Clemson vs. Wake Forest Notes

Oct. 27, 2003

Game Notes in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader

Jasmin Has Best Day of Season Clemson gained 219 yards on the ground in the win over North Carolina and the play of senior Chad Jasmin had a lot to do with it. Seeing his most playing time of the season as a result of a sprained ankle suffered by Yusef Kelly in the NC State game, Jasmin had 17 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown to help Clemson to the victory. He was Clemson’s second leading rusher on the day behind Duane Coleman’s 111 yards.

It was the second highest single game total for Jasmin, who had 83 yards rushing in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Louisiana Tech in 2001. But, it was Jasmin’s best performance in a home game. Ironically, he was on the cover of the program that day. For the season, Jasmin is Clemson’s second leading rusher with 199 yards on 48 attempts, but he leads the team in rushing touchdowns with four.

It was the second straight year that Jasmin had a big impact on a victory over North Carolina. In the 2002 game in Chapel Hill, Jasmin caught two touchdown passes from Charlie Whitehurst in the 42-12 Clemson victory. That was the first time in 16 years that a Clemson running back caught two touchdowns passes in the same game.

Coleman Contributing in All AreasDuane Coleman’s became the first Clemson running back to gain 100 yards in a game when he had 111 in 13 attempts in the victory over North Carolina on October 25. Coleman also picked up 48 yards in receptions on four catches for 159 total yards from scrimmage.

He could have had 65 more, but his reception in the first quarter that went for a score from Charlie Whitehurst was disallowed when officials ruled he had run out of bounds prior to the reception. The native of Florida had a 50-yard run in the game, the longest rush of the year by a Clemson running back and longest by any Clemson running back since Travis Zachery had a 52-yard run against Duke on December 1, 2001.

Coleman has shown improvement as the year has progressed and is Clemson’s top rusher with 450 yards in eight games. He has averaged 4.9 yards per rush for the season. He now ranks sixth in the ACC in rushing yards per game. He has gained 333 yards in 56 attempts over the last five games, an average of 5.9 yards per rush. Coleman is fifth on the team in receptions with 15 for 178 yards and two scores. Clemson Perfect with 200 Yards of EachClemson gained 219 yards rushing and 309 passing in the victory over North Carolina. It marked the first time Clemson had at least 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game this year, but it was the 15th time it has taken place since Tommy Bowden has been Clemson’s head coach.

Why do we keep track of such a stat? That level of balance always means a victory for the Tigers, not just under Bowden, but in history. In the history of Clemson football, the Tigers have had at least 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game 42 times. Clemson is 41-0-1 in those 42 games. Saturday’s game was the fourth time in history Clemson had 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game.

The victory also marked the 45th time Clemson has gained at least 500 yards of total offense in a game. Clemson is also undefeated when reaching that mark, as Clemson is now 44-0-1 when accumulating at least 500 yards total offense in a game. The only non-victory took place in 1991 when Clemson had 511 yards, but tied Virginia, in a game at Death Valley.

Two Tigers Makes First Appearance of SeasonTwo Clemson players made their first appearance of the season in the victory over North Carolina. One was senior Joshua Smith. The native of Easley who is nicknamed “Catfish” came on for an ill Geoff Rigsby to handle the snaps. The walk-on from Easley High School had never played in a Clemson game, but did his job flawlessly, helping Aaron Hunt to 3-3 field goals.

Freshman Sergio Gilliam made his first appearance of the year in the win over North Carolina. Wearing #15, the first-year freshman cornerback played four snaps on defense and contributed on special teams. Clemson has now played five first-year freshmen this season. The others are Jad Dean (PK), Marion Dukes (OT), Brandon Pilgrim (OG), and Tramaine Billie (WHIP). All five first-year freshmen played against North Carolina. Pilgrim played 17 snaps and Dukes played 15, season highs for both freshmen.

Hunt Makes Annual Late ChargeClemson placekicker Aaron Hunt is making his annual late season drive to rank among the top placekickers in the ACC. Hunt has made each of his last six field goal attempts, 3-3 against NC State and North Carolina.

Hunt connected on field goals of 41, 27 and 23 yards in the victory over North Carolina. The 41-yarder came on the last play of the first half and gave Clemson a 16-14 lead at halftime, and most importantly, the momentum going into the half.

