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Sept. 20, 2004

Bowden Bowl VI
When Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Clemson's Tommy Bowden take the field Saturday to coach their respective teams at Clemson Memorial Stadium, it will be the sixth competition of father and son in NCAA Division I history. The previous five occasions have taken place the last five years when the two teams met. Father has beaten son four of the previous five, but Tommy won last year by a 26-10 score. The average margin of victory for Bobby over Tommy is 34-21. Only the first game has been a close contest, as Florida State defeated Clemson 17-14 in Bowden Bowl I. Since then the closest margin has been 14 points.

Clemson has moved the ball against Florida State the last three years. The current senior class has seen the Tigers average 28 points, 443 yards total offense and 294 yards passing over the last three contests vs. Florida State.

• 1999--The first meeting in 1999 was a festive atmosphere at Clemson as a record 86,092 fans attended, a Death Valley record that still stands today. In addition to the hype concerning a father coaching against a son for the first time, Bobby Bowden was going for career victory number-300. He got it, but it was a struggle, as the Tigers fought the Seminoles to the wire before #1 ranked Florida State came away with a 17-14 victory. It was the closest victory for the Seminoles on the way to the 1999 National Championship. Clemson had two offensive touchdowns to Florida State's one and Florida State's 17 points were the fewest scored by the Seminoles that year.
• 2000--Florida State won the second meeting in 2000 in Tallahassee by a 54-7 count. Clemson entered the game with an 8-1 record and #10 national ranking, while Florida State was ranked fourth in the nation. It was just the third meeting of top 10 ACC teams in league history. Clemson was coming off a heart-breaking 31-28 loss to Georgia Tech the previous week, a game that Georgia Tech had won with a touchdown pass with just seven seconds left. (Georgia Tech beat Clemson in similar fashion this year on a touchdown pass with 11 seconds left). Florida State gained 771 yards of total offense, most ever against a Clemson team, including 521 passing, also a high against a Clemson team.
• 2001-- In a game at Death Valley, Clemson gained 463 yards of total offense against Florida State, its high total ever against the Seminoles, but still lost 41-27. The Tigers could not stop freshman quarterback Chris Rix and the Florida State passing game as the Seminoles threw for 369 yards and gained 557 overall. Woody Dantzler had 336 yards of total offense, but it was not enough as the Seminoles won for the sixth straight time in Death Valley.
• 2002--The last time the two teams met in Tallahassee, FSU came away with a 48-31 victory. It was the most points scored by Clemson in Tallahassee since its last victory in 1989. Clemson won the total offense war 441-386, as Willie Simmons had a career high 343 yards rushing and passing, the most total offense in history by a Clemson player against the Seminoles. J.J. McKelvey had five catches for 117 yards to key the Clemson offense. But, Florida State scored on a 97-yard kickoff return by Leon Washington and Greg Jones rushed for 165 yards and three scores to give Florida State its victory.
• 2003--Clemson finally defeated Bobby Bowden in Death Valley with a convincing 26-10 victory. It was just the second of what would be three losses for the Seminole in the 2003 season. Florida State was ranked third in the nation entering the game and it was the highest ranked team Clemson has beaten in history. Charlie Whitehurst threw for 272 yards to lead Clemson as Bobby Bowden suffered a loss on his birthday for the first time ever. It was the first loss for Bobby Bowden in Death Valley after six straight wins, the longest winning streak for any opposing coach in the facility.

The Clemson vs. Florida State games the last five years are not the only times Bowdens have been on opposite sides of the field. In 1991, Auburn, with assistant coach Tommy Bowden, faced Southern Mississippi, with assistant coach Jeff Bowden. Southern Mississippi upset Auburn that day. Jeff Bowden will also be at the scene this year also as he is Florida State's offensive coordinator.

Past Bowden Bowl Stats

Clemson-Florida State Series
Florida State holds a 14-3 advantage in the series with Clemson dating to a 38-13 Florida State win in Tallahassee in 1970. Clemson has three wins in the series, but two took place in Tallahassee, in 1976 by a 15-12 score and in 1989 by a 34-23 score. Clemson's only win in Death Valley took place last year, a 26-10 victory.
Florida State is 7-1 at Clemson and 7-2 at Florida State against the Tigers. Florida State had won 11 in a row prior to last year and all 11 had taken place since Florida State joined the ACC in 1992. Florida State has been ranked in the top 15 in the nation heading into all 13 games in the series since the Seminoles joined the ACC (including this year . Clemson, Virginia, NC State (three times) and North Carolina are the only league schools to beat Florida State since they joined the league for the 1992 season, a total of six losses.

In four straight meetings between 1988 and 1993 both Clemson and Florida State were ranked in the top 25. Both teams have been ranked in the top 25 of at least one poll in seven of the last 13 meetings, including 2001 when Clemson entered the game 24th in USA Today and Florida Sate was 14th in both polls. Clemson and Florida State were both ranked in the top 25 of the final AP and USA Today polls.

In 2000, in the game played in Tallahassee both were ranked in the top 10 of the AP, as Clemson was 10th and Florida State was fourth. That marked just the third time in ACC history that two league teams were ranked in the top 10 heading into a contest.

The three meetings between the two teams played between 1988 and 1992, were classics. In 1988, Florida State won at Clemson 24-21, thanks in part to the famous "puntrooskie play", a 78-yard run on a fake punt by Leroy Butler, and a 76-yard punt return by Deion Sanders, the only time a Chris Gardocki punt was returned for a touchdown in his Clemson career.

In 1989, Clemson defeated a Florida State team that ended the season ranked third in the final AP poll by a 34-23 score. That was the only loss by Florida State at home against a non-Florida team in a 17-year period. A pair of 73-yard plays were pivotal for Clemson in that game. The late Wayne Simmons ran 73 yards with an interception and Terry Allen ran 73 yards from scrimmage in the second period to give Clemson a 28-7 lead. Clemson was trying to run out the clock on Allen's run. Florida State scored in the last minute to close the gap to 11 points.

