Whitehurst completed an 83-yard scoring pass to Airese Currie it was the longest completion for the Tigers since that game in 1978. Butler was in town the Thursday prior to the North Carolina game and spoke to the team. Apparently Currie listened intently.

Tommy Bowden boasts a 2-1 record against Maryland during his tenure at Clemson. He led Clemson to a 42-30 victory at College Park in his first year thanks to 435 yards of total offense by Woody Dantzler. Two years ago Clemson came away with a 35-14 victory at Homecoming thanks to 231 all-purpose running yards by Rod Gardner and three interceptions by Alex Ardley.

Clemson Veterans vs. Maryland Altroy Bodrick (LB)–Had season high 11 tackles in 44 plays in the 1999 game at Maryland. Had 2 tackles in 14 plays against Maryland in 2000. He did not play 2001 game due to a torn ACL. Airese Currie (WR)–Had 2 catches for 23 yards in the 2001 game at Maryland. Nick Eason (DT)–In 23 plays against Maryland in 1999, he had 3 total tackles and a tackle for loss. Had 1 tackle in 48 plays against Maryland in 2000. In the 2001 game against Maryland, he had 3 total tackles and a quarterback pressure in 43 plays. Mo Fountain (DE)–Had 1 tackle in 17 plays in the 2001 game at Maryland. Aaron Hunt (PK)–Was 2-2 in field goals with a long of 44 and 2-2 in extra points in the 2001 game. Wynn Kopp (P)–Had a 39.3 average on 3 punts with one going over 50 yards in the 2001 game. John Leake (LB)–Had 9 total tackles in 67 plays in the 2001 game against Maryland. Brian Mance (CB)–Had 1 tackle in only 5 plays in the 1999 game. Had 4 total tackles in 20 plays against Maryland in 2000. Had 6 tackles in 85 plays to go along with 66 kickoff return yards on 3 returns in the 2001 game at Maryland. J.J. McKelvey (WR)–Had 4-45 receiving against Maryland in 2001. Bryant McNeal (DE)–Had 1 tackle in 21 plays in the 1999 game. Had season high 5 tackles including a 10-yard sack in 49 plays in 2000 here at Death Valley. Had 2 tackles with a sack in 61 plays at Maryland in 2001. Eric Meekins (SS)–Had 5 tackles with a 5-yard tackle for loss in 76 plays in the 2001 game. Jackie Robinson (WR)–In 40 snaps he had 1 catch for 13 yards in the 2000 game. Did not play in the 2001 contest due to a pulled hamstring. Willie Simmons (QB)–In 6 plays he was 0-1 passing and rushed for 2 yards on 1 carry against Maryland in 2000. Against Maryland in 2001, he was 7-15 for 65 yards with a touchdown pass to Roscoe Crosby. Rodney Thomas (LB)–Had 9 tackles in 69 plays in the 2001 contest. Khaleed Vaughn (DE)— Had season high 2 tackles for loss, including a sack and 8 total tackles in 61 plays at Maryland in 2001. Donnell Washington (DT)–Had 7 total tackles in 40 snaps in the 2001 game. Kevin Youngblood (WR)–Had 1 catch for 7 yards in 14 plays here in Death Valley against Maryland in 2000. Missed the 2001 game due to a broken leg.

Last Year vs. Maryland Clemson Tigers 20 Maryland Terrapins 37

In front of the largest crowd at Byrd Stadium (52,462) since 1983, the Maryland Terrapins snapped an eight-game losing skid against Clemson and gained sole possession of first place in the ACC with a 37-20 defeat of the Tigers. Clemson had won 13 of the previous 14 meetings between the teams, had outscored Maryland 214-56 during that span and had not lost to the Terrapins since 1992.

The 13th-ranked Terrapins were led on offense by quarterback Shaun Hill, who threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Guilian Gary led Maryland with five receptions for 93 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown reception that gave the Terrapins a 17-6 lead before the half. Maryland’s defense also played a crucial role in the win, forcing Woody Dantzler to throw a career-high three interceptions.

Charles Hafley and Chad Carson led Clemson’s defense with a pair of outstanding efforts. Hafley finished the game with 20 tackles, while Carson tallied 16 tackles and two quarterback hurries. Khaleed Vaughn made eight tackles, two for a loss, and also sacked Shaun Hill for an eight-yard loss. Despite strong individual efforts on defense, however, Clemson’s offense was unable to counter with its usual success.

Dantzler rushed for only 30 yards and was unable to throw a touchdown pass or rush for a touchdown for just the second time all year. Travis Zachery led the Tigers in rushing with 44 yards, while Chad Jasmin had his best game of the season with 34 yards in just five attempts. Clemson’s scoring efforts were highlighted on special teams by a 100-yard kickoff return by Derrick Hamilton with 10:26 left to play in the game. It was the longest kickoff return for a score by a Tiger since 1903. Hamilton had a Clemson freshman record 205 all-purpose yards and he established a Clemson single game record for kickoff return average with a 71.5 average on two returns.

Maryland took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards down the field to open the scoring. Hill completed two first-down passes on third down, and two consecutive Clemson penalties allowed Riley to bull his way into the end zone from one-yard out. Dantzler tallied 19 yards rushing and 27 yards passing on the Tiger’s ensuing drive, which ended with a 26-yard field goal by Aaron Hunt. Hunt would add a 44-yard field goal with 10:31 remaining in the second quarter.

Nick Novak responded with a 29-yard field goal effort to make the score 10-6, and on Maryland’s next possession, Hill would cap off a six-play, 59 yard Terrapin drive with a score. Rolling to the left side of the field to avoid pressure from the Tiger defense, Hill broke free and found a wide-open Guilian Gary in the far left side of the end zone, making the score 17-6 Maryland before halftime.

Hill threw for 177 of his 189 passing yards in the first half, and his lone passing highlight of the second half came with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Perry. Simmons replaced Dantzler at quarterback following a 20-yard field goal by Novak to make the score 27-6, and his first pass was intercepted by R. Jones at the Clemson 30-yard line. Jones returned the ball down to the Clemson one-yard line, and Riley added his second score of the game on the ensuing play. Two of Maryland’s touchdown drives were 10 yards or less.

Clemson would regain some momentum following Simmons’ interception and the ensuing Maryland score. Hamilton took the ensuing kickoff near the right sideline, and after cutting up the sideline through would-be tacklers, he cut across the field at the Clemson 35-yard line and cruised to a 100-yard kickoff return down the left sideline for a touchdown. Clemson added another score in the fourth period when Simmons threw a touchdown pass to Roscoe Crosby, the freshman’s first career TD.

NOV. 10, 2001 AT COLLEGE PARK, MD Clemson 3 3 0 14 – 20 Maryland 7 10 7 13 – 37

MD – Riley 1 run (Novak kick), 1st, 10:38, 11-80 CU – Hunt 26 FG, 1st, 5:57, 11-56 CU – Hunt 44 FG, 2nd, 10:31, 10-52 MD – Novak 29 FG, 2nd, 4:28, 14-73 MD – Gary 10 pass from Hill (Novak kick), 2nd, 0:56, 6-59 MD – Perry 7 pass from Hill (Novak kick), 3rd, 5:26, 3-10 MD – Novak 20 FG, 4th, 12:22, 6-28 MD – Riley 1 run (Novak kick), 4th, 10:49, 1-1 CU – Hamilton 100 kickoff return (Hunt kick), 4th, 10:26 CU – Crosby 12 pass from Simmons (Hunt kick), 4th, 8:21, 8-33 MD – Novak 26 FG, 4th, 3:13, 11-60

CU MD First Downs 20 23 Rushing 35-123 53-218Passing 18-37-4 12-21-0 Passing Yards 218 189 Total Offense 72-34174-407 Yard/Play 4.7 5.5 ReturnYards 225 113 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1Total Turnovers 4 1 Penalties 11-79 4-30 Interceptions 0-0 4-61Punt Returns 2-6 0-0 Kickoff Returns 6-219 4-52 Punting 3-39.34-43.5 3rd Down Conversions 7-17 10-17 Sacks by Defense 2-9 3-21Time of Possession 27:37 32:23