Hunt made just 3-8 to open the season, but has now made 6-6 to stand at 9-14 for the season. For some reason, October 15 is the magic day for Hunt. Over his Clemson career, Hunt is 28-34 on field goal attempts kicked after October 15 and just 18-30 on attempts prior to that date. That is 82 percent vs. 60 percent.

For his career, Hunt is 46-64, a .719 percentage. He had 12 points in the win over North Carolina and now has a team best 46 points. He now has 283 points for his career and needs just 19 points to become Clemson’s all-time leading scorer. Nelson Welch, a kicker for Clemson from 1991-94, had 301 points for the Tigers and is the career leader.

Whitehurst Chasing Single Season Records Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is already in range of the Clemson single season completions and passing yardage records. Entering the Wake Forest game, the ninth game of the season, Whitehurst has completed 178 of 290 passes for 2138 yards and 13 scores.

The Clemson single season mark for completions is 203 by Woody Dantzler in 2001. Thus, Whitehurst needs just 26 completions to break that record, which was set in a 12-game season. Whitehurst is also just 440 yards shy of Dantzler’s passing yardage record. Whitehurst’s 2138 yards is already the third best single season figure in school history. Dantzler holds the record at 2578 yards recorded in 2001, while Nealon Greene had 2212 in 1997.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest Series*Clemson owns 53 wins over Wake Forest in history, its second highest victory total over any opponent. Clemson has 60 wins over South Carolina. *Clemson leads the series 53-14-1 overall, including a 30-7 record in games played at Clemson and a 25-7 mark in games played in Death Valley. Clemson did not lose at home to Wake Forest between 1962-92. Wake Forest broke the streak in 1993 when Jim Caldwell’s first team defeated Clemson 20-16 at Death Valley. Clemson went on to finish that season 9-3. *Clemson has won four in a row and eight out of nine against Wake Forest dating to 1994. The Demon Deacons won back-to-back games in 1992-93, the only time Wake Forest has won consecutive contests against Clemson since 1946-47. *Clemson has a 17-7-1 lead in the series in games played at Wake Forest, including 10-3-1 in games played at Groves Stadium. Clemson has won each of the last four games played in Groves Stadium. The last time Wake Forest defeated Clemson in Winston-Salem was in 1992 when Bill Dooley led the Demon Deacons to a 18-15 victory. Wake Forest’s last win anywhere was at Death Valley by a 29-19 score in 1998, Tommy West’s final season at Clemson. *Clemson has a 4-0 record against Wake Forest under Tommy Bowden. The Tigers have outscored Wake Forest 119-47 in the four games, but actually three of the four games have been close. Clemson won 55-7 at Death Valley in 2000. *Wake Forest has scored more than 20 points against Clemson just twice in the last 14 years. One of the occasions was the 31-23 Clemson win last year. *The Clemson vs. Wake Forest series dates to 1933, a 13-0 Clemson win in Charlotte. *Clemson won 15 games in a row in the series from 1977-91. *While Clemson has dominated the series in recent years, the Deacons have certainly improved their program. Two of the four years Tommy Bowden has faced Wake Forest the Demon Deacons have entered the game with the better record. That was the case in 1999 and 2002. Clemson won both games by nine and eight points, respectively. *The two teams have played at three neutral sites in history, including Tokyo, Japan. Clemson won that game in 1982 by a 21-17 score to close out an ACC Championship season. *Clemson defeated a Wake Forest team coached by current Virginia coach Al Groh on Halloween Day 1981 by an 82-24 score. That is the highest scoring game in ACC history involving two league teams. Clemson was 12-12 on third down in that game, a school record. The Tigers went on to win the national championship.