In 1992, before over 84,000 fans and a nationally televised audience at Clemson, fifth-ranked Florida State defeated 15th-ranked Clemson 24-20 in Death Valley. Florida State scored the winning TD in the final two minutes of the contest behind the passing of Charlie Ward. Clemson did pick off four passes in the game, including one that James Trapp returned for a touchdown. Trapp went on to play 10 years in the NFL and that play certainly made the NFL scouts take notice.

The 1997 game featured one of the greatest individual duals in the history of Death Valley. Tony Horne gained 267 all-purpose yards in the game, while Florida State's Peter Warrick had 372 for the Seminoles, including a 90-yard punt return and an 80-yard pass reception. Horne's all-purpose running total is the second highest in Clemson history, while Warrick's total is the most ever against Clemson.

The 1999 game was certainly a series highlight as it was the first father-son coaching matchup in NCAA history. Florida State claimed a 17-14 victory behind the passing of Chris Weinke and went on to win the national championship. It was the closest game the Seminoles had all season.

Last Year vs. Florida State
Clemson ended 14 years of frustration by defeating #3 Florida State 26-10 in front of 79,826 fans in Death Valley. The win over the third-ranked Seminoles was the highest-ranked victory in Clemson history. It also marked the first time since 1989 that Clemson defeated Florida State. The victory came just one week after Clemson had suffered a 45-17 loss at Wake Forest.

Several landmarks occurred in the 16-point victory for Clemson. For coach Tommy Bowden, it was his first win in five tries against father Bobby. He was doused with Gatorade by Kevin Youngblood and Khaleed Vaughn in the final moments of the win. Aaron Hunt became Clemson's all-time scoring leader with 302 points, breaking Nelson Welch's previous record of 301. Derrick Hamilton became the school's all-time all-purpose yardage leader with 4,412, breaking Travis Zachery's record. Charlie Whitehurst broke Woodrow Dantzler's single-season record for passing yards (2,682) with two regular season games remaining.

Clemson set the tone in the game's opening moments. On its first offensive possession, the Tigers moved 65 yards in 11 plays before Aaron Hunt connected on a 23-yard field goal. On Florida State's ensuing possession, Tye Hill notched his second interception of the season when he stepped in front of a long Chris Rix pass. The Tigers tacked on Hunt's second field goal minutes later, giving Clemson a 6-0 lead. Clemson got the ball back with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Whitehurst drove the Tigers from their own 35-yard line. The big play was a 51-yard hookup with Youngblood on third-and-10. Three plays later, Whitehurst rolled to the right and then scrambled back to the left for a one-yard touchdown run. His effort gave Clemson a 13-0 lead at halftime.

Florida State missed a field goal on its opening possession of the second half. Clemson took advantage by marching 63 yards in 11 plays. Hunt kicked his third field goal of the game from 32 yards away, giving Clemson a 16-0 cushion. The drive was set up by Whitehurst, who zipped a pass between three defenders as he was getting hit and found Curtis Baham for a 23-yard gain on third down.

The Seminoles responded with three points, as Xavier Beitia made a 46-yard field goal. However, Clemson put the game away on the next two drives. First, Whitehurst executed a beautiful pump-fake to the right before throwing left to a streaking Hamilton. His 58-yard touchdown catch gave Clemson a commanding 23-3 lead. Clemson kept the intensity up, as Leroy Hill intercepted a Rix pass four plays later. The ball was tipped by Khaleed Vaughn. On the next Seminole drive, David Dunham sacked Rix 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble. It was recovered by DeJuan Polk of Clemson. Hunt came on to nail his fourth field goal of the night, giving Clemson the 26-3 lead.

Florida State finally scored a touchdown in the final three minutes of the contest. Chauncey Stovall was able to get behind the Tiger secondary for a 71-yard touchdown, but it mattered little at that point of the game.

Whitehurst was outstanding in his first career start against Florida State. He finished 17-27 for 272 yards and one touchdown pass and he also rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Hamilton, who grabbed six balls for 123 yards and a touchdown. Hunt came into the game needing 14 points to set the school scoring record, and he did just that. He was 4-4 on field goals and 2-2 on extra points.

Defensively, the Tigers held Florida State to 11 rushing yards the entire game, the fewest total by Florida State in the Bobby Bowden era. Leroy Hill had 10 tackles and was named ACC Lineman-of-the-Week. Clemson also blitzed more than normal, and the result was 15 quarterback hurries in the contest. Five Tigers recorded tackles for loss, including two by freshman Gaines Adams. John Leake and David Dunham each recorded their first sacks of the year as well.

Tye Hill played well for Clemson, as he grabbed his second career interception and also had another pass breakup in earning ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week honors. Travis Pugh tied for the team lead in tackles with 10 from his free safety position.

Last Meeting at Tallahassee (2002)
Florida State 48, Clemson 31
Florida State Head Coach Bobby Bowden defeated his son and Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden for the fourth consecutive game as the Seminoles rolled to a 48-31 victory in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN on October 3rd, 2002 The 11th ranked Seminoles handed the Tigers their second defeat of the season and also their second defeat against a nationally ranked opponent.

Despite the loss, the Tigers made a significant improvement on their recent performances at Doak Campbell Stadium. Clemson had scored only one touchdown in five previous appearances in Tallahassee and averaged just two points per game in those contests. The Tigers dominated the game statistically in the first half and finished with 334 passing yards, more than 200 yards greater than the total reached by the Seminoles (114). Clemson averaged 7.2 yards per play, highest average in history in a Clemson loss.

In the end, however, the play of Florida State running back Greg Jones proved to be the difference in the game. The South Carolina native gained 165 yards rushing on 22 carries and scored three times. He also had a 64-yard run just before halftime that swayed the momentum in favor of the Seminoles. The run set up a with six seconds remaining that gave Florida State the lead for good. Clemson would close the gap to 35-31 in the third period, but could get no closer.

