Monday 10/08/2001
Oct. 8, 2001
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Game Five: Clemson at N.C. State Saturday, Oct. 13, 2001 12:00 Noon (EST) Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500) Raleigh, NC
In the Rankings Clemson – 16 AP, #18 USA Today/ESPN N.C. State – UnrankedTelevision: JP Play By Play: Steve Martin * Color: Doc Walker Sideline: Mike Hogewood
Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Network Play By Play: Jim Phillips * Color: Mike Eppley Sideline: Rodney Williams
Series History: Clemson leads 43-25-1 Tickets: Sold Out www.ClemsonTigers.com
Clemson at N.C. State The 21st Annual Textile Bowl Clemson and N.C. State will do battle in the 21st annual Textile Bowl when the two teams meet in Raleigh on October 13th. Clemson has a 14-6 advantage in the series since the game took on the Textile Bowl title in 1981, the year Clemson won the National Championship. The Textile Industry has a very important effect on the economy of North Carolina and South Carolina and the two schools competing in Saturday’s game.
Many of the Textile Bowl contests have been close, including each of the last four, which have been decided by a touchdown or less. Four years ago in Raleigh, Matt Padgett booted a 20-yard field goal with just 19 seconds left to give Clemson a 19-17 victory. The Tigers drove 78 yards in 14 plays to set up the winning score. Nealon Greene hit 20-32 passes for 250 yards and Tony Horne caught eight passes for 112 to key the Clemson offense. Raymond Priester added 89 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
In 1998 at Clemson, Torry Holt completed an incredible day with a nine-yard scoring pass from Jamie Barnette with just 37 seconds left. It was his fourth touchdown reception of the day.
In 1999, N.C. State, behind head coach Mike O’Cain, defeated Clemson 35-31 in an exciting contest in Raleigh that featured 35 first quarter points between the two teams combined. Clemson had five possessions in the fourth period with a chance to take the lead, but could not drive for a winning touchdown.
And, last year was a thriller that came down to the last possession before the Tigers came away with a 34-27 victory. A complete rundown of that game follows.
Another close game took place in 1993. Clemson held a 20-0 lead after three quarters thanks to an offense that gained 250 yards rushing, but had to hang on in the last minute to gain the victory. Tim Jones broke up each of the Wolfpack’s last two pass plays of the game at the Clemson goal line over the last 12 seconds of the contest to preserve the Tiger victory.
The last three games combined the two teams have combined for an average of 70.7 points a game. The point total for the last three games combined has been N.C. State 108 and Clemson 104.
Bowden and Amato Were on Same FSU Staff Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden and N.C. State Head Coach Chuck Amato were both on Bobby Bowden’s Florida State staff in 1982. That Florida State team finished 9-3, ranked 13th in the country and appeared in the Gator Bowl. Bowden was a part-time coach working with the receivers, while Amato was a fulltime coach in charge of the defensive line. Amato worked for Bobby Bowden from 1982-99 before becoming the head coach at N.C. State last year.
Both coaches have had success early in their respective head coaching careers. Bowden took Tulane to an undefeated 11-0 record in the regular season of 1998 and now has Clemson at 18-10 and ranked in the top 20 in the nation just 28 games into his career as Clemson’s head coach. Amato had N.C. State in a bowl game and an 8-4 record his first year, and he is now 11-5 as a head coach of the Pack.
O’Cain Faces Former Teams Next Two Weeks Current Clemson quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain will face a past employer each of the next two games. O’Cain, a 1977 Clemson graduate, served as head coach of N.C. State from 1993-99. He replaced Dick Sheridan at N.C. State in 1993 and took the Pack to an 8-4 record, including a Peach Bowl invitation. The next year he had the Pack at 9-3 in the regular season, including a victory over Clemson in Death Valley, the first Clemson graduate to defeat the Tigers. He and Lou Holtz are the only two coaches in N.C. State history to take the Pack to a bowl game in their first two years with the program.
His 1998 season included a win at Texas and a triumph over Florida State, one of just three league losses for the Seminoles since they joined the ACC in 1992. He took the pack to another bowl game in 1998, his third as head coach of the Pack.
Ironically, one of O’Cain’s top games as a player vs. Clemson came against N.C. State. In 1976, he rushed for 140 yards against the Pack, the Clemson quarterback rushing record for a game until 1994. As a Tiger he still ranks 14th in school history in passing efficiency.
In the 2000 season he served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at North Carolina. The Tigers will face the Tar Heels at Clemson on October 20th.