Clemson Veterans Versus Wake Forest Eric Coleman (DT) – Had four tackles in 23 plays in last year’s win over Wake Forest.Airese Currie (WR) – Has one career catch versus the Demon Deacons, it was a 36-yard grab in 2001.Maurice Fountain (DE) – Has two tackles in 45 career snaps against the Deacons, both coming in 2001.Toure Francis (CB) – Had one tackle on special teams in 2001 game; had two tackles in the 2000 contest.Jamaal Fudge (ROV) – Had three first hits in just 13 plays last season.Ben Hall (TE) – Had three catches for 17 yards and a touchdown in 2001, but did not catch a ball against Wake last year.Derrick Hamilton (WR) – Had 104 all-purpose yards in 2002 game; had six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown reception in 2001.LeRoy Hill (LB) – Had three tackles in 2002; played 11 snaps and totaled three tackles in 2001 contest. Aaron Hunt (PK) – Had a 34-yard field goal and seven points in 2002; 3-3 on extra points in 2001; 1-2 on field goals and 7-7 extra points for 10 total points in 2000 win over Wake.Chad Jasmin (RB) – Had five carries for 25 yards, including a 19-yard run, in 2001 game; had seven runs for 26 yards and an 11-yard touchdown in 2000 game.Cedric Johnson (OG) – Graded 94 percent and led the Tigers in knockdown blocks in 2002 game.Yusef Kelly (RB) – Had a touchdown run and three catches in 2002 game versus Wake; had 16 carries for 93 yards in 2000 game, only the third game of his career.John Leake (LB) – Had 14 tackles in 2002 game; made just one tackle in 2001 game, he left with an injury in the first quarter; had three tackles in 2000 contest.Justin Miller (CB) – Had 10 tackles and game-turning interception that he returned 24 yards in 2002, his first career start.DeJuan Polk (DT) – Had two tackles in 19 snaps last season.Travis Pugh (FS) – Had six tackles and a fumble recovery in 2002 game.Eric Sampson (WHIP) – Had seven tackles in all 83 snaps versus Wake last year; had season-high 14 tackles as a sub for an injured John Leake in 2001.Khaleed Vaughn (DE) – Had three tackles in 2002; totaled eight tackles and one for loss in 2001 win; had three assists in 10 plays in 2000 game.Gregory Walker (OT) – Graded 93 percent, which tied his season high, in 2002 game versus Wake Forest.Donnell Washington (DT) – Had 10 tackles and a pressure in last year’s game; had four tackles and one for loss in 2001.Charlie Whitehurst (QB) – Took just three snaps in last year’s game and completed 1-of-2 passes for three yards.Kevin Youngblood (WR) – Had six catches for 43 yards in 2002 game; had 30-yard touchdown reception from Willie Simmons in 2000 win over Wake Forest.

Clemson Offense Improved Since No-Huddle Invoked Since Clemson went to the no-huddle offense against Middle Tennessee in the third game of the year, the Tigers have averaged 431.0 yards per game in total offense, best in the ACC. Clemson averaged just 312 yards per game over the first two games of the season before making the change.

The Tigers added to that figure with a 528-yard performance against North Carolina last Saturday, Clemson’s high total offense game of the season. Clemson had 219 rushing yards and 309 passing yards for its 528 total. Clemson has had at least 430 yards in four of its last six games.

Clemson first used the no-huddle under Tommy Bowden in 1999, his first year at Clemson. The Tigers averaged 402.6 yards per game that year and have exceeded the 400 yard mark for the course of the season three of his first four years at Clemson. The Tigers are at 401 per game so far this year, third best in the ACC for the entire season. Clemson averaged at least 400 yards per game just twice in its history prior to Bowden’s arrival at Clemson. He is now on pace to accomplish the feat for the fourth time in five years.

2002 Game in ReviewClemson 31, Wake Forest 23Clemson snapped a two-game losing streak as it upended Wake Forest 31-23 in front of a Homecoming crowd of 81,008 in Death Valley. The Tigers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half and also earned its first victory under Tommy Bowden when trailing at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Tigers’ win came in an uncanny manner. Clemson’s defense yielded 523 yards of total offense, the highest total ever recorded by an opponent in a Clemson victory; however, the defense also forced a season-high five turnovers against a Wake Forest offense that had entered the game second in the nation in turnover margin. It was the most yards ever for Wake Forest against Clemson.

Willie Simmons, now the starting quarterback at The Citadel, completed 21 of his 33 passes for 205 yards and also recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career on a 13-yard scamper in the first half. Kevin Youngblood, Derrick Hamilton and J.J. McKelvey combined for 17 receptions.