Rushing (Att-Yds-TD) CU – Zachery 10-44, Jasmin 5-34, Dantzler 11-30, Rambert 5-18, Scott 1-4, Simmons 3-(-7) MD – Perry 21-90, Riley 16-59-2, Hill 12-54, Lynch 3-12, Killian 1-3 Passing (Com-Att-Yds-I-TD) CU – Dantzler 11-22-153-3-0, Simmons 7-15-65-1-1 MD – Hill 12-21-189-0-2 Receiving (Rec-Yds-TD) CU – Crosby 4-61-1, McKelvey 4-45, Hamilton 3-52, Currie 2-23, Bailey 2-20, Reames 1-9, Zachery 1-6, Rambert 1-2 MD – Gary 5-93-1, Perry 3-37-1, Murphy 2-17, Williams J. 1-29, Dugan 1-13 Interceptions (No-Yds) MD – Jones 1-29, Cox 1-27, Henderson 1-5, Jackson 1-0 Punt Returns (No-Yds) CU – Reames 2-6 Kickoff Returns (No-Yds) CU – Mance 3-66, Hamilton 2-153-1, Reames 1-0 MD – Perry 3-35, Jackson 1-17 Clemson Defensive Leaders Tackles Hafley 20, Carson 16, Leake 9, Thomas 9, Vaughn 8, Bush 8, Washington 7, Mance 6, Francis 6, Meekins 5, Johnson 4 Sacks Vaughn 1-8, McNeal 1-1 Tackles for Loss Vaughn 2-9, Meekins 1-5, Francis 1-1, McNeal 1-1

Maryland Has Won Seven in a Row Maryland is having another outstanding season under Ralph Friedgen. The Terps posted a 10-2 record and played in the Orange Bowl last year in winning the ACC. This year the Terps have an 8-2 record and have lost only to Notre Dame in the opener (22-0) and Florida State (37-10) in the third game. So, Friedgen is 18-4 in two years at Maryland and his only losses are to Notre Dame, Florida and Florida State (twice). What is very impressive is that he has lost just one game on an opponent’s home field. Two of the losses are at neutral sites.

The season got off to a rocky start for Maryland as Bruce Perry was lost early due to injury. His loss had a direct effect on Maryland’s 1-2 start. Perry was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year last year as he beat out Clemson’s Woody Dantzler by a couple of votes. Perry played last week, his second game of the year and has 11 rushes for 42 yards for the season.

Chris Downs is the leading rusher for Maryland with 894 yards and 13 touchdowns, a very strong 6.3 average. Josh Allen has added 377 yards and eight scores. Scott McBrien has developed into an outstanding passer. He has a 145.5 passing efficiency, 13th best in the nation. He has thrown just five interceptions and that will be a challenge for the Clemson defense that has picked off 16, best in the ACC. O’Brien has completed 108 of 189 for 1753 yards.

O’Brien’s favorite receiver is Scooter Monroe, who has 27-497 and two scores. Jafar Williams has added 21 catches. Nick Novak is another offensive weapon as a place kicker. He has made 15-18 field goals at 43 consecutive extra points for 88 points. We will see two of the Lou Groza semifinalists on display in Death Valley on Saturday.

Maryland’s defense is led by E.J. Henderson. He led the ACC in tackles and tackles for loss last year and has had a similar effect on the Terps defense this year. Maryland is seventh in the nation in scoring defense.

Tigers Look for Win over Ranked Team Clemson is looking for a win over a ranked team this season. Fourteen of the last 16 years and each of the last three seasons, Clemson has upset a top 25 team. Last year Clemson downed a ninth ranked Georgia Tech team in Atlanta, Clemson’s highest ranked road win in 20 years.

Clemson is 0-3 against ranked teams this year. All three teams Clemson has played have been ranked 12th or better entering the game. Clemson has dropped decisions to ranked teams from Georgia, Florida State and NC State so far this year. Maryland enters the game ranked 19th in both polls and this will be Clemson’s last chance at a ranked win. Clemson last defeated a ranked team at home in the final game of the 2000 season when Clemson downed South Carolina, 16-14.

Eason Has Seven Sacks Nick Eason continued his outstanding final season in the win at North Carolina. The graduate student from Lyons, GA had six tackles to lead all defensive linemen and added two tackles for loss, including his seventh sack of the year. Eason is now among the top five in the ACC in sacks and his total is the most by a Clemson defensive tackle since Trevor Pryce had 7.5 sacks in 1996. Pryce is now an All-Pro defensive tackle with the Denver Broncos.

For the season, Eason ranks fifth on the team in tackles with 50. He is second in tackles for loss overall with seven. Eason was Clemson’s defensive MVP in 2000 when he had seven sacks as a defensive end. He had an injury plagued 2001, but has come back strong this year. For his career, Eason now has 15 sacks and 30 tackles for loss. His career high for a season is seven in 2000, so he has tied that figure. Overall, Eason now has 147 career tackles and has played in 45 games, 33 as a starter.

Clemson Overcomes Deficits Clemson has overcame a nine-point deficit or more in each of its last three victories. Clemson trailed by nine points, 23-14, in the second half against Wake Forest on October 19th, then overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win over Duke on November 2. Finally, Clemson trailed 9-0 after a safety and a touchdown by North Carolina before winning 42-12.

When Clemson overcame the 14-point deficit at Duke, it marked just the second time in school history that the Tigers have overcome a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to gain victory. It was just the seventh time in Clemson history that the Tigers have trailed at any point in a game by 14 points or more, then came back to gain victory.

The only other time Clemson has overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit was in 1980 at Virginia. Ironically, Clemson trailed by the exact same score as this past Saturday’s game with Duke, 24-10, as the game entered the fourth period. But, Clemson scored the last 17 points of the game, all in the fourth period, to win the contest. Obed Ariri kicked a 52-yard field goal with just six seconds left to win. Bill Smith, now on Clemson’s Board of Trustees, returned a blocked punt for a touchdown with just four minutes left to provide a key play during the comeback.

The Tigers trailed Duke 17-10 entering the fourth period, then Duke scored on a 54-yard touchdown pass to take a 24-10 lead with just 11:11 left. But, Clemson scored three touchdowns in a 4:05 span to take a 31-24 lead before eventually winning 34-31 on a 21-yard field goal by Aaron Hunt with eight seconds left.

Tommy Bowden coached Tiger teams have shown an ability to come back, this year and in previous years. Clemson has now overcome a 12-point deficit to gain victory 10 times in history and three of these comebacks have been coached by Bowden. The others took place at North Carolina in 2000 (17 down in first half) and at Georgia Tech (12 down in the first half) in 2001.

The Clemson record for points overcome for victory is 28, set at Virginia in 1992. Clemson trailed 28-0 with 32 minutes left in that game, then won 29-28. Clemson trailed by only nine points heading into the fourth period of that game. That is also the ACC record for a comeback in a game involving two conference teams.

Clemson’s Greatest Comebacks to Win or Tie

Opponent Site Down DeficitFinal 10-10-92 Virginia A 0-28 28 29-28 10-21-00North Carolina A 0-17 17 38-249-24-66 Virginia H 18-35 17 40-35 11-2-02 DukeA 10-24 #14 34-31 10-11-80 Virginia A10-24 #14 27-24 11-17-62 Maryland A 0-14 14 17-14 9-26-53 BostonCollege A 0-14 14 14-14 10-13-73 Virginia H 0-13 13 32-27 10-16-76Duke H 0-12 12 #18-18 9-29-01 Georgia Tech A7-19 12 47-44 (OT) 11-22-97 South Carolina A3-14 11 47-21 10-20-90 NC State A 3-14 11 24-17 11-23-85 SouthCarolina A 3-14 11 24-17 11-20-93 South Carolina A 3-13 10 16-139-25-93 Georgia Tech H 3-13 10 16-13 10-12-91 Virginia H 7-17 1020-20 11-17-79 Notre Dame A 0-10 10 16-10 10-5-74 Georgia H 0-10 1028-24 10-4-69 Georgia Tech A 0-10 10 21-10 10-24-38 Tulane A 0-1010 13-10

#Denotes fourth quarter deficit Comebacks under Tommy Bowden in bold

Clemson Converting Before Halftime Clemson has done a good job of scoring just prior to the half in 2002. So far this year Clemson has recorded a touchdown on its last possession of the half with 80 seconds or less remaining in seven of the 10 games. Three of the drives have been for over 60 yards and the Tigers have negotiated the distance in less than 90 seconds in each situation.