2000 Meeting at Clemson Clemson 34, N.C. State 27 While Clemson’s 34-27 win over N.C. State was a less than comfortable margin of victory, the win was significant in reestablishing the Tigers’ ability to win a tight game. Clemson (6-0) had lost 13 previous games that were decided by a touchdown or less. Trailing by seven points with 3:30 remaining in the game, N.C. State (4-1) had the ball on the Clemson 18, but the Tigers preserved the victory when a fourth-down pass by Philip Rivers was broken up by Charles Hafley in the endzone.
Philip Rivers threw for all three Wolfpack touchdowns. The freshman completed 21 of 48 passes for 370 yards, sixth most passing yards in history at Clemson at the time. A 52-yard reception by Bryan Peterson proved to be the shortest N.C. State touchdown of the game. Rivers also threw for scores of 81 and 63 yards. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 7-0 lead just over a minute into the game. Ray Robinson took a short pass from Rivers and won the 81-yard foot race into the endzone. It was the first time all season that Clemson trailed.
On Clemson’s next possession, the Tigers had a fourth-and-nine on the N.C. State 21, when Aaron Hunt lined up for the field goal. But, holder Jeff Scott took the snap and ran 9 yards for a first down. Woodrow Dantzler finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Clemson added another touchdown on its next possession as Dantzler hit Travis Zachery for a touchdown from 24 yards out. Then Dantzler added another score with 8:16 left in the half, giving Clemson a commanding 20-7 lead. N.C. State added two field goals in the second quarter, converting two Clemson miscues to make it a 20-13 game at intermission.
N.C. State was forced to punt from deep inside its own territory on the opening possession of the second half. Joe Don Reames returned the kick 12 yards. A personal foul on N.C. State put Clemson on the Wolfpack 17. Zachery made quick results, rushing for a four-yard touchdown. N.C. State responded quickly. Less than three minutes later Rivers found Peterson for a 52-yard touchdown pass that made the score 27-20.
On their opening possession of the fourth quarter the Tigers faced a fourth-and-two situation on the N.C. State 31. Leading by only a touchdown, Tommy Bowden elected to go for the first down. Zachery sustained the drive with a four-yard rush over right tackle. A 16 yard reception by Rod Gardner set up a five-yard Zachery touchdown. That score, his third of the day, tied Zachery for first on Clemson’s all-time touchdown list with Lester Brown (32).
The Wolfpack cut the deficit in half exactly one minute later when Rivers found Koren Robinson for a 63-yard touchdown completion. Clemson failed to extend its lead when the next drive ended with the block of a 35-yard Hunt field goal attempt. N.C. State marched the ball from their own 20 to the Clemson 18. Hafley deflected the last of three straight incompletions by Rivers as Clemson regained possession and preserved the win.
The game marked the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers have had two 100-yard rushers and one 100-yard receiver in the same game. Gardner had his best game of the season with 10 reception 137-yard effort. Both of those figures were just one unit off of his career high in each area. The Biletnikoff candidate also tallied 64 yards on kickoffs to give him 201 all-purpose yards. Zachery’s 147 rushing yards on 31 carries were both personal bests.
Dantzler completed his fourth straight 300-yard total offense, 100-yard rushing effort. He ran for 103 yards and threw for 220.
Tiger Veterans vs. N.C. State * Chad Carson had six tackles in 83 plays as a starter in the 1999 game at Raleigh and seven tackles in 71 snaps as a starter in 2000. * Woodrow Dantzler has started two games against N.C. State and has completed 41-71 passes for 504 yards and three touchdowns. He has 38-106 rushing in the two games, giving him 610 yards of total offense in two games against N.C. State. He had 220 passing and 103 rushing in last year’s Clemson win. * Nick Eason had one tackle in 50 snaps against N.C. State last year. * Charles Hafley had three tackles in 53 plays in 1999 and five tackles in 75 snaps in 2000. * Aaron Hunt was 4-5 on extra points and 0-1 on field goals against the Pack last year. * Brian Mance had two tackles in nine snaps and 1-14 on punt returns in 2000 vs. N.C. State. * Bryant McNeal had two tackles, including a sack in the win over N.C. State last year. * Braxton K. Williams had seven tackles in 81 snaps in 1999 and four tackles in 64 plays against N.C. State in 2000. * Travis Zachery had 14-47 rushing and 5-51 receiving vs. N.C. State in 1998. He had 18-82 rushing and 4-29 receiving in 1999, then had 31-147 and two scores in the 2000 game. The 147 yards rushing is the second highest total of his Clemson career.
