Monday 09/04/2000
Sept. 4, 2000
Dantzler Breaks Two Records in Season Opener Clemson’s offense broke 26 school records last year. The unit is off to another record breaking season in 2000. Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler broke two marks for passing excellence. The junior who was making his sixth career start at quarterback, connected on an incredible 16 of 17 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.
Dantzler’s .941 completion percentage broke a 41-year old Clemson record. The previous best was a 90 percent turned in by Harvey White against South Carolina (9-10) in 1959. Dantzler also broke the Clemson record for passing efficiency given a minimum of 15 attempts. We use 15 attempts because that is the number the NCAA uses when computing passing efficiency records.
Dantzler’s efficiency rating was 247.1 for the game, breaking the previous best of 240.4 by Jimmy Addison against Virginia in 1966. Ironically, that game in 1966 was the first game in which Howard’s Rock was present in Death Valley. Saturday night was the first game for the new display that holds Howard’s Rock at the top of the East endzone grass bank.
Dantzler completed three touchdown passes in the game all in the first half. It marked the first time in his career that Dantzler had completed three touchdowns in one game, never mind a half. He also gained 44 yards rushing in 12 attempts, giving him 236 yards of total offense on the day. The native of Orangeburg is already in the top 25 in Clemson history in total offense.
Clemson 30-0-1 With 200 Yards Passing and Rushing Clemson gained 236 yards rushing and 222 passing in the win over The Citadel in the season opener. That kind of balance, in particular gaining at least 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game, means a Clemson victory. In history, Clemson hasa 30-0-1 record when it has at least 200 yards of each.
Clemson had three such games last year, wins over North Carolina, Maryland and Duke. That means Clemson has had four games of at least 200 yards of each in the 13 games Tommy Bowden has coached at Clemson. The program had just 28 such games in the first 103 years of Clemson football prior to Bowden’s arrival.
The streak was nearly snapped last year at Georgia Tech. Clemson had 231 yards rushing and 197 passing in the loss at Georgia Tech last year. The only tie game in which Clemson had at least 200 of each took place in 1976 when Clemson had 248 rushing and 234 passing in a 24-24 tie in Atlanta against Tech.
Clemson Defense Posts Shutout We don’t have to look at the NCAA stats to know Clemson leads the NCAA in scoring defense. The Tigers did not allow a point in the 38-0 victory over The Citadel. That was Clemson’s first shutout since 1998 when Clemson defeated Furman, 33-0. Clemson’s best scoring defense of 1999 was a 12-3 win over Wake Forest.
Clemson was also stingy when it came to total offense against The Citadel. Reggie Herring’s point prevention unit allowed just 105 yards, 57 rushing and 48 passing. That was the best total defense performance by Clemson since the 1994 Furman game when the Tigers allowed just 99, -3 rushing and 102 passing. That was actually Herring’s first game as an assistant coach in Death Valley.
Clemson’s performance in Death Valley last Saturday was the seventh best by a Tiger defense in the last 25 years. The best effort during that time took place against Long Beach State in 1990, Ken Hatfield’s first game as Clemson head coach. The 49ers, who were coached that day by NFL legend George Allen.
In case you were wondering, the Clemson record for total defense in a single game took place in 1948 when Clemson held Furman to -12 yards total offense (-17 rushing, 5 passing) in a 41-0 victory. The 57 yards allowed against Long Beach State in 1990 ranks tied for sixth best in school history, best since 1963. Five times in the lsat 25 years Clemson’s defense has held the opposition under 100 yards.
Carson Registers 18 Tackles There were many heroes in Clemson’s defensive performance against The Citadel. But, one linebacker certainly stood out. Chad Carson had a career high 18 tackles, eight first hits and 10 assists in the shutout of the Bulldogs. Carson now has 34 tackles in his last two games and has been Clemson’s top tackler each of the last two games. He had 16 in the Mississippi State game in the Peach Bowl to close the 1999 season.
Carson had 144 tackles last year, the 10th highest single season total in Clemson history. But, it was still 42 fewer than Keith Adams recorded when he led the nation in tackles. Carson and Adams, who used to tackle each other when they went both ways for their respective high schools in the Atlanta area, give Clemson a great combination as inside and outside linebackers. Adams was a first-team All-American last year as a sophomore, while Carson, a biology major with a 3.9 GPA, was a second-team Academic All-American.