The streak started when Clemson scored at Georgia on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Willie Simmons to Kevin Youngblood with just eight seconds left. The success continued last week at North Carolina when J.J. McKelvey caught a 58-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst just 54 seconds prior to halftime.

Clemson’s Last Possession of the Half in 2002

Last Possession Drive Time Left Georgia TD, Simmons toYoungblood 21 Yds 9-64-1:16 :08 Louisiana Tech Failed to score3-20-1:07 Georgia Tech TD, Simmons toWilliamson, 2 yards 4-5-:50:38 Ball State TD, Hamilton 9 run 3-21-1:03 1:20 Florida St. TD,Simmons to Hamilton, 9 yards 6-86-1:25 :27 Virginia TD, Hill 32 run1-32-:08 1:00 Wake Forest TD, Yusef Kelly 1 run 6-65-1:15 :08 NCState Failed to score 3-0-1:05 Duke Failed to score 9-30-1:30 UNCTD, Whitehurst to McKelvey, 58 yards 3-58-:29 :54

Clemson Has Played 17th Toughest Schedule Clemson has a 6-4 record against a schedule ranked as the 17th most difficult in the nation by the Jeff Sagarin computer poll, a rating published by USA Today. The Tigers are ranked 37st overall in that ranking.

Clemson has losses to three top 20 teams according to the Sagarin rankings. Clemson’s highest final schedule ranking in the history of the Sagarin poll is a #7 rating in 1999, Tommy Bowden first year as head coach. Clemson was 6-6 that year, but still had a final top 25 ranking (24th) according to Sagarin’s computer rankings. Clemson’s highest overall final ranking by Sagarin is #15 in 2000.

Clemson has done a good job of not getting upset under Head Coach Tommy Bowden. The Tigers are 15-1 in four years against teams who ended the season with losing records. The only loss to a team that concluded the year with a losing record took place last year against Virginia, who concluded the year 5-7.

Meekins Defends in the Clutch Senior strong safety Eric Meekins is third on the Clemson team this year with 76 tackles. He has been known for his run support this year, but has not had that many opportunities to make plays in the secondary on pass plays.

He made up for that last week at Duke when he had three passes defensed, two PBUs and his first interception of the season. All three of his passes defensed took place in the fourth period. So, he had just one pass defensed in the first 35 quarters of the year, then had three in the fourth period at Duke.

First, he broke up a pass in the endzone on a fourth down play with just five minutes left to preserve a 31-24 Clemson lead. He then broke up a pass on a first down play with just three minutes left. Then, on Duke’s final play, he intercepted at midfield to clinch the Clemson victory. Meekins had another solid effort at North Carolina with seven tackles and two passes broken up. So, he has five of his six passes defensed in the last two games.

Meekins had a similar season in 2001 when it came to passes defensed. In a high scoring game at NC State, Meekins had three passes broken up. He had just four passes defensed all season. For his career, Meekins has now played in 46 games, 20 as a starter. He has 183 career tackles, 11 passes broken up and three interceptions for 14 passes defensed.

Clemson Pass Defense Improved Clemson has improved on defense this year, but that is especially the case when it comes to pass defense. Clemson gave up 240 yards per game a year ago through the air and ranked 66th in the nation in pass defense on a yards per game basis.

In 2002, Clemson is 18th in the nation in pass defense, allowing just 176 yards per game through the air. Clemson has allowed just 19 pass plays of 20 yards or more and has given up just one pass over 36 yards all year.Clemson has 16 interceptions as a team, 12th best in the nation on a per game basis and best in the ACC. No other ACC team has more than 13.

The solid effort in the pass defense area continued against NC State. Philip Rivers entered the game ranked first in the nation in passing efficiency with a 170 rating points figure. But, against the Tigers his rating was just 99.0. Rivers threw for just 129 yards, his low mark of the season. And, it was not because he just threw a couple of passes, he threw 24, meaning he averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt, also a season low. No NC State receiver had more than 29 yards receiving in the game.

As stated above, opponents are throwing for just 176 yards per game. If the season ended today, that would be the best Clemson pass defense figure on a per game basis since the 1989 team gave up 168 yards per game. Here is a comparison of Clemson’s pass defense figures in 2001 and 2002:

2001 2002 Pass Yards/Game Allowed 240.6 176.0TDs/Game Allowed 1.83 1.10 Interceptions/Game 1.08 1.60Yards/Attempt Allowed 7.27 5.97 Yards/Completion Allowed 13.40 10.3Efficiency Rating 127.0 109.5 National Ranking Pass Def. 66th 18th

M and M Boys Lead the Secondary Clemson’s starting cornerbacks are both ranked in the top 17 in the nation and lead the ACC in interceptions per game. Senior Justin Miller both have five interceptions in 10 games and rank 17th nationally in that category. Clemson and Texas are the only schools in the nation with two players ranked in the top 20 in the nation in that category. Clemson has not had two players rank in the top 25 in the nation in interceptions since 1999 when Alex Ardley and Robert Carswell were ranked 10th and 20th, respectively

Mance All-ACC Candidate at Cornerback Brian Mance recorded his fifth interception of the season and his 11th as a Clemson Tiger against Wake Forest. It was the third straight game that he recorded a theft. The Clemson record for consecutive games intercepting a pass is four. Bobby Gage (1948), Terry Kinard (1980 and 1981) and Dexter Davis (1990) all hold the record with four straight games. Mance is the first Tiger with three in a row since Davis in 1990. His streak stopped at Duke, but he still had a pass broken up, giving him at least one pass defensed in eight games in a row.

Mance is now tied for sixth in Clemson history in career interceptions with his double figure career total. He is tied with Pete Cook (1950-52), Brian Dawkins (1992-95) and Peter Ford (1993-96). The all-time leader is all-time great Terry Kinard with 17. Kinard was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Mance also has one fumble recovery in his career, giving him 12 career takeaways, best among active Tigers and among the top 10 totals in Clemson history. He needs just one more takeaway to move into sixth place in Clemson history.

Mance has moved into the ACC lead in interceptions and passes defensed and he ranks 11th in the nation in interceptions with his five picks in just eight games. He is a big reason Clemson is tied for the ACC lead in interceptions with 12. The senior had an outstanding game against Wake Forest with seven tackles, an interception and a caused fumble. He was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his performance, the third time in his career he has won that award.

The caused fumble against Wake Forest really saved the day for the Tigers. A Wake Forest running back was streaking towards the Clemson endzone when Mance stripped the ball from behind. The momentum carried the ball into the endzone and it was batted through the endzone for a touchback with 1:15 left. Clemson ran out the clock and won the eight-point decision.

The senior from Alcolu, SC has now played 43 games at Clemson, 22 as a starter. He has missed just one game (UNC in 2001) in his career when his brother was killed in auto accident last year on his way home from the NC State game.

For the season, Mance has 46 tackles to rank eighth on the on the team. He has played more snaps than any other Tiger with 587 plays and he also leads the team in passes defensed with 12. Thirty-eight of his 46 tackles have been individual hits.

Clemson’s Career Leaders In Interceptioins

Name Years Yds Avg. TDInt 1. Terry Kinard, FS 1978-82 147 8.6 0 17 2. FredKnoebel, CB 1950-52 122 8.1 0 15 3. Eddie Geathers, CB 1977-80 1149.5 0 12 Robert O’Neal, FS 1989-92 119 9.9 0 12 Alex Ardley, CB1998-00 151 12.6 1 12 6. Brian Mance 1999-0273 6.6 0 11 Pete Cook, CB 195052 12911.7 0 11 Brian Dawkins, SS 1992-95 101 9.2 1 11 Peter Ford, CB1993-96 138 12.5 1 11

Miller Rookie of the Year Candidate Freshman defensive back Justin Miller made his first career start against Wake Forest and had an outstanding contest. The first-year freshman had 10 tackles, an interception and a pass broken up to pace the Clemson secondary along with Brian Mance. For his performance he was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.