A host of Tigers led the team offensively in the losing effort. Willie Simmons had a tremendous performance, gaining 50 yards rushing while completing 17 of his 27 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns. It was his ability to run and pass in the first half that helped keep the Tigers in front for much of the first half. Derrick Hamilton had another all-around stellar performance as he racked up 248 all-purpose yards. J.J. McKelvey had over 100 yards receiving for the second straight game as he tallied 117 yards on five receptions.

Clemson suffered in the kicking game. The Tigers fumbled a kickoff return and a punt return and dropped the snap from center in a punt situation that gave Florida State the ball at the Clemson 18. Florida State drove from its territory for a touchdown just one time in the game. The Seminoles had 155 kickoff return yards in the game and won the turnover stat 4-0.

It was Rix who gave the Seminoles the lead on their first possession of the game. Following the fumbled punt snap by Wynn Kopp, Florida State took over at the Clemson 18. Three plays later, Rix took a one-yard plunge over the goal line that gave the Seminoles the lead. Two possessions later, Simmons and the Tiger offense capitalized on a big play by special teams.

After Hamilton returned Chance Gwaltney's punt 46 yards to the Seminoles' 39-yard line, Simmons took just two plays to connect with Airese Currie for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Stephen Furr's ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Tigers just inside Florida State territory, and five plays later, Yusef Kelly found the end zone on a two-yard touchdown run that gave Clemson a lead it would hold until the end of the first quarter. It marked the first time since 1979 that Clemson has successfully executed an onside kick.

Florida State retaliated in the first 10 seconds of the second quarter. Greg Jones rushed for a 20-yard touchdown run on the first play of the period that tied the game at 14. Clemson re-gained the lead 17-14 on Aaron Hunt's 20-yard field goal with 6:20 remaining before halftime, but immediately relinquished it when Leon Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers gained their final lead of the game with less than one minute remaining before halftime. Following a 59-yard completion to McKelvey, Simmons capped off a six-play, 86-yard drive when he found Hamilton in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass. On the Seminoles' first play of the ensuing possession, Jones took the handoff from Rix and rumbled 64 yards down the left sideline before being knocked out of bounds at the five-yard line. Rix's touchdown pass to Talman Gardner two plays later sealed the momentum-swinging effort.

Clemson-Florida State Connections
There are many connections between Clemson and Florida State in terms of coaching and administrative personnel:

• Clemson Assistant Head Coach and offensive line coach Brad Scott served as offensive coordinator of Florida State's National Championship team of 1993. He served as an assistant with the Florida State program from 1983-93, including the 1990-93 era when he was offensive coordinator. He has a master's degree from Florida State in athletic administration, a degree he earned in 1984. He was on the Florida State sideline in 1988 when the Seminoles executed the "Puntrooskie play".
• Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews served in the same capacity for Clemson between 1976-80 and held the assistant head coach title under Danny Ford in 1980.
• Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden was a graduate assistant at Florida State in 1978 and 1979, then served as tight ends coach of the Seminoles in 1981 and 1982.
• Clemson defensive backs coach Jack Hines was a graduate assistant at Florida State in 1985-86. He is married to Robyn Bowden, one of Bobby Bowden's daughters. Hines played for Bowden at West Virginia.
• Tommy Bowden's brother Jeff Bowden is the offensive coordinator for Florida State.
• Hootie Ingram, now retired and living in Alabama, was Clemson's head football coach from 1970-72, then served as Florida State's Athletic Director in the 1980s.

Tigers Face Top 15 Teams Next Two Weeks
Clemson could face a pair of top 12 teams over its next two games. In the Associated Press poll of September 19, Florida State is ranked 8th and Virginia, Clemson's opponent on October 7, is 12th. Florida State is 11th in USA Today and Virginia is 12th .

Clemson has not had to play consecutive games against top 12 opponents since the 1983 season when the Tigers defeated a 10th ranked North Carolina team 16-3 and an 11th ranked Maryland team, 52-27, in November. It could be the first time Clemson has played consecutive games against top 12 teams on the road since 1966 when Clemson played at #9 Georgia Tech and at #4 Alabama in consecutive non-conference games.

Clemson has had to play consecutive games against teams ranked in the top dozen in the nation just four times in its history. In addition to the 1983 listing, the other seasons were in 1966 (vs. #9 Georgia Tech and #4 Alabama), 1963 (vs. #4 Oklahoma and #9 Georgia Tech), and 1955 (vs. #2 Maryland and #12 Auburn). Clemson did not win any of those games.

Clemson's Highest Ranked Wins
When Clemson defeated third-ranked Florida State last year at Clemson it was the highest ranked team Clemson has beaten in its history. Clemson has 12 wins over top 10 teams in its history and three have been recorded by head coach Tommy Bowden. In addition to the win over Florida State, Clemson's win over sixth-ranked Tennessee in the 2004 Gator Bowl was the fourth highest ranked team Clemson has beaten. Bowden and the Tigers also won over a ninth-ranked Georgia Tech team in 2001. Thus, a win over #8 Florida State would be the sixth highest ranked team Clemson has defeated.

Prior to last year, the highest ranked teams Clemson had beaten were #4 ranked Georgia and #4 Nebraska, both in the 1981 season. Regardless of site, Clemson has 12 wins over top 10 teams in its history, four in Death Valley four on an opponent's home field and four at a neutral site (bowl game).

Clemson has had 25 wins over top 25 teams since 1986 and has had at least one ranked win in 15 of the last 17 seasons. That includes last year's three wins. Clemson enters this Florida State game with a three-game winning streak against top 25 teams.. This is the longest winning streak against ranked teams since the Tigers won three in a row between 1990-91. The record is five straight wins over ranked teams from 1988-89.

Prior to last year's win over Florida State, Clemson was 0-9 all-time in games against teams ranked in the top three in the nation.

Clemson's Highest Ranked Wins

#Overtime
Tommy Bowden coached wins in bold face.

Ranked Wins on the Road
Clemson has 53 wins over Associated Press top 25 teams over the years and 16 of them have taken place on an opponent's home field. The highest ranked team Clemson has beaten on its home field is a victory over an eighth-ranked North Carolina team in Chapel Hill in 1981, Clemson's national championship season. Thus, a victory on Saturday over #8 Florida State would tie for the highest ranked road win in Clemson history.