Clemson Still Ranked in Top 20 Clemson is ranked 17th in AP and 19th in the USA Today/ESPN Coach’s poll this week. That is the same ranking Clemson had in the preseason. When Clemson was ranked 17th in the preseason it marked the first time since 1997 that Clemson had been ranked in the top 25. The Tigers reached a number-17 ranking after a 2-0 start that year. A win against Missouri might move Clemson into the top 15, a ranking Clemson has not reached since September 9, 1992 when Clemson was 15th with a 1-0 record. Clemson’s last trip to the top 10 took plac on October 1, 1991 when Clemson had a 3-0 record.
Kirkland to Make Presentation Saturday Former Clemson All-American Levon Kirkland will be in attendance at Saturday’s game with Missouri. The starting linebacker will be doing more than just watching his alma mater in an important intersectional game. Kirkland will make a significant contribution to the Call Me Mister Program, a program directed at Clemson by former Clemson All-American and National Championship team captain Jeff Davis.
The innovative Call Me Mister program is a cooperative venture with three historically black colleges in South Carolina: Benedict in Columbia, Claflin in Orangeburg and Morris in Sumter. The program plans to place 200 young African-American men as teachers in South Carolina elementary classrooms within four years.
While minority enrollment in South Carolina public schools is expected to make up 39 percent of all students in the next decade, less than one percent of elementary school teachers are African-American men.
Kirkland, a Super Bowl XXX veteran and two-time All-Pro linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, will join Davis (’81) on the field between the 1st and 2nd quarters for the presentation.
Tigers On Opening Day NFL Rosters Clemson had 17 players on active opening day NFL rosters this year, plus an 18th player on a practice squad. The list of players includes 14 players on defense. The veteran of the list is Chris Gardocki, who is in his 10th year as an NFL punter and is now with the Cleveland Browns. Levon Kirkland, Ed McDaniel and Chester McGlockton, all members of Clemson’s 1990 defense that led the nation in total defense, are in their ninth seasons in the league. James Trapp, who will be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame this weekend, is in his eighth seasons and is also a former member of that 1990 defense.
The Cleveland Browns have the most former Tigers with three. In addition to the veteran punter Gardocki, Jim Bundren and Rahim Abdullah are two more former Tigers on the Browns roster. The Browns also have Jerry Butler as wide receivers coach and Dwight Clark as the General Manager. They were starting wide receivers on Clemson’s 1978 team that finished 11-1 and ranked sixth in the nation.
The list of active Tigers in the NFL includes six who have been chosen to the Pro Bowl at one time or another in their careers. That list includes Chester McGlocton, Trevor Pryce, Brian Dawkins, Chris Gardocki, Levon Kirkland and Ed McDaniel. Tony Horne made second-team All-Pro last year as a kick returner, but was not chosen for the Pro Bowl.
No one off of last year’s Clemson team made an NFL active roster for the 2000 season. Wide receiver Brian Wofford is playing professionally in Canada with Saskatchewan. O.J. Childress, who played for the Giants last year, is listed on the practice squad for the Giants at the opening of the season.
Zachery Paces the Running Game Running back Travis Zachery will be a key to Clemson’s rate of success on offense this year. The junior running back is Clemson’s top returning rusher with 1455 career yards, including a team best 820 last year. He actually had 827 in 10 regular season games last year, then had -7 in the Peach Bowl when he suffered a dislocated elbow, allowing him to play just five snaps.
Zachery was significant in Clemson’s 38-point performance against The Citadel in the opener. He gained 52 yards on the first Clemson play of the game, his longest rush of the year and longest run by a Clemson running back since 1996 when Raymond Priester went 65 yards against South Carolina. Zachery had 86 yards rushing and 51 receiving, plus eight on punt returns for 145 total.
Zachery scored 16 touchdowns a year ago, second highest figure in Clemson history and he ranked ninth in the nation in scoring. Only the 17 touchdowns scored by Lester Brown in 1978 is more. Zachery has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (check action picture in player’s section of this program) and has 35 catches for his career, just 10 away from the Clemson career record for a running back.