The tackle total in the Wake Forest game was the most by a freshman cornerback since 1986 when James Lott had 10 in the 1986 Gator bowl win over Stanford. Miller’s interception in the third period helped change the momentum of the game. He had a touchdown saving pass broken up and defended Wake Forest stat Fabian Davis most of the game. Davis had just three catches the entire game.

Miller continued his outstanding play in his second start against NC State. Playing the entire game, Miller tied for the Clemson team lead in tackles with 12, including eight first hits. He also had a pass broken up and an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was the first time he had attempted a kickoff return as a Clemson player.

He had a third straight outstanding game at Duke with an interception, his fourth of the season, and four tackles. He added 123 yards on four kickoff returns, including a 37-yarder to the 41 yardline with just two minutes left. Clemson then drove to the Duke four yard line and booted the game winning field goal with just eight seconds left. He added another interception against North Carolina to tie Brian Mance for the team lead.

Miller had a reception and an interception against Louisiana Tech, an example of his fine all-around abilities. The first-year player had a nine-yard reception in the first half and an interception in the endzone at a key juncture of the second half to thwart a Bulldog drive. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Bulldogs.

It marked the first time since 1964 that a Clemson player had an interception and a reception in the same game. Pat Crain was the last to do it as he had a 15-yard interception return and a reception against Virginia on Halloween of 1964. It should be noted that players went both ways in those days, so Miller was the first to do it in the two-platoon era. Miller also had three tackles in the game and played 29 snaps.

Miller was named to the ESPN.com all-first year freshman team for September. He was joined in the secondary by J.J. Billingsley of Colorado, O.C. Collins of Memphis and Matt Fawley of Arizona State. Other ACC players named were D’Quell Jackson of Maryland (LB), Darryl Blackstock of Virginia (LB), Kwakou Robinson of Virginia (DL), T.A. McLendon of NC State (RB), and D’Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia (OL).

Leake and Thomas Go Over 100 Tackles Clemson linebackers John Leake have been among the ACC leaders in tackles all season. Currently, Thomas leads the way with 122 tackles, 62 first hits and 60 assists. Leake is second on the team with 121, 57 first hits and 64 assists. They rank second and third in the ACC in tackles, respectively. Both rank in the top 20 in the nation in tackles per game.

At least one of the players has led the team in tackles in all 10 games this year. Leake paced the Tigers with 13 stops at North Carolina. The only other player involved in tackle leadership has been freshman cornerback Justin Miller, who tied Thomas for game honors against NC State with 12 tackles. Leake has led the team five times and Thomas has been a part of the lead five times. Thomas had a career high 19 tackles at Duke, while Leake added 14. Leake has eight double figure tackle games, while Thomas has seven.

As you can see by the numbers above, both have gone over the 100-tackle mark for the season. They both reached triple digits in the win at Duke. This is the second season of at least 100 tackles for both players. They have joined an exclusive club by reaching the century mark for the second time in their careers. Only 10 other Clemson players have had at least 100 tackles more than one season.

Charles Hafley, Keith Adams and Robert Carswell are recent Tigers to do it. Carson did it three years. Anthony Simmons is another three-time 100-tackle performer. Leake will have a chance to join Simmons, Carson, Jeff Davis, Bubba Brown and Randy Scott as three-time 100-tackle players next year.

Thomas now has a 277 tackles for his career, including the 100 he had last year and the 122 this year. Leake had 134 last year and nine as a freshman when he played just special teams. He now has 264 for his career. Leake has started each of the last 22 games, while Thomas has started 21 of the last 22.

Two Tigers Have Kickoff Return for Touchdown Clemson has had just nine kickoff returns for a touchdown by eight different players in its history, but two of the eight players are on the current Clemson team. On October 24, Justin Miller picked up a loose ball and raced 80 yards for a touchdown on a kickoff return in the second half. That was the first time a Clemson player had gone all the way for a touchdown on a kickoff return since last year’s Maryland game when Derrick Hamilton went 100 yards at Maryland for a score in a Clemson defeat.

This is the first time in history that two Clemson players on the same team have had a kickoff return for a touchdown. The list below shows that no teammates have ever done it. Doug Thomas had two in one season, 1990. Clemson once went 25 years without a kickoff return for a score, 1962-87.

Clemson currently ranks 25th in the nation in kickoff return average with a 22.71 figure. That figure is fourth best in the ACC. Clemson ranked 10th in the nation as a team last year with a 25.7 average. Derrick Hamilton ranked third individually a year ago. Hamilton is 57th in kickoff return average and 39th in punt returns nationally this year.

Clemson Kickoff Returns for touchdown (Chronological Order)

Opponent Year Yds John Maxwell Cumberland 1903 100 BobbyGage Duquesne 1947 89 Bill Mathis Georgia Tech 1959 99 Hal DavisGeorgia Tech 1962 98 Joe Henderson Georgia Tech 1987 95 Doug ThomasLong Beach State 1990 98 Doug Thomas Maryland 1990 98 DerrickHamilton Maryland 2001 100 JustinMiller NCState 2002 80

Clemson Trio of 6-4 Receivers had 25 Catches at Duke Clemson receivers J.J. McKelvey, Kevin Youngblood and Derrick Hamilton are all at least 6-4 in height and they have used that advantage to rank in the top 10 in the ACC in receptions per game. They have combined for 127 catches in nine games, nearly 14 per game. Youngblood and Mckelvey have 44 receptions, while Hamilton has 39.

They had their best collective game at Duke with a combined 25 receptions for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Each player had at least seven catches and a touchdown. McKelvey led the way with 10-103, while Hamilton had 7-61. Both players had touchdown receptions. It marked the first time since 1998 and just the second time in Clemson history that the Tigers had two 100-yard receivers in the same game.

Youngblood and McKelvey had career high performances of 10 catches in a game earlier this year. In fact, McKelvey has now done it twice. This is the first time in Clemson history that two players on the same team have had at least 10 receptions in a game. They are just the seventh and eighth players in Clemson history to catch 10 passes in a single game.

McKelvey had 10 catches for 123 yards and a score in the win over Ball State on the 21st of September. Youngblood had his breakout game against Louisiana Tech with 10 catches for 85 yards. Both are in the top 10 in the ACC in receptions per game. Youngblood and McKelvey are both ranked 40th in the nation in receptions per game.

The list of other Clemson receivers who have accumulate at least 10 catches in a game includes current Washington Redskins firs-round pick Rod Gardner, who did it three times, Tony Horne, who was a Super Bowl Champion with the St. Louis Rams three years ago, Perry Tuttle, a first-round pick off of Clemson’s National Championship team of 1981, and Charlie Waters, one of the all-time greats in Dallas Cowboys history as a defensive back.

McKelvey now has three 100-yard games this year. He had consecutive 100-yard receiving games against Ball State and Florida State and now has a team best 604 receiving yards this season. It is interesting to note that six of the 13 double figure reception games in Clemson history have come under Tommy Bowden.

Top Pass Reception Games in Clemson History

Yds Player Site-Opponent Year 11 129 Phil Rogers A-NorthCarolina 1965 11 111 Rod Gardner H-Marshall 1999 10123 J.J. McKelvey H-Ball State 200210 103 J.J. McKelvey A-Duke 200210 85 Kevin Youngblood H-Louisiana Tech2002 10 110 Tony Horne H-Appalachian State 1997 10 131 TonyHorne H-FloridaState 1997 10 148 Hank Walker H-Auburn 1947 10 144Charlie Waters H-Alabama 1969 10 124 Perry Tuttle A-Wake Forest1980 10 151 Perry Tuttle H-Maryland 1981 10 122 Rod Gardner H-Duke1999 10 137 Rod Gardner H-NC State 2000

Clemson Completion Percentage Third Best in School History Clemson was at a record rate in terms of completion percentage prior to the NC State game. But, the Tigers connected on just 13-32 passes against the Pack’s tough defense. Still, Clemson is completing passes at a 58.7 rate for the season, a mark that would be fourth best in school history if the season ended today.