The second highest ranked road win is the 47-44 overtime victory against #9 Georgia Tech in 2001, a victory that was recorded under current head coach Tommy Bowden. To document such victories, Clemson has constructed a Graveyard at the entrance to the practice field and a tombstone has been erected for each victory over a ranked team on the road.

One of the 16 road wins over ranked teams took place at Florida State, a 34-23 win over a 16th ranked Seminole team in 1989. It was Florida State's last loss that season and the Seminoles ended the year third in the final AP poll. The win over Miami (FL) on January 1, 1951 was in the Orange Bowl, but it was still played on Miami's home field.

Clemson Ranked Road Wins

Bowden Comparison

• Florida State's record the two years prior to Bobby Bowden's arrival was 4-18. Tulane's record the two years prior to Tommy Bowden's arrival was 4-18.
• Bobby Bowden had Florida State in a bowl games and a top 15 final national ranking in his second year with the program. Tommy Bowden had Tulane and Clemson in a bowl game and a top 15 national ranking in his second year with each program.
• This is Bobby Bowden's 52nd season in coaching. This is Tommy Bowden's 27th year in coaching (graduate assistant, full time assistant or head coach).
• Both Bowden's had perfect seasons as head coaches in the 1990s. Bobby had an 11-0 season at Florida State in 1999 after Tommy had a perfect 11-0 regular season as head coach at Tulane.
• Tommy Bowden has a better record than Bobby Bowden at the 87-game mark of his Division I coaching career. Tommy is 57-30 for his first 87 games as a Division I head coach, while Bobby was 54-33 for his first 87 games. That includes his six years at West Virginia and his first year plus eight games at Florida State.

Here is a comparison of the Bowdens at similar stages of their careers:

Category	Tommy	Bobby
First seven full Seasons as D-I Head Coach	56-28 (.667)	47-32 (.595)
First 87 Games as a Division I Head Coach	57-30 (.655)	54-33 (.621)

Tigers From Florida
Clemson has 17 players on its roster from the state of Florida. That list includes starters Jamaal Fudge and Eric Sampson on defense and Duane Coleman, who was a starter last year, but has been injured much of this season, but is returning to health.

Jacksonville is the home of five current Tigers. In addition to Fudge and Sampson , Tavaghn Monts, Gerald McCloud and freshman Brandon Croley are all from the home of the Gator Bowl. Jacksonville has been good to Clemson as former Clemson All-Americans Rod Gardner and Brian Dawkins came to Clemson from that city. Both are now starters in the NFL. In fact, Dawkins is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Clemson Players From Florida

·Denotes starter

Currie Three Catches from 100
If Reggie Jackson was known as Mr. October then Clemson wide receiver Airese Currie could be known as Mr. September. For the second year in a row the Clemson senior is off to a great start. A year ago, Currie had 26 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns before the end of that month. He then suffered some injuries and had just 17 catches the rest of the season.

So far this year, Currie has 20 catches for 296 yards and a touchdown. Currie ranks 15th in the nation in receptions per game with a 6.67 figure, the highest average in the ACC, and is 17th in reception yards per game at 98.6, also first in the ACC. Currie had nine catches for 152 yards in the season opener against Wake Forest. The 152 receiving yards in that game rank in a tie for sixth best in school history and the 15th best single game performance in the nation so far this year. He continued his fine performance at Texas A&M with five catches for 64 yards.

In addition to his receiving accomplishments, Currie has been outstanding in terms of kickoff returns, averaging 37.3 yards per return. He is not ranked nationally because he does not have enough attempts.. He has 136.3 all-purpose yards per game, 30th best in the nation. Currie's strong start has him closing in on 100 career receptions and 1500 yards. He could eclipse both at Florida State, as he enters that game with 97 receptions for 1458 yards.When he reaches the 100 receptions mark he will become just the 11th Tiger in history to do so. When he reaches 1500 reception yards he will also be the 11th Tiger to reach that plateau.

The effect Tommy Bowden has had on the Clemson passing game is shown by the list of players below. Even though he is in just his sixth year as Clemson head coach, seven of the top 12 receivers in Clemson history have played under Bowden at some point in their career.

Clemson Career Reception Leaders

Clemson Career Reception Yardage Leaders

Ben Hall Has TD Catch in All Four Seasons
Clemson tight end Ben Hall had a 15-yard touchdown pass against Texas A&M, Clemson's only score of the game. It was the first touchdown catch of the year for Hall, but the sixth of his career. He had three touchdown receptions his first year (2001), one in 2002 and one in 2003. That means Hall now has at least one touchdown reception in each season he has been at Clemson. Hall is the first tight end in Clemson history to catch at least one touchdown pass in four consecutive seasons. Bennie Cunningham had at least one every year he played, but he did not appear in a game as a freshman in 1972, the first year freshmen were eligible.

Hall has three catches for 55 yards so far this season and now has 26 for 346 yards for his career, a 13.3 average. One of his top games as a Tiger took place at Florida State in 2002 when he had three catches for 69 yards, including a 41-yarder that set up a Tiger score. It is still the longest reception of his Clemson career.

Grant Exceeds 2003 Stats
Clemson sophomore Kelvin Grant is the second leading receiver on the Tiger squad with 14 catches for 157 yards. His 4.7 receptions per game rank third in the ACC. He was Clemson's top receiver at Texas A&M with seven receptions for 63 yards, a performance that came off a six-catch game against Georgia Tech. Grant has already exceeded his numbers from 2003 when he had 12 catches for 79 yards. He had 10 of those 12 catches over the last five games of the 2003 season, so he has 24 of his 26 career receptions over Clemson's last eight games.

Miller Ranks in Top 25 in Punt and Kickoff Returns
Clemson cornerback Justin Miller is one of the top return men in the nation. Through the first three games, Miller ranks 14th kickoff returns with a 27.3 average and 23rd in punt returns with a 12.7 figure. Miller and Adam Jones of West Virginia are the only two players in the nation ranked in the top 25 in both categories. Jones is 13th in kickoff returns and fourth in punt returns.