Tigers win in Overtime Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 47-44 in overtime on Sept. 29, just the second time in history that Clemson has participated in an overtime game. Clemson is now 2-0 since the rule came into effect for the 1996 season. Clemson’s only other overtime game was a 29-20 victory over Duke in 1997. Clemson won by the odd margin when Rahim Abdullah returned an interception 63 yards for a score to end the game. The Tigers had scored three points on their offensive possession when David Richardson kicked a field goal.
Including the two overtime games, Clemson has now won four games in its history on the last play of the game. In addition to the Duke game listed above and Dantzler’s touchdown run to beat Tech, David Treadwell twice booted field goals on the last play of the game to give Clemson a victory. In 1985 he booted a 36-yard field goal on the last play to give Clemson a 20-17 win at Virginia Tech. Then, the following year he kicked a 46-yard field on the final play to give Clemson a 31-28 victory at Georgia.
Not included in the list are the heroics turned in by lineman Bob Patton in 1950. A top 20 Wake Forest team scored a touchdown with five seconds left to come within 13-12 of the Tigers at Winston-Salem. The two-point conversion rule was not in college football at the time, so Wake Forest attempted to kick the extra point and tie the game. Patton broke through the Wake Forest line and blocked the attempt, giving Clemson the victory. The clock ran out on the ensuing kickoff.
Clemson Victories on the last Play of the Game Year: Opponent, Score, Clinching Play 1985: Virginia Tech, 20-17, Treadwell 36-yard field goal 1986: Georgia, 31-28, Treadwell 46-yard field goal 1997: Duke, 29-20 (OT), Abdullah 63-yard interception return 2001: Georgia Tech, 47-44 (OT), Dantzler 11-yard run
Clemson Gains 500 Yards vs. #9 Georgia Tech Clemson had one of its top offensive games in the Tommy Bowden era in the 47-44 win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 29. The Tigers gained 502 yards of total offense, third highest figure under Bowden and second best in an ACC game.
It marked just the second time in Clemson history that the Tigers had at least 500 yards of total offense against a top 25 team. The only other occasion came in 1983 when Clemson had 544 yards against an 11th ranked Maryland team in a 52-27 Clemson victory.
It was a balanced attack for the Tigers, perhaps the most balanced in Clemson history for a 500-yard performance. Clemson had 248 rushing and 254 passing in the contest. It marked just the fourth game in Clemson history that Clemson had at least 240 yards rushing and passing in the same game.
It was also the third game under Tommy Bowden that the Tigers have had at least 500 yards of total offense. Clemson is now 39-0-1 in its history when gaining at least 500 yards of total offense. The only non-victory came in 1991 when Clemson gained 511 yards in a 20-20 tie with Virginia.
Win at Tech Was Landmark Victory Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark accomplishment in many ways. The Yellow Jackets were ranked ninth in the nation in the AP poll heading into the game. The victory was the highest ranked win on the road by a Clemson team in 20 years. The last one and the highest ranked win on an opponent’s home field took place in 1981 when Clemson won at eighth ranked North Carolina.
The win at Georgia Tech was more remarkable in that Clemson entered the game ranked 25th in the nation in the USA Today poll, unranked by AP. Clemson was ranked second in the nation when it won at North Carolina in 1981.
The win at Tech was the 17th in Clemson history over a top-25 team on the road. It was the first since 1997 when Clemson won at 25th ranked N.C. State and it was the first top-10 road win since 1992 when Clemson won at 10th ranked Virginia.
A road win over a top 25 team means a tombstone will be added to the entrance at the Clemson practice fields. A tombstone commemorating the victory is added each time Clemson gets a road win over a top 25 team.
Clemson Road Wins over Top 25 Teams
@Coaches poll ranking, # overtime
Clemson’s Highest Ranked Wins The win for over ninth ranked Georgia Tech was the highest-ranked Clemson win regardless of site since 1981 when Clemson defeated fourth-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, a 22-15 victory that gave Clemson the National Championship.
Regardless of site, Clemson now has nine wins over top 10 teams in its history, three in Death Valley. Clemson has now had 21 wins over top 25 teams since 1986 and has had at least one ranked win in 14 of the last 15 seasons (including this season). The Tigers defeated Virginia, 33-14, in 1999 when the Cavs were ranked 19th (USA Today), then downed a 25th ranked South Carolina team last year.