Although the Tigers totaled four rushing touchdowns, the Wake Forest rushing game was the most prevalent offensive force in the game. The Demon Deacons had six rushers who totaled at least 20 yards, and as a team Wake Forest posted 365 rushing yards. Running back Tarence Williams led the individual efforts with 97 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Chris Barclay had 89 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback James MacPherson had 61 yards on just seven carries, but he also threw three interceptions in the second half, his first three interceptions of the season after going 160 straight attempts without a theft.

Clemson scored on its first possession of the game. After forcing Wake Forest to punt, Simmons guided the offense 61 yards down the field on just six plays. In addition to completing two of three passes on the drive, Simmons capped it off with a 13-yard scamper for a touchdown. On their ensuing possession, the Demon Deacons reduced the lead to 7-3 behind a display of power running by Barclay. Barclay had five carries for 18 yards on the drive.

Wake Forest took the lead for the first time on its next possession. On a drive that covered 92 yards and took nearly five minutes off the clock, Williams and fullback Ovie Mughelli combined for 10 carries, 27 yards and a one-yard touchdown run by Mughelli. Mughelli’s run capped off the 16-play drive that gave the Demon Deacons a 10-7 lead.

After a pair of Wake Forest field goals, Clemson retaliated just before halftime. After taking over possession with 83 seconds remaining in the period, Simmons reeled off five consecutive completions before finally connecting with McKelvey on a 25-yard pass that put the Tigers in scoring position; Yusef Kelly scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge with just eight seconds remaining before the half

After reducing Wake Forest’s lead, the Tiger offense was stifled for most of the third quarter. After Wynn Kopp was forced to punt on Clemson’s first possession, Williams and receiver Fabian Davis combined for 57 rushing yards on the next two plays. Williams’ 11-yard touchdown run gave Wake Forest a 23-14 lead.

Following Williams’ touchdown run, the Demon Deacons committed turnovers on their next three possessions and allowed Clemson to cut into the lead. After Tiger defensive back Travis Pugh recovered a fumble by Barclay, Rambert carried the ball two yards off tackle for a touchdown five plays later. On the Tigers’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Aaron Hunt kicked a 34-yard field goal, which finished off an eight-play, 48-yard drive that gave Clemson the lead.

The Tigers completed their comeback victory on their next possession. After Altroy Bodrick intercepted MacPherson’s pass near midfield, Clemson drove 58 yards and erased nearly five minutes off the clock. Clemson had a fourth down play and lined up for a field goal, but holder Jeff Scott ran off tackle for four yards and a first down to keep the drive alive.

Rambert’s second touchdown run of the game from three yards out extended the Tigers’ lead to 31-23. On Wake Forest’s ensuing possession, the offense appeared ready to score once more with hopes of scoring a two-point conversion and sending the contest into overtime. But, Brian Mance stripped the ball away form Barclay inside Clemson’s five-yard line, sending the ball through the back of the end zone, resulting in a touchback for the Tigers. Clemson ran out the clock and won the game.

Last Meeting at Winston-SalemClemson 21, Wake Forest 14Clemson’s defense forced a season high three turnovers and Woodrow Dantzler gained 330 yards of total offense to lead the Tigers to a 21-14 victory at Wake Forest on October 27, 2001. Clemson’s defense forced two turnovers with the game on the line inside the last seven minutes to preserve the win.

Chad Carson led the Clemson defense with 23 tackles, the third highest single game total in Clemson history. Rodney Thomas gave great support with 16 tackles, while freshman Eric Sampson added 14. Wake Forest entered the game sixth in the nation in rushing offense with an average of 235 yards per game. But, the Deacs gained just 193 yards on the ground and 344 overall, their second lowest figure of the year in each area.

Dantzler paced the Clemson offense with 211 passing and 119 rushing. He connected on 16-27 passes for 211 yards and two scores. His 119 rushes came on 20 attempts. It marked the third straight road game that he had at least 100 yards rushing and 300 yards in total offense. Dantzler threw his completions to six different Tigers. Thirteen of the 16 receptions were made by freshmen. Derrick Hamilton led the Clemson receivers with six for 91 yards and a score. Ben Hall caught his second touchdown reception of the year.

The two teams battled to a scoreless tie in the first period. It was the first time in 15 quarters that Clemson had shut out the opposition. But, the Demon Deacons took the lead late in the second period. Tarence Williams scored on a four-yard run with 3;34 left in the period to complete a 12-play 68-yard drive that took 5:03 off the clock. Wake Forest threw just one pass on the drive.