Miller already has a 69-yard punt return for a score this year, a return he made against Wake Forest on the last play of the first quarter. He ranks first in the ACC in kickoff returns and second in punt returns. Over his career, Miller has two punt returns for touchdowns and one kickoff return for a score. He joins Bobby Gage (1945-48) as the only players in Clemson history with at least one kickoff return and one punt return for a touchdown over their career.

Miller enters the FSU game ranked fifth in Clemson history in total kickoff return yards with 1064. He had 134 on four returns at Texas A&M to go over the 1000-yard mark in that category. He is first in school history in kickoff return average on a career basis with a 28.8 figure. That list requires a minimum of 20 attempts.

Clemson Career Leaders in Yards/Kickoff Return

Clemson Career Leaders in Career Kickoff Return Yards

Whitehurst, Rix Have Similar Stats
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and Florida State quarterback Chris Rix have both had a positive impact the recent history of their respective programs and have similar passing statistics. A look to the career record books of each school shows that both players rank second in career passing yardage at their respective schools. Rix has more yards, but has played an extra year and 13 more games as a starter. But, Whitehurst needs just 168 yards passing against Florida State to become Clemson's career leader in that category.

Whitehurst just set the Clemson career completion record last week and now has 471 as a Tiger, while Rix is tied for second in Florida State history with 529. Both are also second in their respective school's history in career touchdown passes.

Both are not off to starts that are in line with their career numbers, but both have had outstanding games against Saturday's opposition. As a freshman in 2001, Rix threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns at Death Valley in a 14-point Florida State win. A year ago, Whitehurst had 272 yards passing and 311 in total offense to lead Clemson to a 16-point win over the Seminoles.

Career Ranking Comparison of Chris Rix and Charlie Whitehurst

Fastest Football Players
Who is the fastest football player in the country. That is hard to say, but one means of evaluation is to look at the 100 meter track times of college track athletes who are also members of their track team. Based on that theory, Clemson has the two fastest football players in the nation.

During the 2004 track season, Airese Currie ran a 10.22 time in the 100 meters at the Clemson Orange & Purple Track Classic, the fastest time recorded in that event by a track athlete who also plays on his school's football team. Hill ran a 10.27 at the NCAA national meet for the second fastest time. Hill was the ACC 60 meter indoor champion and the 100-meter outdoor champion, the seventh sprinter in Clemson history to win both in the same year. One of the other former Tigers to do it is Shawn Crawford, a sprinter on the United States Olympic track team in 2004.

It is interesting to note that four of the top 12 players listed will be on the same field when Clemson plays Miami (FL) in the Orange Bowl on November 6, 2004.
Here is a list of the fastest college football players for 2004 based on 100 meter track times recorded in the spring of 2004:

Fastest College Football Players based on Track Times

Notes on Clemson's 2004 Schedule

• Clemson's fourth game of the year will be at Florida State. The Tigers defeated a sixth ranked Seminoles team at Clemson last season by a 26-10 score. Clemson has not won in Tallahassee since 1989.
• The Tigers will have October 2 open, then face Virginia in Charlottesville for a Thursday night game. It will be Clemson's third straight road game, the first time Clemson has played three straight road games since 1994. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN. Clemson defeated Virginia 30-27 in overtime last year and each of the last three meetings between the two schools have been decided by five points or less, including two on plays within the last five seconds.
• Clemson will return home on October 16 to face Utah State for the first time in history. It will be Clemson's first home game in 35 days. This is the longest stretch without a home game during the regular season since 1984. Utah State is a member of the Sun Belt Conference, the same league as 2003 Clemson opponent Middle Tennessee.
• Clemson concludes a three-game home stand with conference games against Maryland (October 23) and NC State (October 30), two teams that defeated the Tigers in 2003.
• The Tigers then will go back on the road to face first-year ACC school Miami (FL) in the Orange Bowl. Clemson has not played Miami (FL) since 1956, but the Tigers have played in their stadium. Clemson won the 1982 Orange Bowl, by a 22-15 score over Nebraska to win the 1981 National Championship at the Orange Bowl. It will be Clemson's first game in that facility since that triumph.
• Clemson and Miami (FL) have played five times in history, including two games in bowl games. All five games were played in the Frank Howard era at Clemson and all five were played in the state of Florida. Clemson defeated Miami (FL) 15-14 in the 1951 Orange Bowl. The following year Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 14-0 in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
• Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 21-0 in a regular season game at the Orange Bowl in 1956, the last time Clemson has played the Hurricanes. That game was a match-up of a 12th ranked Clemson team against an eighth ranked Miami (FL) team.
• Clemson finishes its road schedule at Duke. The Tigers have defeated the Blue Devils all five years Tommy Bowden has been the head coach at Clemson, but the last meeting in Durham was a close 34-31 Tiger victory.
• Clemson concludes the season against archrival South Carolina on November 20. The game will be played at Clemson. The Tigers have won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams overall and each of the last three played at Death Valley. The last South Carolina coach to win at Death Valley is current Clemson offensive coordinator Brad Scott, who led the Gamecocks to a 34-31 win at Clemson in 1996.

Clemson Record by Uniform
Clemson has used many uniform combinations over the last six years. Clemson has had a different combination for each game this year. Last year, the Tigers broke out purple jerseys for the Georgia Tech game in Atlanta on September 20 and the Tigers gained a 39-3 victory. It was the first time Clemson had worn purple jerseys since the 1991 season when Clemson wore them in a regular season game against NC State and for a bowl game against California.

Clemson has had seven jersey/pant combinations since Tommy Bowden came to Clemson. Clemson was in orange jersey and white pants for the opening win over Wake Forest, then all orange for the Georgia Tech game. Clemson had a white jersey and purple pants at Texas A&M.