The record is a .605 pace by the 1997 Clemson team that was led by current Canadian Football league star Nealon Greene. The only other Clemson team to complete 60 percent over the course of the season is the 1989 Tiger team that was 117-195, exactly 60 percent. Current wide receivers coach Rick Stockstill was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator that year.

Starting quarterback Willie Simmons has completed 58.1 percent of his passes so far this year on 137-236. He was 21-33 against Wake Forest, a 63.6 percent mark. He has thrown for 1503 yards and seven scores, an average of just under 200 yards per game.

Clemson’s reserves have had an impact on the percentage as Tony Elliott, Charlie Whitehurst and Jeff Scott are a combined 21-33 this season, including 18-30 by Whitehurst. The freshman completed his first 12 passes as a Clemson quarterback, the best streak ever by a Clemson quarterback at the beginning of his career.

Top Single Season Team Completion %

Year Comp-Att Pct 1. 1997 188-311 .6052. 1989 117-195 .600 4. 2002 158-269.598 4. 1999 117-195 .596 5. 2001 226-395 .572 6. 1995122-215 .567 7. 1985 137-247 .555 8. 1982 98-178 .551

Clemson Second in ACC in Total Defense Clemson is most improved when it comes to defense. The Tigers are ranked second in the ACC in total defense, allowing just 329.7 yards per game. Clemson has allowed just 176 yards per game passing, 18th best in the nation. Last year Clemson ranked 71st in the nation in total defense and 66th in pass defense.

Clemson allowed 395 yards a game last year, so it is easy to see the 330 figure for the first 10 games this year is considerably better. Clemson has allowed just 4.8 yards per play, much improved from the 5.3 allowed per play a year ago.

Clemson Defense Comparison

2001 Avg. 2002 First Downs/Game Allowed 21.918.1 Total Yards/Game Allowed 394.9 329.7 Rushing Yards/GameAllowed 154.3 153.7 Passing Yards/Game Allowed 240.6 176.0Yards/Play Allowed 5.3 4.7 Yards/Reception Allowed 13.4 10.3Yards/rush Allowed 3.8 5.97

Hamilton All-Purpose Performer The all-purpose running statistic was made for Derrick Hamilton. The sophomore from Dillon, SC has averaged 141.8 all-purpose running yards/game this year, 20th best in the nation. He had 256 all-purpose yard against Georgia Tech on September 14, then followed that with 160 yards against Ball State. He added 248 yards at Florida State and followed that with a 206-yard game at Virginia.

As you can see by the chart below, he has had two of the top eight all-purpose running games in Clemson history this year. His current average of 141.8 yards per game is seven yards behind the per game record of 148.5 yards per game set by Tony Horne in 1997. Hamilton has been very effective when it comes to rushing. He has 17 rushes on reverses from his H-receiver position and has 179 yards, an 10.4 yards per carry figure. No Clemson rusher has ever averaged over 10 yards per carry given a minimum of 15 rushes for the course of a season. Five of his 15 carries have been for at least 10 carries, including a 77-yarder against Georgia Tech.

Entering the Maryland game Hamilton ranks 20th in the nation and second in the ACC in all-purpose yards per game. Horne ranked 14th in the nation in 1997, the highest final ranking for any Clemson player in history.

Top All-Purpose Running Games in Clemson History

Player Opponent Year RushRec KOR PR 274 Terrence Flagler Wake Forest1986 209 65 – – 267 Tony Horne Florida State 1997 – 131 109 27 263Raymond Priester Duke 1995 263 – – – 260 Cliff Austin Duke 1982 260- – – 256 Derrick Hamilton Georgia Tech2002 97 22 41 96 254 Don KingFordham 1952 234 – 20 – 252 Ken Callicutt South Carolina 1974 19755 – – 248 Derrick Hamilton Florida State2002 23 69 104 52 246 BuckGeorge Presbyterian 1952 204 42 – – 242 Ronald Williams Virginia1991 185 57 – –

Tigers Recover On-Side Kick Whenever the Bowden’s get together chances are there will be some trickery involved. Tommy Bowden might have pulled off the most surprising play in the four Bowden Bowls when he had his team on-side kick after the Tigers first score, Clemson’s first kickoff opportunity, in the first quarter. J.J. McKelvey had been practicing the play all week and they worked it to perfection, giving Clemson the ball after the Tigers had tied the game at seven.

“The thing about that is you can’t practice it in pregame,” said Bowden the next day. “Rodney Allison had noticed in his film study that the player on that side of the field was retreating early to get into blocking position, so we decided to try it.”

McKelvey recovered at the Florida State 49 and Clemson drove for another touchdown, giving Clemson a 14-7 lead, its first lead in Tallahassee at any point of a game since 1989.

What was especially noteworthy is that the on-side kick was the first recovered by a Clemson team since the 1979 season. The Tigers last recovered an on-side kick in the fourth period of the 1979 Peach Bowl against Baylor. Clemson did not score on its extra possession that day and lost 24-19.

Returning Red-shirts Have Made a Difference Three players who have had a positive impact on Clemson’s 2002 season are Altroy Bodrick, Kevin Youngblood. All three red-shirted the 2001 season, but have come back strong this year.

Kelly is Clemson’s leading rusher this season with 393 net yards, an average of 56 yards per game. He has 10 of Clemson’s 35 rushes of 10 yards or more this season. He leads the team in touchdowns with eight and is second in scoring with 48 points. Kelly sat out last year to red-shirt and was not injured.

Youngblood is the team’s top receiver with 35 catches for 285 yards and a score. He is among the ACC’s top receivers with 5.0 catches per game. No Clemson receiver has led the league in that area since 1980 when Perry Tuttle paced the conference. Youngblood missed last year with a broken leg.

Bodrick has started all seven games so far this year at the roverback position, a hybrid free safety and linebacker. He has 36 tackles to eighth on the team and also has four tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. Bodrick missed all of last year with a torn ACL.

Field Position Has made a Difference Field position has been important for the Tigers this year, especially in the last three games. In fact, the team that has had the better average starting field position has won six of the seven games this year.

One of the reasons Clemson lost to Florida State and Virginia, despite winning the total offense war was field position. In the loss to Florida State the Seminoles average start was their own 43 yard-line, while Clemson’s average start was its own 30, a 13-yard difference. At Virginia the difference was 17 yards, as Clemson started at its own 22, but Virginia started on average at its own 39. Over the two game period the opposition started on average at its own 41, with Clemson starting at its 26.

Clemson improved in that area against Wake Forest with an average start of its own 35 to Wake Forest starting at its own 27. And, Clemson won the game, 31-23.

Sampson Interception Ends Georgia Tech Threat Clemson sophomore Eric Sampson intercepted a Georgia Tech pass at the Clemson 16 with just 1:12 left and returned the theft 35 yards to ice the 24-19 victory for the Tigers in Death Valley on September 14th. Clemson then ran out the remaining time to clinch the victory.

Sampson’s interception marked the first time since 1993 that a Clemson player came up with a turnover inside Clemson territory within the last two minutes with Clemson leading by seven points or less. In other words it was the first time in nine years that a defensive player made a game saving turnover with two minutes or less left.

The last time it happened was in 1993 at Duke when Dexter McCleon, now with the St. Louis Rams, intercepted a Duke pass at the Clemson eight-yard line with just three seconds remaining. Clemson held on for a 13-10 victory. That was actually the second straight week a defensive player made a game saving play late in the contest. The previous week, October 2, 1993, linebacker Tim Jones broke up an NC State pass in the endzone with :00 on the clock to give Clemson the victory. The Pack snapped the ball from the Clemson 12 on that down.

Clemson fans have suffered through some close last second losses in recent years. Seven times since 1997 the opposition has driven for a winning field goal or touchdown with inside two minutes left in the game. That included last year in the third game of the season when Virginia scored with just one second left to defeat the Tigers 26-24. It also had included the last two times Georgia Tech had come to Clemson. They scored a touchdown with a minute left to defeat Clemson 24-21 in 1998 and scored a touchdown with seven seconds left in 2000 to defeat a third ranked Clemson team, 31-28.