Clemson vs. The Big 12 Clemson has a 4-7 record against teams currently from the Big 12 Conference. Five of the 11 previous meetings have taken place in bowl games, including Clemson’s 22-15 victory over Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl, a victory that earned Clemson the National Championship.
Really, three of Clemson’s four wins over Big 12 teams must be considered among the schools top victories of all time. The aforementioned victory over Nebraska, not only gave Clemson the National Championship, but it is still tied for the highest ranked team Clemson has ever beaten (4th).
The 24-23 triumph over Missouri gave Frank Howard’s team a perfect 11-0 record, Clemson’s first undefeated season since 1903. The 1989 Citrus Bowl win over Oklahoma gave Danny Ford’s team a 10-2 record and a number-nine final ranking in the AP poll. Clemson was one of just a handful of schools nationally to defeat Oklahoma and Nebraska in the decade of the 1980s. Clemson, Nebraska and Oklahoma were all among the top six winningest programs in the nation in that decade.
As you can see by the chart below, when Clemson has played against teams from the Big 12 Conference they have not been competing against also-rans. Eight of the previous 11 occasions Clemson has played a Big 12 team, the opponent has been ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Five of those have been against Top 10 teams.
This won’t be Clemson’s last game against this fine conference. Clemson will meet Texas A&M in 2004 and 2005.
Clemson in Intersectional Matchups This will be Clemson’s first game against a team from the midwest since 1996, the last time Clemson played Missouri. Missouri won that game, 38-24 in Columbia, MO. Clemson has a 33-29-3 record in games against non-Southern teams dating to a 21-6 loss at Army in 1937. This includes games played at home, away and neutral sites. The Tigers have been successful in intersectional games in recent memory. Over the last 21 years Clemson has defeated Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State, Oklahoma and Illinois.
Junior Defenders on Display Saturday’s Clemson vs. Missouri game should feature two of the top junior defensive players in the nation, Clemson’s Keith Adams and Missouri’s Justin Smith. Both are undersized by today’s standards for their position, but they combine quickness and strength to get the job done at an amazing level of proficiency.
Adams is ranked as the top linebacker in the nation, regardless of class, by many 2000 preseason publications and analysts. This week he was featured in Sports Illustrated and Football News and a profile in ESPN The Magazine is also due out shortly.
Adams led the nation in tackles last year with 186, ranked first in tackles for loss with an ACC record 35 and ranked second in sacks with 16. The junior came out of nowhere last year, as he had played just 176 snaps in 1998, then made 176 regular season tackles in 1999. Adams has football and sports in general in his blood. His father, Julius Adams played as a defensive lineman in the NFL from 1971-87, playing an incredible 206 games, still among the all-time leaders in New England Patriots history. Adams mother, Pat, was a track star at Texas Southern.
Unlike Adams, Smith has been a starter at Missouri since Day one. He has played 23 consecutive games, all as a starter, and is nearing the 200 tackle mark for his career, quite an accomplishment for a defensive lineman. Like Adams, he holds his school’s single season record for sacks. He had eight last year to tie the mark held by among other former Kansas City Chiefs great Bobby Bell, who played at Missouri in the 1960s.
A first-team all-conference player last year, Smith is likened to San Diego Chargers great Junior Seau, who played for Coach Larry Smith at Southern Cal. The Missouri media guide lists Smith as an athlete who runs the 40 in 4.5, has a 30.5 inch vertical jump and a school record 485 pound power clean. A year ago he had 92 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss.
Smith and Adams were the only two sophomores on the Bronco Nagurski Award Watch list at the end of last season and they are on the preseason list for the National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2000.
Missouri Update Missouri opened its season with a 50-20 win over Western Illinois on September 2 in Columbia, MO. Missouri gained just303 yards of total offense, a low figure for 50 points scored, but there were reasons. The Tigers returned two interceptions for touchdowns and reaped the benefits of three punting situation misplays by Western Illinois.
The Missouri offense was led by Kirk Farmer, who completed 10-22 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore from Jefferson City, MO was making his first appearance since he broke his leg last year in the sixth game ofthe season. The first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection completed 36-78 passes for 513 yards and nine touchdowns last year. He threw for 182 yards against Colorado, his high mark for the year.