The win over Tech now assures that Tommy Bowden will have at least one ranked win in each of his first three years with the Tigers. The win over Tech was the fifth highest ranked win in school history.
Clemson’s Top 10 Victories
Dantzler Named National Player of the Week Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler was named National Player of the Week by USA Today.com for his performance against Georgia Tech. Dantzler gained 418 yards of total offense in Clemson’s 47-44 victory at Atlanta, 164 rushing and 254 passing. He ran for two scores and threw for two. His 11-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw on the last play of overtime gave the Tigers the victory.
It marked the first time a Clemson player had won the National Player of the Week from USA Today.com. Dantzler was also the ACC Player of the Week according to the site, the third time in three years he has won that honor. He was the ACC Player of the Week according to the site in 1999 for his 435-yard performance against Maryland, and in 2000 when he led the Tigers to a 62-9 win over Missouri.
Dantzler was named National Player of the Week in 2000 by cnnsi.com for his performance at Virginia. He had 220 yards rushing, an all-time ACC record for a quarterback, and 154 passing in Clemson’s 31-10 win over the Cavs.
Dantzler is the first Tiger in history to be named a National Player of the Week twice. A Clemson player has been named National Player of the week 10 times in history, including Dantzler’s performance at Tech. Here is a listing:
Clemson National Player of the Week Selections
Even Regis Watched! The last five minutes of regulation and the overtime period of Clemson’s victory at Georgia Tech on Sept. 29 were broadcast to most of the nation. ABC switched from the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game with five minutes left and at the conclusion of other contests that finished prior to the end of the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game. Most of the nation saw the Tigers win in overtime. That includes famed television personality Regis Philbin. The Notre Dame graduate and host of “Do You Want to be a Millionaire” and “Live with Regis and Kelly” said he was watching the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game when ABC switched, “to a great Southern football game between Clemson and Georgia Tech.” He made the comment on Monday during his “Live with Regis and Kelly,” program and was one of the millions who saw Woodrow Dantzler score the winning touchdown for the Tigers in overtime.
Offensive Line Has Best Game One of the reasons for Clemson’s success against Georgia Tech was the play of its offensive line. The veteran group includes three players who are graduates (Will Merritt, Kyle Young and T.J. Watkins) and two red-shirt juniors (Gary Byrd and Akil Smith). They combined to help the Tigers gain 502 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns and 47 points in the victory. It was the most points Clemson has scored against Georgia Tech since a 73-0 Tiger victory in 1903. John Heisman was Clemson’s coach in that game.
The starting offensive line combined for 68 knockdown blocks in the game, high total for the season. In fact, the total against Georgia Tech was 20 more than the previous best of 48 knockdowns for the starting offensive line against Central Florida.
Four different starters had double figures in knockdown blocks in the game. T.J. Watkins led the way with 19, while Akil Smith had 17, most ever for a Clemson tackle. Center Kyle Young had 14 and Gary Byrd added 11. Smith was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for the first time in his career. Will Merritt was the only Tiger who failed to reach double figures, but he had seven.
Watkins leads the way for the season with 52, while Young is second with 45. Young had 120 last year to lead the team. Byrd and Merritt are next this season with 37, while Smith has 34. Smith leads the team in intimidation blocks with nine.
Two Tigers Earn ACC Player of the Week Honors Two Clemson players, both on offense, earned ACC Player of the Week honors for the Georgia Tech game. Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler and offensive tackle Akil Smith were both singled out by the league for their play in Atlanta on Sept. 29.
Dantzler completed 18 of 32 passes for 254 yards and a pair of scores. He also rushed 25 times for 164 yards and two more scores. He threw a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1:58 left to give Clemson a three-point lead, then scored the winning touchdown on the last play in overtime on an 11-yard rush. His 418 yards of total offense rank as the second highest in Clemson history.
Smith played all 86 snaps on offense for the Tigers and had a 91 percent grade. He also contributed 17 knockdown blocks, including three intimidation blocks in helping the Clemson offense to 502 yards, second most in school history against a ranked opponent.