Sampson has started every game this year and has been a big contributor. He has 35 tackles, including a sack in his 438 snaps from scrimmage. He had nine of those tackles in the opener at Georgia, the second highest total for the Tigers in that game.

Byrd Leads Offensive Line Gary Byrd is the leader of Clemson’s offensive line. With season ending injuries to veterans Derrick Brantley and Nick Black, the leadership burden is even heavier for Byrd. A graduate student from Stone Mountain, GA, Byrd has started two bowl games at Clemson, the 2001 Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech and the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl against Louisiana Tech. He is a veteran of over 1600 career plays and has been a common denominator on two of the most productive offenses in Clemson history.

Byrd has played well so far this year. In the win over Louisiana Tech he had an 85 percent total performance grade, including an 80 percent technique grade from Clemson line coach Ron West. He led the Tigers in knockdown blocks in the game with 11 and was a big reason Clemson scored 33 points in the contest. He had six knockdowns in the season opener against Georgia. He had two fumble recoveries against Florida State to keep Clemson drives alive.

Clemson Offensive Line Experience

2002 Career Player YearGP-GS GP-GS Gary Byrd, OT Grad 5-5 30-19 Greg Walker,OG Jr. 5-5 29-5 Jermyn Chester, C Jr. 5-4 12-5 William Henry, OTGrad 4-3 9-3 Cedric Johnson, OG So. 4-4 15-4 Tommy Sharpe, C Jr.5-1 5-1 Mark Jetton, OG Fr. 1-0 1-0 Chip Myrick, OG Fr. 1-0 1-0Vontrell Jamison, OT So. 1-0 1-0 *Nick Black, OT Jr. 5-1 21-1*Derrick Brantley, OT Sr. 2-2 14-8

*Note: Lost for the season due to injury

Clemson Offense Averages 409 Yards, 30 Points Under Bowden Clemson has a 28-18 record under Tommy Bowden and a consistent balanced offense has been a big reason. Over the his four years he has been the head coach the Tigers have averaged 412 yards per game in total offense.

Clemson has gained an average of 180 rushing and 236.5 passing over the 46 games. In an average game under Bowden the Tigers have averaged 30 points a game and scored four touchdowns. On average, the Tigers run the ball 43 times and throw it 32 times under Bowden. Clemson has scored 181 touchdowns in the 46 games, nearly four per game. Twenty-six of the 46 games Clemson has had at least 400 yards of total offense.

Clemson Offense in the Tommy Bowden Era (Figures are for 46 games)

Per Game Points 1253 30.1 Touchdowns 164 3.93First Downs 914 22.2 Rushing Attempts 1788 42.8 Rushing Yards 7487180.2 Pass Attempts 1327 32.6 Pass Completions 758 18.7 PassingYards 9589 236.5 Completion % .571 .575 Plays 3399 75.5 TotalOffense 18,476 413.2 Record 28-18 .600

Bowden Offenses Among Best in Clemson History Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden came to Clemson with the reputation of producing big numbers on offense. His Tulane team of 1998 averaged over 500 yards of total offense per game and was the only squad in the nation to average at least 300 yards passing and 200 rushing.

His offensive numbers have not been quite as striking at Clemson, but they have been noteworthy. Here is a list of the Bowden offensive stats as they relate to Clemson history in his three years at Clemson: *3 of the top 4 completion totals in Clemson history *The top 3 passing yardage single season figures *The top three seasons in terms of passing yards/game *3 of the top four completion percentage figures *2 of the top 3 yards per play figures, and top two since 1950 *3 of the top 5 total offense per game figures *3 of the top 4 first downs/game figures *2 of the top 7 scoring teams in school history

John Lovett New Clemson Defensive Coordinator John Lovett, defensive coordinator at Auburn for the last three seasons, was named Defensive Coordinator at Clemson last spring. Lovett has been an assistant coach at the college level for 23 years, including 13 seasons as a defensive coordinator. He has experience working with all levels of the defense, but has spent most of his seasons in the game coaching the secondary and outside linebacker position. Lovett is coaching the secondary at Clemson. Jack Hines, who coached the secondary at Clemson the last three years, has moved to the linebackers.

Lovett helped Auburn to bowl games each of the last two years. His 2000 defense ranked 14th in the nation in total defense and 15th in rushing defense, helping the Tigers to a 9-4 record and a berth in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan. Auburn won the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference that season.

In 2001, his defense had a lot to do with Auburn’s berth in the Peach Bowl. One of Auburn’s victories was a 23-20 triumph over then #1 ranked Florida. Lovett’s defense held Florida to 20 points, -36 yards rushing and 328 yards of total offense, season lows in all three categories for Steve Spurrier’s team that finished the season ranked third in the nation. The Tigers also forced five turnovers in the game, including four interceptions of passes thrown by Heisman Trophy finalist Rex Grossman. Lovett’s defense also held Georgia’s high-powered attack to but 17 points in a 24-17 Auburn triumph.

The 51-year-old coach, who was born in Nyack, NY, worked under Tommy Tuberville, the last seven years, four at Mississippi (1995-98) and three at Auburn (1999-01). He coached the secondary all four years he was at Mississippi, including the 1997 season when the Rebels had an 8-4 record, including a victory in the Ford Motor City Bowl.

Prior to coming to Mississippi in 1995, Lovett worked as defensive coordinator at the University of Maine for two stints. He first went to Orono in 1985 and served as defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 1985-88. He also served as defensive coordinator for the Black Bears in 1994. The 1987 team won the conference championship and qualified for the Division I-AA playoffs

Clemson Has More ACC Wins than Any Other School Clemson was a charter member of the ACC in 1953 and the Tigers began their 50th ACC season on a high note with a 24-19 victory. Clemson has a record of 195-106-6 in conference play for its previous 49 seasons plus four games, a winning percentage of .646. Clemson’s 195 victories are first among all conference teams in league games, 14 more than second place North Carolina, who has won 55 percent of its league games. Maryland is third with 169, while NC State is fourth at 168. Clemson has a winning record against every other ACC team since the league began with the exception of Florida State.

Clemson also leads the ACC in conference championships with 13. Florida State and Maryland are tied for second with nine (this includes co-championships). NC State and Duke are tied for fourth with seven wins apiece. Every current league member has won the league title at least once.

Clemson has Eight Graduates on Roster The 2002 Clemson team has already broken a school record and the kickoff of the season opener has not even taken place. This year’s team has eight graduates on its roster, a record for a Clemson team. The list includes three players who will travel to roster with two full seasons yet to play.

Clemson starting quarterback Willie Simmons, starting defensive end Khaleed Vaughn and reserve tackle William Henry are listed as graduates on the roster, but still have this year and 2003 in terms of eligibility. Simmons received his degree last May, accomplishing his course requirements in just three years and three summer schools. That is the earliest a Clemson scholarship football player has ever graduated. Vaughn and Henry both graduated this past August 10th and still have two years to play.

The list of graduates on the 2002 Clemson team includes starting wide receiver Altroy Bodrick, starting defensive tackle Nick Eason and starting offensive tackle Gary Byrd. Nathan Gillespie is a reserve offensive lineman who also has his Clemson diploma. Eason graduated in August of 2001, so he also had his degree with two years to play.

The previous high for graduates on a Clemson football team was seven set just last year. By the end of the 2002 academic year 18 of the 22 seniors on the 2001 football team already had their degree. Two of those players are in school this year and plan to graduate by May of 2003.

Clemson Graduates on 2002 Team

Pos Graduation Degree Jackie RobinsonWR Dec. 2001 Health Science Khaleed Vaughn DEAug. 2002 Marketing Willie Simmons QBMay 2002 Marketing William Henry OTAug. 2002 Sociology Altroy Bodrick ROVAug. 2002 Rec. Park Adm. Gary Byrd OT Aug. 2002Rec. Park Adm. Nick Eason DT Aug.2001 Sociology Nathan Gillespie OG Dec. 2001 Marketing

Clemson Has 82.4 Graduation Rate for 1996 Entering Class Clemson has eight graduates on its current roster, one of the top totals in the nation. The list of signees who entered Clemson in 1996 also had an outstanding graduation rate. Of the 17 Tigers who entered as scholarship players that fall, 14 have graduated, an 82.4 percent graduation rate. When the NCAA releases its graduation rates for that class next fall, Clemson should be among the national leaders. The class includes a perfect 9-9 in terms of graduates among African American signees for that year. No one in the nation can top that 100 percent rate.