Zain Gilmore was the top rusher for Missouri in the opener with 53 yards rushing in 13 attempts and he scored two touchdowns. John Dausman was the top receiver with 4-67, but three other Missouri players, Justin Gage, Dwayne Blakley and Brandon Ford, caught touchdown passes. Clemson’s secondary will be tested by the Missouri Tigers this weekend.
Like Clemson, Missouri was outstanding on defense in the season opener. Western Illinois had -48 yards rushing, as the Tigers had 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for the game. The defense also forced three fumbles and scored a pair of touchdowns. In addition to the aforementioned Smith, Missouri features inside linebacker Jamonte Robinson, and guard Cedric Harden. Robinson had double figures in tackles in the opener. He had 108 tackles last year, including 12 behind the line of scrimmage.
Julian Jones is another outstanding defensive player. The free safety from Midwest City, OK scored his first career interception return for a touchdown, a 49-yarder return for score in the fourth period. It was his ninth forced turnover of his career.
Missouri is outstanding when it comes to special teams. The Tigers blocked two punts against Western Michigan and a third snap went over the Leatherjack punter’s head, leading to a safety for Missouri.
Clemson to Induct 10 into Hall of Fame Saturday A record number of former Clemson greats will be inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame this Saturday at Death Valley. The class, which represents six different sports, includes three individuals, two athletes and one coach, who led Clemson to national championships.
The group of 10 former athletes, administrators and coaches will be inducted during ceremonies at halftime of the Clemson vs. Missouri football game on September 9 at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The group also will be honored on Friday evening September 8 at a dinner at the Madren Center.
Two former Tiger football greats, plus a third athlete who starred in track and also was a starter on the gridiron, will be honored. Michael Dean Perry, a first-team All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1987, will be among the list of Hall of Fame Inductees. He will be joined by his teammate Rodney Williams, the winningest quarterback in ACC history.
James Trapp, a starter on Clemson’s 1992 and 1993 football teams, is also in the class. However, Trapp’s induction is the result of his extradinary career in track as a sprinter. Still playing in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, Trapp was a 10-time All-American in track at Clemson between 1990-93. Trapp won the 1992 National Championship in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor track meet.
Elden Campbell is another 2000 Hall of Famer who is also still active as a professional athlete. Campbell, now with the Charlotte Hornets, was the top scorer on Clemson’s 1990 ACC Championship team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Clemson’s career scoring leader just finished his 10th year in the NBA.
Dr. I.M. Ibrahim is the only coach going into the Clemson Hall of Fame this year. He led Clemson to two of the three National Championships in the school’s history. Ibrahim, who coached the Clemson team from 1967-94, led the Tigers to the 1984 and 1987 NCAA Championships. He had a 388-100-31 career record and coached the Tigers to the NCAA Final Four six times, more than any other Clemson coach in any sport. Dr. Jud Hair is the only administrator in the group. He served as Clemson team physician for 28 years.
Sam Henson is the third National Champion in this Hall of Fame class. Henson won the 118-pound NCAA Wrestling Championship in 1993 and 1994 and had an incredible 71-0 record in his two years at Clemson on the mats. Chris Patton did not win an NCAA Championship, but he is the only Clemson golfer to win the US Amateur. He also was the low amateur at the 1990 Master’s and won a record five tournaments as a Tiger between 1986-90.
Two former women athletes will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this fall. Jessica Barr was a first-team All-American for Jim Davis’s Lady Tigers in 1994. She was also the ACC Player of the Year and league’s top scorer that year. Ute Jamrozy was one of the top women’s track stars for Clemson in the 1980s. She finished fourth in the nation at the NCAA Cross country championship and fourth in the 10,000 meters at the outdoor championships in 1986.
Both Tigers Hope for 2-0 Starts Missouri and Clemson both are looking for a 2-0 start to the 2000 season. Both teams have struggled in recent years when it comes to the second game of the season, although both teams won their second game last year. Clemson defeated a top 20 Virginia team, while Missouri defeated Western Michigan.