Clemson Record by Uniform Combination Under Bowden

Whitehurst, Baham Offspring of NFL Players
Clemson has two players who are the offspring of NFL players. Curtis Baham, a wide receiver who has four caches for 48 yards so far this season, and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, both have NFL blood. Both are juniors on the current Clemson team.

Baham was injured much of the preseason, but is healthy now. Last year he was fourth on the team in receptions with 22 for 241 yards. He had at least one catch in each of the last eight games. Baham's father Curtis played in three games for the Seattle Seahawks in 1987. He was a star player at Tulane prior to his year in the NFL.

Whitehurst is the son of former Green Bay Packers quarterback David Whitehurst. The elder Whitehurst played seven years in the NFL. During that time he played in 54 games, completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 6205 yards and 28 scores. He was the Green Bay starter for most of the 1978 and 1979 seasons when he passed for over 2000 yards each season.

Clemson Has three of top 10 ACC Receivers
Clemson has three of the top 10 receivers in the ACC on a receptions per game and reception yardage basis. Airese Currie leads the ACC with 6.67 receptions per game and 98.7 yards per game. Kelvin Grant is third in receptions at 4.67 per game and seventh in yardage at 52.3 per game. Chansi Stuckey stands tied for eighth in catches per game at 3.67 and is eighth in yards per game at 51.7. The trio is a big reason Clemson stands first in the ACC in passing yards per game at 251.7, 25 yards per game more than any other team.

Quarterbacks Have Flourished under Bowden
Watching Charlie Whitehurst have an impact on the Clemson record book is no surprise. Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden has a history of developing outstanding quarterbacks since he became a head coach in 1997.

In his two years at Tulane, he guided Shawn King to many school and national records. In fact, in 1998, King led the nation with a passing efficiency rating of 183.3. That year he completed 223-328 passes for 3232 yards, 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions. That 183.3 rating remains the all-time NCAA record for passing efficiency rating over the course of a season.

One of the players Bowden recruited before he left Tulane was current Washington Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey played at Tulane through the 2001 season and is now the starting signal caller for the Washington Redskins. Ironically, one of his top receivers is former Tiger Rod Gardner.

Since Bowden has been at Clemson, 57 Clemson passing records have been set or tied. Brandon Streeter set the Clemson single season completion percentage in 1999 when he connected on 63.1 percent of his passes. In 2001, Woodrow Dantzler became the first player in college football history to pass for 2000 yards and rush for 1000 in the same season. Whitehurst owns 33 Clemson passing records and needs just 168 yards passing at Florida State to establish another, most yards passing in a career.

Bring a Pillow
Clemson's games so far in 2004 have lasted nearly four hours. The double overtime victory against Wake Forest took 3:58, and the Georgia Tech game took 3:48. The Wake Forest game ranks as the second longest in Clemson history in terms of clock time and the longest in terms of overtime periods. Clemson's three previous overtime games were just one period.

The longest game in Clemson history was the victory over Tennessee in the 2004 Peach Bowl, a game that last four hours and five minutes. Of course there was a 27-minute halftime that contributed to the record length. There was a Maryland game that took 3:50 in 1992 in College Park. Those are the only games longer than last Saturday's night's game with Georgia Tech that took 3:48.

Thus, three of the four longest games in Clemson history have been Clemson's last three games.

Clemson's Longest Games in terms of Real Time

#at Peach Bowl, $Humanitarian Bowl

Leroy Hill Leads the Defense
Leroy Hill had an All-America quality 2003 season when he had 145 tackles, including 27 tackles for loss, second in the nation. He has picked up where he left off with 29 tackles over the first three games, including seven behind the line of scrimmage, three of which have been sacks. That is an average of 9.7 tackles, 2.3 tackles for loss per game and 1 sacks per game. In 2003 he averaged 11.1 tackles per game, 2.08 tackles for loss per game and 0.6 sacks per game. In other words, he is playing at the same level or better this year.

For his career, Hill now has 234 tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback sacks. He has done this even though he has started just 16 games in his Clemson career. Over his first two years, he played just 182 snaps from scrimmage. He had 14 tackles against Georgia Tech. Despite the loss, he was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

During the preseason, Hill was named to the Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski Award lists, one of 16 players nationally to appear on all three lists. The only other ACC player on all three is Pat Thomas of NC State.

The 16 Players on Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski Preseason Lists:
Brian Atkinson, Northern Illinois
Andy Avalos, Boise State
Michael Broley, Southern Miss
Nick Bunting, Tulsa
Channing Crowder, Florida
Will Derting, Washington State
Spencer Havner, UCLA
Leroy Hill, Clemson
Derrick Johnson, Texas
James Kinney, Missouri
Kirk Morrison, San Diego State
Robert Rodriquez, UTEP
Pat Thomas, NC State
Rian Wallace, Temple
Zac Woodfin, UAB
Pierre Woods, Michigan

First Two Games Have Been Thrillers
Clemson's opening two games of the season have been thrillers, a 37-30 overtime victory against Wake Forest, and a 28-24 loss to Georgia Tech. Tech scored the winning touchdown with just 11 seconds left.

This is the first time since 1986 that each of the first two games of the season have been decided by seven points or less, never mind being decided within the last minute of the game. In 1986, Clemson lost to Virginia Tech in the opener, 20-14, then defeated Georgia in Athens 31-28 on a 46-yard field goal by David Treadwell on the last play of the game.

Overall, this is just the 12th time in Clemson history the first two games have been decided by a touchdown or less. A close game at Texas A&M would create a first because Clemson has never had the first three games of the year decided by seven points or less. The 1958 season came close, as the Tigers beat Virginia in the opener by 20-15, then stopped North Carolina 26-21 before defeating Maryland 8-0 in the third game of the year.

Clemson actually won the fourth game that year 12-7, giving Frank Howard's team four wins by eight points or less to open the season. That team won six games by eight or less on the way to an 8-3 record and#12 final ranking in the AP poll. The only loss that year by eight points or less was to #1 ranked LSU by a 7-0 score in Clemson's only Sugar Bowl appearance in history.