Members of that class who have their Clemson degrees are Terry Bryant, Rod Gardner, Jason Holloman, Freddie James, Mal Lawyer, John McDermott, Harold Means, Theo Mougros, Ryan Romano, Sean Sullivan, Justin Watts, Terry Witherspoon and Brian Wofford.

It is interesting to note that the study does not include athletes who enter in January. Two other first-year players who started their Clemson careers in January of 1996 who graduated are Jason Gamble and Mike Seth. They are not included in the figures.

Tiger Teammates Clemson has 15 different sets of football players who went to the same high school or junior college. The list includes three schools that have sent Clemson three players apiece. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, the high school that sent 2001 senior Woody Dantzler to Clemson, still has three representatives on the current Clemson team in Ryan Hemby, Kevin Johnson and Jackie Robinson.

Fork Union Prep in Virginia has sent Clemson Eric Coleman, Maurice Fountain and Gaines Adams. Fountain was a high school teammate of wide receiver Kelvin Grant. The only brother combination on the list is the Vaughn brothers, Khaleed and Nigel, who both played at North Atlanta High in Atlanta, GA.

Clemson players who played together in high school or prep school:

City State Players C.A. JohnsonColumbia SC Eugene Koon, ToddMcClinton Camden Camden SC Maurice Fountain, Kelvin Grant EasleyEasley SC EricMeekins, Josh Smith Fairfield Central Fairfield SC CharlesBennett, Altroy BodrickFork Union Prep Fork Union VA Eric Coleman,MauriceFountain, Gaines Adams JamesIsland Charleston SC Ryan Charpia, Tony Elliott Lexington LexingtonSC Fletcher Anderson, PhillipDieckmann Manning Manning SC Brian Mance, Travis Pugh NorthAtlanta Atlanta SC Khaleed Vaughn,Nigel Vaughn Orangeburg-Wilkinson Orangeburg SC Ryan Hemby, KevinJohnson, Jackie RobinsonRichland Northeast Columbia SC Airese Currie,Toure Francis Shanks Quincy FL Charles Harper,WillieSimmons, Ronnie ThomasSummerville Summerville SC Dustin Fry, Bernard RambertSW Miss. CC Summit MS Brandon Jamison, Kelvin Morris UnionUnion SC KyleBrowning, Roscoe Crosby

18 Tigers on NFL Rosters Clemson had 18 former players on NFL rosters entering play on September 8th, the opening day of the NFL season. The list includes four players who are now in double digits in the league in terms of years of service. Woody Dantzler, who is on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, is the only member of the 2001 Clemson team to make a roster.

The list of veterans includes Chris Gardocki, who is in his 12th year in the NFL as a punter. The former pro bowl punter is with the Cleveland Browns. Gardocki holds the career punting average record for both the Browns (44.1) and the Indianapolis Colts (44.8). Chester McGlockton (Denver Broncos) and Levon Kirkland (Philadelphia Eagles) are both in their 11th seasons in the NFL. Kirkland made his 124th consecutive NFL start for the Eagles on Sunday against Tennessee. James Trapp, who is in the Clemson Hall of Fame for his track accomplishments from 1989-93, is in his 10th year in the NFL and is with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers all have two players apiece from Clemson on their respective roster. Twelve of the 18 players are defensive players, including four defensive linemen.

Two former Tigers stood out in week one. Rod Gardner had seven receptions for 131 yards and a score to help Washington to victory in Steve Spurrier’s first game as head coach. Adrian Dingle had two sacks to help the San Diego Chargers to a victory over Cincinnati.

Former Clemson Players on NFL Rosters

Pos Hgt Wgt CU Yrs NFLExp NFL Team Keith Adams LB 5-11 230 98-00 2nd DallasCowboys Lorenzo Bromell DE 6-6 275 96-97 5th Minnesota VikingsBrentson Buckner DE 6-2 305 90-93 9th Carolina Panthers &JimBundren OT 6-5 305 94-97 4th Miami Dolphins Robert CarswellDB 5-11 215 97-00 2nd San Diego Chargers #Woody Dantzler QB 5-11205 98-01 R Dallas Cowboys Brian Dawkins DB 5-11 200 92-95 7thPhiladelphia Eagles Adrian Dingle DE 6-3 272 95-98 4th San DiegoChargers Antwan Edwards DB 6-1 205 95-98 4th Green Bay PackersRod GardnerWR 6-3 218 97-00 2nd Washington Redskins Chris Gardocki P 6-1 20088-90 12th Cleveland Browns Lamont Hall TE 6-4 260 94-97 4th NewOrleans Levon Kirkland LB 6-1 270 88-91 11th Philadelphia EaglesDexter McCleon DB 5-10 195 93-96 6th St. Louis Rams ChesterMcGlockton DT 6-4 329 89-91 11th Denver Broncos Trevor Pryce DT 6-5295 1996 6th Denver Broncos Anthony Simmons LB 6-0 230 95-97 5thSeattle Seahawks James Trapp DB 6-2 190 89-92 10th Baltimore Ravens# Practice Squad & Injured reserve

Clemson Assistant Coaches Have Bowl Experience Clemson’s nine current assistant coaches and head coach Tommy Bowden have coached in a combined 81 bowl games. Of the current staff, Rick Stockstill has coached in the most bowl games with the Tigers, as the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl was his 10th as a Clemson assistant. Brad Scott leads the way in total bowl games coached with 15 between his time at Clemson, Florida State and South Carolina.

Two Clemson assistants have served as head coaches in bowl games. Scott led South Carolina to its first bowl win in history when he defeated West Virginia in the 1994 Carquest Bowl. Mike O’Cain, hired as Clemson’s quarterbacks coach in December of 2000, served as NC State’s head coach in three bowl games.

As you can see by the list below, eight of the 10 coaches on this staff have been together all three years of the Bowden era. Mike O’Cain has coached in two of the three bowl games. John Lovett is the only newcomer to the staff this year.

Position Player CU Bowl OverallTommy BowdenHead Coach 1 3 11 Rodney AllisonDefensive Ends 3 3 8 Burton Burns RunningBacks 3 3 4 JackHines Linebackers 1 3 8 John Lovett DefensiveBacks 0 0 5 MikeO’Cain Quarterbacks 0 2 @10 Brad Scott Tight Ends0 3 *15 ThielenSmith Defensive Line 2 3 5 Rick StockstillWide Receivers 3 10 10 Ron West Offensive Line 2 3 5 Totals 15 3081

*Includes one bowl (win) as head coach of South Carolina @Includes three games as head coach at NC State Overall is total as a coach only

Some Tigers using New Helmet The latest in equipment use in football at all levels is the Revolution Helmet manufactured by Riddell. Many Clemson players have switched to the new helmet for this season and Clemson equipment personnel estimate 30 players are using it this year. Many of the players are first-year freshmen.

Among the veterans using the helmet are starting outside linebacker Khaleed Vaughn, starting middle linebacker and top returning tackler John Leake, and running backs Yusef Kelley, Tye Hill. Linebacker David Dunham was troubled by a concussion early in preseason and switched to the Revolution. He has not had problems since.

The helmet is the result of five years of research conducted by the NFL, who concluded that 70 percent of concussions result from hits to the side of the head. The sides of the new helmet extend farther down toward the chin, creating a firm shell along the jaw line.

Clemson Faces Tough Schedule in 2002 In many ways this will be Clemson’s most difficult schedule. The 2002 Tigers have nine games against teams who had winning records last year and eight of the 2002 opponents played in bowl games last year.

Nationally, Clemson is tied for third in number of games against teams who had winning records in 2001 and tied for fourth in number of 2001 bowl opponents on the 2002 schedule.

Clemson has had some difficult schedules under Tommy Bowden. The 1999 schedule is listed as the 10th toughest in the nation according to the 2002 NCAA Record Book. In 2001, Clemson had five wins over teams with winning records, one off the Clemson single season record.