But, over the last 29 years, Clemson is just 10-18-1 in the second game of the season, while Missouri is just 11-18. Clemson has been 2-0 just seven times in the last 29 years, while Missouri has done it just nine times. And that includes accomplishing that feat each of the last two years.
In recent years Clemson has not gotten off to a great start, yet has been resilient, making improvement over the course of the season. Clemson has been to a bowl game 16 of the last 23 seasons, yet has been 2-0 just four times in that era. Clemson had a 12-0 season in 1981 of course, and was 6-0 to start 1987. Clemson was last 2-0 in 1997. That year and 1991 were the only two seasons in the 1990s that Clemson started 2-0.
Missouri has been 2-0 each of the last two years, but those were the only seasons since 1987 that the Missouri Tigers were 2-0. Clemson had three straight 2-0 starts between 1987 and 1989, while Missouri had four straight 2-0 starts to seasons from 1979-82.
Clemson vs. Missouri Series Clemson holds a 2-1 advantage in the series with the Missouri Tigers. This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools, but the first time Missouri has come to Death Valley. The first game of the series was played in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL on January 1, 1949. The second game was played in Columbia, MO on September 30, 1950, and the third game was played just four years ago, on September 21, 1996 in Columbia, MO.
Missouri was a common opponent for two Clemson undefeated seasons within a three-year period, the only time in Clemson history that has been done. Clemson’s 1948 team completed an undefeated season with a 24-23 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl, and the 1950 team gained its second victory in a 9-0-1 season with a 34-0 triumph over Missouri.
According to famed play by play announcer Ted Husing, the 1949 Gator Bowl would be a battle of Bludgeoning vs. Fencing. Clemson’s Single Wing offense and unbalanced line attempted to drive the ball with precision power, while Missouri’s “new” T-Formation attact featured precision passing.
Clemson entered the 1949 Gator Bowl in hopes of closing a perfect season. Frank Howard opened up his offense a bit in this contest, throwing a season high 23 passes, all by Gage. Boosted by the support of over 16,000 Clemson fans, the Tigers took a 14-0 lead in the first period behind two Fred Cone rushing touchdowns. But, Missouri came right back behind quarterback Bus Entsminger who scored twice in the second period.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff of the second period and drove 80 yards for a score. Bobby Gage had two long runs in the drive and the Tigers were fortunate on one play. Gage threw a pass to John Poulos, who lateraled the ball to Mathews. Mathews fumbled the pitch, but it fell back in the arms of Poulos, allowing Clemson to keep possesion. Gage then threw a touchdown pass to Poulos and the Tigers had a 21-14 lead.
After a safety brought Missouri to within 21-16, the Clemson Tigers drove for a clinching drive. A Bobby Gage to Thompson pass for 12 yards on a third-and-seven from the Missouri 38 was a key play in the drive. The drive stalled on the Missouri 15. On fourth-and 10, Frank Howard called on Jack Miller to boot a 32-yard field goal. The boot, the only successful field goal of the entire 1948 season, was good with 8:40 left in the game.
Clemson held Missouri and got the ball back with over four minutes left. Thanks to the running of Fred Cone, the Tigers were able to run out the clock. The key play on the last possession was a fourth-and one from the Clemson 38. Cone gained three yards on the play that started with just a couple of minutes left, and Clemson could celebrate is first perfect season in 48 years.
Years later Howard would call that the most memorable play of his career. That’s right, a three-yard run up the middle was his most memorable play in 39 years of coaching.
Clemson was dominant offensively in the 1950 game at Missouri. The Tigers gained 420 yards on the ground in just 57 attempts. Clemson had three backs over 100 yards in the game, the second straight week it had happened. The Tigers have had three 100-yard rushers in the same game just four times in history. Jackie Calvert led the way with 175 yards, including an 81-yard run for a score on the first possession of the game. Ray Mathews added 120 yards, while Cone had 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Clemson scored in every quarter and held Missouri to 239 yards total offense. Clemson ended the game with 525 yards of total offense. Missouri was ranked 18th in the AP preseason poll that year. The victory moved Clemson from unranked to 18th the following week. Clemson ended the season ranked 10th in the final poll after a 15-14 win over Miami (FL) in the Orange Bowl.
