Clemson vs. Virginia Football Game Notes

Nov. 21, 2008

Clemson vs. Virginia Series Clemson holds a commanding 35-8-1 lead in the series with Virginia, but the Cavaliers hold 8-6-1 advantage since 1990, including a 30-10 victory at Charlottesville in 2004, the last time the two teams met. Clemson won the game prior to that in 2003 by a 30-27 score in overtime at Clemson.

Clemson won the first 29 games of the series before Virginia cracked the win column with a 20-7 victory in Charlottesville in 1990. Ironically, Clemson’s first win in the history of the series (in 1955) was also by a 20-7 score.

Clemson’s 29-game winning streak between 1955-90 is tied for the fourth longest winning streak in NCAA history for one team over another. The record is 43 in a row held by Notre Dame over Navy, a streak that ended in 2007.

Virginia has gained its most success against Clemson when the game has been in September, an example of the Cavaliers traditional good start to a season. Virginia has celebrated five of its eight wins over the Tigers in the month of September, including its last win in Death Valley in 2001, a game it won with just one second left. Virginia is 5-1 against Clemson in the month of September since 1990, but just 3-5-1 in October and November since that year.

Overall, Clemson is 25-3-1 against Virginia in October and November all-time, but just 10-5 against the Cavs in September. Clemson is 19-3-1 against Virginia in Death Valley and 15-5 in Charlottesville. Clemson won in Richmond in 1971, 32-15, the only neutral site game in the history of the series.

The only tie in the series took place in 1991, a 20-20 score at Clemson that was also played on homecoming. The Tigers had 511 yards of total offense in that game and did not win, the only game in Clemson history in which Clemson picked up at least 500 yards, yet did not win the game.

Clemson was 3-3 against Virginia under Tommy Bowden. Bowden picked up his first win as a Clemson head coach in 1999 against George Welsh and the Cavaliers, 33-14 in a game at Clemson. Clemson led that game 33-0, 35 minutes into the game. In 2000, Woody Dantzler led the Tigers to victory with a dazzling performance. Dantzler rushed for 220 yards and passed for 154 leading Clemson to a 31-10 victory.

The two teams have been ACC rivals since that first meeting in 1955, but the two teams have not played every year since the league was formed in 1953. The two teams did not play in 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1975, 1976, 2005, 2006, and 2007.