Most Difficult Schedules of 2002

Based on 2002 Opponents Who Played in 2001 Bowls

Team 2002 Games 2001 Bowl Opp 1.Florida State 13 9 Notre Dame 12 9 Virginia 13 9 4.Clemson 12 8 Duke 12 8 Iowa State 13 8Missouri 12 8 Texas 12 8 Wake Forest 12 8

Based on 2002 Opponents who had 2001 Winning Record

Team 2002 Games Winning Opp 1. FloridaState 13 10 Virginia 13 10 3. Clemson 129 Alabama 12 9 Duke 12 9 Florida 12 9

Clemson Home Games Draw 6.7 Times the Population You could make the statement Clemson is the most rabid football town in Division I. The data used compares average stadium attendance to city population. Last year Clemson ranked 15th in the nation in attendance average with an 80,152 figure. The town of Clemson has a population of just 11,939. That means Clemson’s average football attendance in 2001 was 6.7 times the population of the city.

A look to the 2001 attendance figures and the most recent city population totals shows that only six Division I schools had a higher average attendance than the city population.

School City 2001 Attend PopRatio 1. Clemson Clemson, SC 80,152 11,939 6.71 2. PennState State College, PA 107,576 38,420 2.80 3. Auburn Auburn, AL85,449 42,987 1.99 4. Virginia Charlottesville, VA 56,283 40,0021.41 5. Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 50,762 39,573 1.28 6. IowaIowa City, IA 64,665 62,220 1.04

ACC Announces 50th Anniversary All-Time Football Team Clemson Leads All Schools With Nine Selections Nine former Clemson football players have been named to the 50th Anniversary All-ACC team, the conference announced in July. Clemson’s nine selections are the most among ACC schools. Players who have been named to the team are Joe Bostic, Jerry Butler, Bennie Cunningham, Jeff Davis, Steve Fuller, Terry Kinard, William Perry, Michael Dean Perry and Anthony Simmons.

All nine players were All-Americans at Clemson. Five of them earned such honors on more than one occasion. The honorees have won 10 ACC titles collectively, with three of the players earning a National Championship ring in 1981. Eight of the nine players were named to Clemson’s All-Centennial team in 1996. Butler, Davis, Fuller and Kinard are also honored in Clemson’s Ring of Honor.

Each of the honorees has played in the NFL at some point after their Clemson careers. Anthony Simmons, the youngest Clemson player honored by the ACC, is currently a starting linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. The group collectively has played 76 years in the NFL and combined to win five Super Bowl Championship rings. Joe Bostic was a four-year starter and two-time All-American between 1975-78 on Clemson’s offensive line. He is also in Clemson’s Hall of Fame. In 1999, A panel of Clemson historians ranked him as the 11th best player in Clemson history. Bostic went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Cardinals organization.

Jerry Butler earned first-team Associated Press All-American honors in 1978 and was ranked as the 4th best player in school history in 1999. He was famous for a diving backward touchdown catch that helped beat rival South Carolina in 1977. Butler, also a member of Clemson’s Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor, played nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.

Bennie Cunningham, Clemson’s most decorated tight end, was a two-time All-American. He was a consensus first-team All-American as a junior in 1974 and a first-team choice by the Sporting News in 1975. He was also ranked among Clemson’s greatest players in 1999. Cunningham won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers between 1976-85.

Jeff Davis was an All-American in 1981, the year Clemson won the National Championship. Davis is the third leading tackler in Clemson history. “The Judge” is a member of Clemson’s All-Centennial team, Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor. He was inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2001. He played for six seasons in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Steve Fuller was a third-team All-American on the field in 1978 as well as a two-time Academic All-American. He was also the ACC Player-of-the-Year in 1977 and 1978, the only two-time selection in Clemson history. He was ranked as a top 5 player by Clemson historians in 1999, and is in the Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor. Fuller won a Super Bowl ring with the Chicago Bears in 1985.

Terry Kinard, perhaps Clemson’s most decorated athlete, was a two-time first-team AP All-American in 1981-82. He was a starting safety on Clemson’s 1981 National Championship team. He was named the 1982 National Player-of-the-Year by CBS. Kinard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last fall and the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2002. He is still Clemson’s career leader in interceptions with 17, now a 20-year-old record. He won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants and played eight seasons in the NFL.

William Perry was a three-time All-American at middle guard for Clemson, a first in school history. He still ranks among Clemson’s career leaders in sacks and tackles for loss. Also a member of the 1981 team, Perry was named to the All-Centennial team and will be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame this fall. “The Refrigerator” won a Super Bowl ring in 1985 with the Chicago Bears.

Michael Dean Perry, Clemson’s career leader in both sacks and tackles for loss, was a first-team All-American in 1987 when he was an Outland Trophy finalist. A member of the All-Centennial team, Perry was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2000. He went on to considerable success in the NFL as he played in six Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro with the Cleveland Browns.

Anthony Simmons was Clemson’s second three-time All-American. He likely would have been just the second player in NCAA history to achieve such honors four times had he not left for the NFL after his junior year. He is second on Clemson’s career tackles list, an impressive feat to accomplish in only three years. Simmons is currently a starting linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks

Tommy Bowden Coaches Show The Tommy Bowden Coaches Show will be televised across the state of South Carolina every Sunday.

Here is the Schedule:

WASV (62), Greenville/Spartanburg, 12 Noon Sunday WOLO (25), Columbia, 12:00 Noon, Sunday WTAT (24), Charleston, 11:00 AM, Sunday WBEK (16), Augusta, GA, 11:00 AM, Sunday WFXB (43), Myrtle Beach, 11:30 AM, Sunday Fox Sports Net South, 1:30 PM, Friday Comcast/Charter Comm SE, 7:30 PM, Thursday Sunshine Network, 2:30 Pm Thursday WHHI (3), Hilton Head, 10:00 PM Wednesday Comporium Cable, Rock Hill, SC– Ch 21, 6:30 PM, 11:30 PM Wednesday Ch 21, 6:30 PM, 11:30 PM, Friday Ch. 2, 11:30 AM, Saturday Triangle Television, Durham, NC 9:30 PM Wednesday 1:30 AM, Thursday 8:00 PM, Friday 10:00 AM, Saturday

Clemson Graduate Designed 50-Year Anniversary Logo What started out as an internet search for fresh ideas has turned into a ticket to some of the ACC’s most exciting upcoming 50th Anniversary events, not to mention a place in the conference’s history books for Clemson graduate T.J. Harley.

Harley needed some ideas back in the summer of 2001 for some t-shirt designs he was planning for Clemson’s 20th anniversary celebration of the school’s 1981 football national championship. At the time, Harley was working as a student at one of Clemson’s downtown t-shirt stores, Tigertown Graphics.

The search took him to TheACC.com for what he thought would be a search for some different logo ideas. Harley had no idea the ACC was looking for some ideas of its own. In May of 2001, the ACC announced a contest that gave current students, faculty, and staff members at all nine member institutions the opportunity to submit ideas for the conference’s 50th anniversary logo.

“Some of the most creative minds in the country reside on our campuses, and we’d love to have their quality of work represent our conference in this important celebration,” stated ACC Commissioner John Swofford at the time of the contest’s announcement.

For Harley the contest meant another opportunity to display his talents, but there was one problem, his discovery of the contest was almost too late. “I noticed that the contest deadline was the next day so I immediately stopped working on the Clemson shirt and spent the next couple hours working on a design for the ACC,” Harley recalled. Those couple of hours turned out to produce the ACC’s 50th Anniversary logo.

The logo will represent the conference’s expansive marketing efforts to promote the ACC’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Founded in 1953, the ACC is celebrating its 50th year this year and will the year with a Gala at the Greensboro Coliseum in March. For his efforts, Harley will receive two tickets to the Gala as well as tickets to the 2003 ACC men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The vast nature of the 50th Anniversary celebration will expose Harley’s work through several mediums, including newspaper, television, internet, souvenir and apparel items. The exposure won’t stop there though. As part of the celebration, the ACC has a historical book and video in the works.

Harley’s design potential hasn’t gone unnoticed. The recent graphic communications graduate has secured a job with Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), which is based in Atlanta.