You can see by the following Chart that the first two games have been close in many areas:

Stat Comparison First Two Games of the Season

Whitehurst Leads ACC in Passing Yards
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst leads the ACC in passing yardage per game and total offense per game in the young season. He has averaged a league best 251.7 in terms of passing yardage and 251.3 in terms of total offense.

Whitehurst threw for 275 yards in Clemson's loss to Georgia Tech after recording 288 in the opener against Wake Forest. He had 192 passing yards at Texas A&M breaking his streak of eight straight games with at least 200 yards passing. In fact, his streak was eight straight with at least 246 yards through the air. He has thrown for at least 246 yards in 17 of his 21 games as a starter. Whitehurst is now 13-8 as a starter in his Clemson career, 8-3 at home, 4-4 on the road and 1-1 at neutral site.

Whitehurst Moving up Career Marks
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst became Clemson's career leader in completions in the Texas A&M game. He had 20 completions in that contest (third consecutive game with exactly 20) and now has 471 for his career. He needs just 168 passing yards at Florida State to become Clemson's career leader in that category. He now has 5870 and the record is 6037 by Woody Dantzler. His touchdown pass total of 35 is now tied for second in school history and seven away from breaking Dantzler's mark in that category. Not bad for just 25 total games played, 21 as a starter.

Whitehurst owns 33 Clemson records. He had the mark for passing efficiency entering this season, but his128.46 career figure through three games is now fourth . Dantzler has the record at 132.46, so another good game or two should move Whitehurst back to the top. He still has the record for completion percentage at 59., ahead of Dantzler's 57.8.

Whitehurst is fourth in school history in terms of total offense with 5898, trailing only Dantzler (8798), Greene (6786) and Steve Fuller (6096).

Clemson Career Leaders in Completion Percentage
(Minimum of 150 attempts)

Clemson Career Passing Efficiency Leaders
(Minimum of 100 attempts)

Clemson Career Leaders in Completions
(Minimum of 150 attempts)

Clemson Career Leaders in Passing Yardage
(Minimum of 150 attempts)

Charlie Whitehurst Career Quarterback Rankings

Bowdens Among Winningest Active Coaches
Both coaches in Saturday game in Tallahassee rank among the top 15 winningest active coaches on a percentage basis. Of course Bobby Bowden is the game's winningest in terms of total victories, but his son Tommy is on the list on a percentage basis.

Winningest Active Coaches, Percentage Basis
(Minimum 5 years experience)

Merriweather, Browning Gain Long Runs
Tommy Bowden has been looking for a breakaway running back since he became the Clemson coach in 1999. In his first three years, Travis Zachery was the leader and had 1027 yards in 2000. Zachery went on to become Clemson's career leader in all-purpose yardage, a record that was broken by Derrick Hamilton in 2003. But Zachery's longest career run was just 52 yards.

Entering the Georgia Tech game , a Clemson running back had just three runs of 50 yards or more under Tommy Bowden, two 52-yard runs by Zachery, and a 50-yard run by Duane Coleman last year against North Carolina. Coleman suffered a broken foot in the preseason (August 10) and has not played yet this year. In the first game of this year, Clemson's longest run by a running back was just 12 yards.

But, that changed against Georgia Tech when running backs Reggie Merriweather and Kyle Browning both had runs of 54 yards or more. Merriweather had a 62-yard run with 8:19 left, then Browning had a 54-yard run with 3:18 remaining. So, Bowden went over five years without a run of more than 52 yards by a running back, then had two five minutes apart.

Merriweather's run was the longest by a Clemson running back since the final game of the 1996 season when Raymond Priester had a 65-yard touchdown run against South Carolina in Death Valley. Browning and Merriweather combined for 170 yards in just 13 carries, a 13.1 average against Georgia Tech. They had 15-79 at Texas A&M. Yusef Kelly, the starter in the first two games, was suspended for the Texas A&M game, but will be back this week.

For the season, Browning and Merriweather have 28 carries for 249 yards, an 8.8 average.

Tigers Will Do Plenty of Traveling in 2004
Clemson will have a difficult road schedule this year in terms of competition and in terms of distance. Three of Clemson's five road games (Florida State, Virginia, Miami (FL) are against teams currently in the top 20 in the nation according to both polls. The Tigers also travel to Texas A&M and Duke. If Florida State, Virginia and Miami (FL) hold their rankings it would mark the first time since 1966 that Clemson has played three top 20 teams on the road in the same year. That year Frank Howard's team played Georgia Tech, Alabama and Southern Cal, all top 10 teams, on the road.

The 2004 schedule will also be challenging in terms of travel distance. Clemson will travel 2,857 miles for its five road games this year, an average of 571 miles per game. This is the third longest average road trip season, excluding the two years Clemson played in Tokyo (1982 and 1991). The record was set in 1951 when Frank Howard's team traveled 3990 miles for five games, 798 miles per game.

Clemson does not play a home game between September 12 and October 15, a stretch of 34 straight days without a game in Death Valley. This is the longest stretch without a home game for the Tigers since 1984 when Clemson went from September 2 until October 5 without a home game.

The stretch of consecutive road games at Texas A&M, Florida State and Virginia marks the first time since 1994 that Clemson has played three straight games on the road.

Road Warriors

Chason Continues Strong Punting
Punter Cole Chason finished the 2003 season on a high note. He was Clemson's top special teams player in the victory over Tennessee when he out-punted Volunteers All-American Dustin Colquitt. Chason had a 42-yard average on five punts and allowed just five total punt return yards, while Colquitt's net average was 30 yards a boot.

Chason has continued to punt well this season and has a 41.8 average, including a 35.1 net figure. He had a punt killed inside the five against Georgia Tech and has had just one touchback in his 11 punts so far this season. He had a season high 43.1 average at Texas A&M on seven punts, including three inside the 20. He had a career best 52-yard punt to the one in the third period.