Clemson came back quickly and drove 53 yards in six plays to tie the score just 1:16 before the half. Dantzler hit Hamilton with a 32-yard scoring pass to tie the count.

Clemson scored on its first possession after intermission. Clemson drove 75 yards in 11 plays with Dantzler hitting freshman Ben Hall with a three-yard score to give Clemson the lead. The Tigers scored again on their first play of the fourth period as Dantzler scored on a 10-yard run. It completed a nine -play 80-yard drive.

Wake Forest came back on the next possession however and drove 80 yards for a score, also in just nine plays. Clemson gained possession of the ball for just the third time in the second half, leading by seven. The Tigers drove to midfield, but Travis Zachery fumbled.

The Deacons had the ball with 8:49 left, down seven. But, on the second play of the drive, Chad Carson intercepted, his first career theft of his 42-game career. The return gave the Tigers the ball at midfield. Clemson’s drive stalled and the Tigers punted. Wake Forest then drove from its own 20 to the Clemson nine. On third-and-eight James MacPherson’s pass in the left corner of the endzone was intercepted by Charles Hafley. Clemson ran out the final 2:09 of the game. A 19-yard run by Dantzler on third-and-seven with over a minute left iced the game.

Clemson Personnel Update* Bobby Williamson (TE)–tight end who suffered a back injury against NC State, a game in which he caught a career high five passes. Missed the North Carolina game, questionable for Wake Forest. * Yusef Kelly (RB)–Suffered sprained ankle against NC State, missed the North Carolina game, questionable for Wake Forest. * Eric Sampson (LB)–Suffered sprained ankle against NC State. Did not play against North Carolina, questionable for Wake Forest.

Clemson Limiting TurnoversClemson has had just nine turnovers on offense so far this year, an average of 1.12 turnovers per game. Clemson’s total of nine turnovers ranks fifth best in the nation in terms of fewest turnovers. If the season ended today, the 1.12 turnovers per game would be the sixth best average for a season in Clemson history. The record is 0.88 turnovers per game committed by the 1940 Clemson team that won the Southern Conference Championship. That 1940 Clemson team had just eight turnovers in nine games.

As a result of the low turnover total, Clemson has not been hit hard in the points off turnovers column so far this year. Opponents have scored just 13 points off Clemson offensive turnovers so far this year, while Clemson’s offense has scored 24. In fact, all 13 of those points were scored by Georgia in the first game of the season. Each of the last seven Clemson opponents has failed to score a single point off a turnover, as the Tiger defense has shut out the opposition after Clemson’s last six turnovers on offense. Clemson has committed just six turnovers on offense over the last seven games.

Fountain, Jamison Contributing at Defensive EndClemson began the season with two graduate student defensive ends in J.J Howard and Khaleed Vaughn. Howard was off to a terrific start with 16 tackles, including four sacks through five games, but suffered a torn ACL in the win over Virginia. Vaughn has started seven games, but suffered an injury at Maryland that forced him to miss the Virginia game.

Two players who have stepped up so the Clemson defense has not missed a beat have been juniors Maurice Fountain and Vontrell Jamison. Both have seen considerable action this year, especially of late. Fountain made his first career start at NC State and had six tackles, including five first hits against Philip Rivers and the Wolfpack. He added two tackles for loss and a sack and had a career high six quarterback pressures. In fact, he was just one pressure off the Clemson single game record. He added two tackles for loss in the win over North Carolina For the season, Fountain is 11th on the team in tackles with 21 and his 11 quarterback pressures rank second on the team. He has five tackles for loss to rank third on the team.

Jamison has played in all eight games off the bench and has 20 tackles, including two sacks and eight pressures. He had a pair of solo tackles at NC State. A junior college transfer who played on the offensive line last year, Jamison had five tackles in the win over Virginia in his finest outing as a Tiger.Currie Comes Back StrongOne of the keys to the Clemson offense is the health and play of wide receiver Airese Currie. The NCAA East Regional 100-meter track champion missed Clemson’s games vs. Virginia and NC State with a sprained ankle, but was back in the lineup against North Carolina. He had a solid performance despite not playing at 100 percent. The native of Columbia had four catches for 87 yards.