Clemson’s 1996 team won seven games and advanced to a bowl game under Coach Tommy West, but a Missouri player named West (Devin), gave the Tigers problems that year, leading his team to a 38-24 victory. Missouri’s West rushed for 98 yards in just 13 attempts and a touchdown, leading the Missouri Tigers to 292 yards rushing and the 14-point victory. The rushing total was the most given up by Clemson in 11 years. West went on to become a first-team All-American in 1998. The 1996 victory over Clemson propelled Missouri to a pair of bowl seasons and 15 total wins in 1997 and 1998.
Missouri gained 445 yards of total offense against a Clemson defense that featured future first-round draft choices Trevor Pryce (Denver Broncos), Antwan Edwards (Green Bay Packers) and Anthony Simmons (Seattle Seahawks). Clemson also had then freshman Rahim Abdullah, a second rounds pick and current starter for the Cleveland Browns. Overall, that Clemson team had 11 players who would go on to play in the NFL.
The only current Tiger who played against Missouri in 1996 is Justin Watts, who was a first-year freshman wide receiver in that game. Clemson’s leading rusher that day was Raymond Priester, who gained 22-81 and scored the first touchdown of the game. Priester is back at Clemson working in the student-athlete enrichment program while he finishes his degree requirements.
Clemson was led through the air by Nealon Greene, who completed 11-18 passes for 160 and also rushed for 52 more, giving him 212 yards of total offense. Greene is now the starting quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
Both Coaches Got Head Coaching Start at Tulane There is a common school in the coaching history of both head coaches in Saturday’s game. Both Tommy Bowden and Larry Smith got their first Division I head coaching position at Tulane University. In fact, some of the accomplishments made by Bowden in 1997-98 were firsts for the Green Wave Program since Smith served there from 1976-79.
Smith, who is in his seventh year at Missouri, began his head coaching experience in Tulane in 1976. He led the Green Wave to a 9-3 record in 1979 and a berth in the Liberty Bowl, where they narrowly lost to a strong Penn State team, 9-6. Tommy Bowden made Tulane his first head coaching position in 1997, and he led the Green Wave to an 11-0 regular season and top 10 ranking in 1998. It was the most wins and first top 15 ranking for the Green Wave since 1979, when Smith was the head coach.
Smith was the Coach of the Year in the Big 12 in 1997 when he took the Tigers to an 8-4 record and a bowl bid. Bowden was the Coach of the Year in Conference USA at Tulane in 1998, then again at Clemson last year.
Clemson and Missouri Similarities While Clemson and Missouri are over 1000 miles apart they do have some items in common. And, we mean more than just the obvious Tigers nickname. Both programs have a stadium named Memorial, and both of those facilities have been involved in refurbishing projects. Missouri’s started in 1997 and included a new press box and the addition of brick and iron fencing around the outside. Clemson Memorial Stadium is in the middle of a multi-year refurbishing that includes the addition of a new brick and wrought iron fencing.
Both programs feature a legendary former head coach as the rock of its tradition. In fact, they were good friends. Frank Howard and Don Faurot met in the 1949 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, a 24-23 Clemson victory that Howard called among his most memorable games. In retirement they served as recruiters for the annual Blue-Gray College All-Star Game. Howard recruited for the South team and Faurot for the North. Ironically, they both died of congestive heart failure just three months apart.
Both coaches were actually involved in the laying of the original sod on the fields now named in their honor. Faurot was a Missouri graduate assistant coach in 1926 and helped lay the sod that is now Faurot Field. Howard supervised the laying of the sod at Death Valley in 1942.
There are many similarities from a historical standpoint, as the chart below shows. Clemson has 203 wins in its Memorial Stadium, while Missouri has 204. Clemson has been to 23 bowl games, Missouri to 21. Perhaps the most unusual bid of history involves each programs success in games played at Notre Dame, the winningest program in college history. Clemson is 1-0 in South Bend and Missouri is 2-0. Clemson and Missouri are the only two schools in Division I with winning records in Notre Dame Stadium against the Irish.
There are even similarities when it comes to academics. Both schools boast a #1 ranking academically. Clemson was recently named the #1 public University for 2000 by Time Magazine. Missouri was the top academic buy in the nation in 1999 by US News and World Report.
December 8, 2024