Bowden 7-1 Week After a Loss Clemson faced an uphill battle when it went to Georgia Tech. The Tigers were trying to defeat a top 10 team on the road after suffering a heart-breaking loss to Virginia with one second left. But, the Tigers have done well coming off a loss under Bowden. In his two and a half years as Clemson head coach the Tigers are now 7-1 in regular season games coming off a loss. The lone loss, and thus the only two-game losing streak of Bowden’s career came last year at Florida State. After a loss to Tech at Clemson, the Tigers dropped a 54-7 decision at Florida State. Clemson broke the streak against South Carolina. Bowden was 3-1 at Tulane coming off a loss. Thus, he is 10-2 in his head coaching career the week after a loss.
Leake Among National Leaders Clemson sophomore linebacker John Leake is among the national leaders in tackles according to the first round of NCAA defensive statistics released Oct. 1. Through games of Sept. 29, Leake ranked 11th in the nation in tackles with 13.5 per game. The native of Plano, TX had 54 tackles through the first four games, including 19 in the win at Georgia Tech. That was his career high and the most by a Clemson player in 2001.
Leake is tie for 11th in the nation with Auburn sophomore Dontarrious Thomas, who also had 54 through four games. Those two players lead all sophomores in the nation.
Leake would get some votes for most improved player in the nation if there was such an award. He did not play a single snap on defense as a first-year freshman, and made all nine of his tackles on special teams. Now he has played 229 plays through four games and ranks 11th in the nation and second in the ACC behind N.C. State’s Levar Fisher in tackles per game. Fisher, who led the nation last year, is currently third at 16.33 tackles per game. Hanik Milligan of Houston, a junior, leads the nation with an average of 21 tackles per game.
Hafley Leader of Clemson Secondary Clemson safety Charles Hafley ranked among the national leaders in three defensive categories through games of Sept. 29. The graduate student from Pompano Beach, FL had 34 solo tackles in the first four games of the season to rank 11th in the nation in solo tackles per game with an 8.5 figure. He ranked second in the ACC in the category. Hafley has two interceptions through four games and his 0.5 interceptions per game ranks 16th in the nation. Finally, Hafley is tied for 26th in passes defended per game. He had five passes broken up and two interceptions for seven total passes defended through the first four games of the season.
Hafley has 44 tackles through the four games, second on the Clemson team behind John Leake. He has had double figures in three consecutive games, including 15 in the loss to Virginia and 14 in the win over Georgia Tech. He has played more snaps than any other Tiger with 289.
Dantzler Sets ACC Rushing Record for QBs Woodrow Dantzler 11-yard scoring run on third down for the winning touchdown at Georgia Tech was big enough by itself. However, he also became the ACC’s career quarterback rushing leader in the process. The 11-yard run gave him 1943 career rushing yards, four more than former Duke quarterback Mike Dunn, who had 1939 between 1975-78. Dantzler’s total does not include bowl games. Soon Dantzler will become the 35th quarterback in NCAA history to go over the 2000-yard rushing mark. The only active quarterbacks in college football over the 2000-yard mark are Antwaan Randle El of Indiana and Eric Crouch of Nebraska. Both entered the year over 2000. In fact, Randle El is now over 3000 yards rushing. The NCAA career leader for yards rushing by a quarterback is Dee Dowis, who played for Air Force between 1986-89. He had 3612 career rushing yards.
Dantzler has averaged 63 yards a game on the ground over his career. If he continues that pace the rest of the season he would reach 2400 yards. Only 15 quarterbacks in NCAA history have reached that rushing plateau.
Dantzler also set a Clemson record in the Georgia Tech win. He accounted for four touchdowns in the game, two rushing and two passing, giving him 46 in terms of touchdown responsibility for his career. He broke the record of 44 that had been set by Steve Fuller from 1975-78. Dantzler now has 25 passing and 21 rushing in his career. He needs two rushing touchdowns to break Fuller’s record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
Dantzler Ranked Nationally in Many Areas Just as he did at this time last years, Woodrow Dantzler has shown his all-around abilities as a quarterback. That is reflected in the NCAA statistics. Dantzler ranks in the top 50 in the nation in rushing, passing efficiency, total offense and touchdown responsibility. He is currently fourth in the nation in total offense, 35th in passing efficiency, 20th in touchdown responsibility and 49th in rushing.
He ranked in the top 50 in the nation in all four categories last year through the first seven games of the season. Then, an injured suffered at North Carolina in the eighth came, limited his play. He still ended the 2000 season ranked in the top 50 in the nation in total offense and passing efficiency.