In six games this year he has 32 catches for 433 yards and three touchdowns. He is third on the team in both categories and has already exceeded his career high for a season in all areas. A big play performer, he had 12 catches in the win over Middle Tennessee, a Clemson single game record and the most catches in a game by an ACC wide receiver this year.

Washington Ties Quarterback Pressure RecordOne of the most improved players on the Clemson defense this year has been junior tackle Donnell Washington. The 6-6 330-pounder leads the defensive front in tackles with 32, has four tackles for loss and a team leading 23 quarterback pressures. He had seven quarterback pressures against NC State to tie a Clemson single game record. His 23 pressures this year are already more than any Clemson player had last year. Nick Eason had 19 pressures to lead the team a year ago in 13 games. Washington started all 13 games a year ago and has started each of the first eight this season for a streak of 21 in a row.

Young Offensive Linemen ContributingClemson made a few starter changes in the offensive line against NC State and North Carolina. Red-shirt freshman Roman Fry got the start at left tackle and Chip Myrick got the start at right guard against NC State. William Henry was back at the starting slot against North Carolina and freshman Dustin Fry got his first career start at center against the Tar Heels.

One of the reasons for Clemson’s success has been the play of a deep offensive line. Ten different offensive linemen played at least 15 snaps in that game. It was the first time in many years that 10 different players played double digits in a game that came down to the wire. Last year the five starters combined to play 35 complete games. This year the five starters have played every snap just six times combined.

The highest graded Clemson player from the coach’s evaluation in the NC State game was William Henry, who had a 94 percent grade for his 48 plays. That October 16 game in Raleigh was played on his birthday. Cedric Johnson has been the most consistent player and has been the highest graded offensive lineman in five of the eight games. He had the top grade in the North Carolina game. He has not given up a sack all year.

LeRoy Hill Leads Nation in Tackles for LossClemson junior linebacker LeRoy Hill might be one of the most improved players in the nation. The linebacker from Haddock, GA leads the country in tackles for loss per game with a 2.5 average. Through eight games, Hill has 20 tackles for loss, including a team best five sacks. He is ranked in the top 15 in the nation in tackles for loss, tackles per game and solo tackles per game.

For the season, Hill has 95 tackles, including 76 first hits and 19 assists. He has 62 yards on his tackles for loss, also best on the team by nearly three times any other Clemson player. Hill has been incredibly consistent, recording at least two tackles for loss in every game. He has had at least double figures in tackles in seven of the eight games this year, including 16 in the opener against Georgia.

Hill is trying to become the fourth Clemson player to lead the nation in tackles for loss per game over the course of a season. William Perry was the first to do it when he had 27 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 11 games in 1984. Rob Bodine, originally a walk-on at Clemson, had 27 in 12 games in 1991 to lead the nation. Then, Keith Adams did it in 1999 when he had 35 tackles for loss in 12 games.

Hill’s current pace of 2.5 tackles for loss per game is second best in Clemson history. Adams averaged 2.92 tackles for loss per game in 1999 when he led the nation. Hill’s figure is higher than anything recorded by William Perry, Michael Dean Perry or current All Pro Trevor Pryce.

Hill played in all 13 games last year, all in reserve. He was the top special teams tackler on the squad with 21, but played just 47 snaps from scrimmage at linebacker. He spent the 2002 season as a backup behind Eric Sampson. He has moved to middle linebacker and has flourished. He had just one tackle for loss last year and now has 18 this year, at least two in every game.

Hill is carrying on the tradition of the number-43 at Clemson. Terry Kinard, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001, wore that number between 1978-82. Kinard was a first-team AP All-American in 1981 and 1982 and was named one of the top 50 male athletes in ACC history. Adams was an All-American at Clemson in 2000 when he wore that number.

Leake Nearing 400 Club John Leake is second on the Clemson team in tackles with 84 on 58 first hits and 25 assists. He is coming off a 13-tackle effort against North Carolina, best on the team. Leake was the ACC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Georgia Tech when he had 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss.

Leake now has 396 career tackles to rank fifth in Clemson history. He moved ahead of Ed McDaniels when he had 13 tackles against North Carolina. He needs just four to become the fifth player in Clemson history to reach 400 career stops. Next on the list is Chad Carson at 448. Leake has a maximum of five games remaining in his Clemson career.