Dantzler’s all-around abilities are also reflected in the latest ACC stats. Through games of Sept. 29 he was third in the league in passing yards per game, first in total offense, fourth in rushing and fourth in passing efficiency. He was also seventh in scoring
Dantzler Nearing 4,000-2,000 Mark Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler enters the N.C. State game with 1,943 yards rushing and 4,140 yards passing in regular season games in his Clemson career. He needs 57 yards rushing to become the first ACC player in history to reach 2,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing in a career. ACC statistics do not include bowl games, thus the above qualifier. Including bowl games, Dantzler has 2,032 rushing and 4,325 passing in his four-year career.
So far this season, Dantzler has 332 yards rushing and 866 passing for 1,198 total, an average of 299.8 yards per game in total offense. He ranks first in the conference in total offense per game and is fourth in the nation in that category.
The graduate student has connected on 65.3 percent of his passes this year, a record pace, and is now at 57.6 percent for his career, also best in school history. Dantzler is now in the top four in Clemson history in every passing and total offense figure. He needs just 429 yards of total offense to become Clemson’s all-time leader.
Dantzler on Clemson career Records Lists Rank/Category/Figure Left for Record * 1st in quarterback rushing (2,032) has record * 1st in completion percentage (.56) has record * 1st in touchdown responsibility (46) has record * 2nd in total offense (6,357) 429 yards * 3rd in passing efficiency (128.1) 131.3 rating * 4th in interception avoidance (2.7 percent) 2.55 percent * 3rd in total plays (1,032) 127 plays * 2nd in completions (336) 122 completions * 4th in passing yards (4,325) 1,395 yards * 3rd in touchdown passes (25) 11 TD passes
Clemson Records Held by Dantzler (23) * Total offense in a season-2,899 (2000) * Completion percentage in career-.576 * Most total offense in a game-435 vs. Maryland, 1999 * Yards rushing by a quarterback in season-1,028 (2000) * Yards rushing by a quarterback in a game-220 vs. Virginia, 2000 * Yards rushing by a quarterback in a career-2,032 * 100-yard rushing games in season by a quarterback-4 (2000) * 100-yard rushing games by quarterback in career-7 * Most yards rushing in series of 3 games-520 (2000) * Most yards rushing in series of 4 games-623 (2000) * Most total offense/game in season-241.6 (2000) * Most total offense/game in career-205.1 * Most 200-yard total offense games in season-9 (2000) * Most 300-yard total offense games in career-8 * Most 100-yard rushing, 300-yard total offense games in a season-4 (2000) * Most 100-yard rushing, 300-yard total offense games in a career-7 * Most consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass-6 (2000) * Most consecutive games with 200 yards total offense-7 (2000) * Most touchdowns rushing and passing in a season-24 (2000) * Most touchdowns rushing and passing in a career-46 * Single game pass completion percentage-.941 vs. The Citadel, 2000 * Single game passing efficiency (Min 15 att)-247.2 vs. The Citadel, 2000 * Most total offense plays in season-434 (2000)
Zachery Nearing 2,000/1,000 Mark For the second straight year, Travis Zachery opened the regular season having to prove himself after suffering a painful injury in a bowl game. The Doak Walker Award candidate suffered a broken ankle on a 23-yard scoring reception from Woodrow Dantzler in the Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech and that kept him out of the rest of the game and Spring practice.
He proved that he is back to full strength against Virginia with a season high 87 yards rushing and 35 yards receiving for a total of 122 yards from scrimmage. He continued the all-around performances at Tech with 22-79 and three touchdowns rushing, plus another 46 yards on seven catches. Zachery tied a Clemson single game record for receptions by a running back. Dick Bukowsky had seven against Florida State in 1970.
Zachery scored three touchdowns at Tech, giving him 45 for his career, already a Clemson record. He has scored 39 touchdowns in his last 28 games. His three scores at Tech gave him eight for his career against the Yellow Jackets, including six at Grant Field in Atlanta. Zachery is from nearby Marietta, GA.
Zachery enters the N.C. State game with 2749 career rushing yards, fourth best in school history. He needs just 29 yards at N.C. State to surpass Terry Allen and move into third place on the Clemson career rushing list.
A case could be made that Zachery is the top all-around back in Clemson history. In addition to his 2,749 rushing yards, he now has 804 career reception yards on 79 receptions. No Clemson player in history has had 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same career. He is already the first Clemson player with more than 2,000 yards rushing and 800 yards receiving in a career. Zachery had 125 all-purpose yards at Georgia Tech and now has 3,829 for his career, second best in school history. Raymond Priester is the career leader in all-purpose running with 4,282.
December 8, 2024