Clemson Opens Season with Overtime Victory vs. Wake Forest
Kyle Browning scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Whitehurst and the Tiger defense held Wake Forest scoreless in the bottom of the second overtime period, and Clemson went on to a 37-30 victory over Wake Forest at Death Valley last Saturday. The victory offset Wake Forest's 45-17 win over the Tigers in 2003, the last time Clemson has lost a football game.

Clemson had forced the overtime period when Yusef Kelly culminated a 78-yard, 11-play drive with just 1:48 remaining on a one-yard scoring run. A two-point conversion pass from Whitehurst to sophomore Kelvin Grant tied the score at 27-27.

Clemson had jumped out to a 19-3 lead with just 20 minutes gone in the game. Airese Currie, who had a career high 152 receiving yards, scored on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Whitehurst, then Justin Miller scored on a 69-yard punt return on the last play of the first period. Chansi Stuckey then blocked a Wake Forest punt through the endzone to give Clemson a 16-3 lead, then Stephen Furr booted his first career field goal from 42 yards out, a kick that hit the left goalpost and bounced through.

Wake Forest then went on a 24-0 run behind the play of wide receiver Jason Anderson and running back Chris Barclay. Anderson scored on an 85-yard touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Ben Mauk, tied for the longest touchdown pass in Wake Forest history (ironically, the only other 85-yarder also took place against Clemson in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan).

Barclay continued to be a thorn in Clemson's side as the junior gained 179 yards on the ground for the game, his second +160-yard game against Clemson in as many years. His 50-yard run put Wake Forest up 27-19 with 12:20 left. Wake Forest then held Clemson on the next drive. So, the Demon Deacons had an eight-point lead with the ball with seven minutes left. But, Whitehurst led the Tigers back by going 3-4 for 43 yards on the game-tying drive.

Whitehurst was 20-41 for 288 yards and two touchdowns for the afternoon. He also had 15 yards rushing to give him 303 yards of total offense on the day. Airese Currie was the top receiver with nine catches for 152 yards, while Chansi Stuckey added 8-112. Yusef Kelly led the rushers with 19-57 and a touchdown.
The defense was led by Justin Miller and Leroy Hill with nine tackles apiece. Tye Hill added two pass deflections in the secondary, while Miller had the only takeaway with a fumble recovery.

Clemson was out-gained 410-371 and committed three turnovers to just one by Wake Forest. But, the Tigers won the special teams in just about every area. Furr made two field goals in his first kicking assignment in Death Valley, including a 23-yard field goal in the overtime that tied the game. Miller scored on a 69-yard punt return and also had 47 yards on two kickoff returns. Cole Chason added a 40.6 punting average and Clemson's coverage unit allowed just 19 punt return yards in four attempts.

Tigers 4-0 in Overtime
Clemson increased its all-time perfect record in overtime games to 4-0 with its 37-30 win over Wake Forest in the season opener. The Tigers are now one of four Division I schools with a perfect overtime record, given a minimum of four overtime games. Brigham Young, Louisiana-Monroe and Ohio State are also 4-0 in overtime games since the rule was put into effect in 1996. Ball State, Nebraska, Northern Illinois and South Florida are all 3-0 and could join the previous group with an overtime victory this year.

Clemson's win over Wake Forest in the opener was a double overtime affair, the first time Clemson has had to go a second "extra inning" to claim an overtime win. Both Clemson and Wake Forest kicked field goals in the first period, then Clemson scored a touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst to Kyle Browning. Wake Forest could not get a first down on its possession and when a fourth down pass fell incomplete, Clemson had the victory.

Clemson's defense has been outstanding in Clemson's four overtime games. In fact, the Tigers have yielded just nine points on three field goals and the opposition has not recorded a first down in five possessions. Tommy Bowden is now 3-0 in overtime games at Clemson and in his coaching career.

There is something about overtime and Clemson athletics. The Clemson basketball team has a 45-32 record in overtime games since the ACC started in 1953-54, second best among league schools in overtime winning percentage.

Clemson in Overtime (4-0)

Currie, Stuckey both over 100 Receiving Yards
Clemson had a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game for just the third time in history when the Tigers defeated Wake Forest in the season opener. Airese Currie had nine receptions for 152 yards and teammate Chansi Stuckey added eight for 112 yards, giving the duo 17 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown. It was the most receiving yards for a wide receiver duo in Clemson history.

Currie's 152 receiving yards were a career high and rank in a tie for sixth best in Clemson history. Rod Gardner holds the record with a 182 receiving yards at North Carolina in 2000, while Derrick Hamilton's 175 receiving yards at Maryland last year is second. Jerry Butler had a 163-yard receiving game at Georgia Tech in 1977 and Terry Smith had 156 receiving yards at Florida State in 1993. Those are the only five games better than Currie's performance last Saturday.
Currie's total was also the most ever for a Clemson player in a season opener.

The first time Clemson had a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game took place in 1998 against NC State in Death Valley. Brian Wofford had 128 yards and Mal Lawyer added 100 receiving yards in Clemson's 46-39 loss to the Wolfpack. Ironically, Wofford had nine catches and Lawyer had eight, the same numbers for Currie and Stuckey, respectively against Wake Forest.

The only other time Clemson has had a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game was at Duke in 2002, Charlie Whitehurst's first start at quarterback for the Tigers. That day, J.J. McKelvey had 10-103 and Derrick Hamilton had 7-101 in a 34-31 Clemson victory.

Clemson Single Game Receiving yardage Bests

Stuckey's All-Around Performance
"He runs, he throws, he catches, he blocks, he hustles, he blocks punts and none of the 79,500 at Death Valley on Saturday would be surprised if he handled ticket distribution, ordered concessions and oversaw blowing up the orange balloons for the pregame ceremonies. His name is Chansi Stuckey, and if he didn't deliver the most spectacular debut in Clemson history, he surely came close."

Those were the words of Bob Spear, Columnist for The State Newspaper in Columbia, SC on Sunday, September, 5, 2004. When Chansi Stuckey goes to position meetings each day, he attends those gathers in the Banks McFadden Building. The building is named in honor of Clemson's greatest athlete of the 20th Century, Banks McFadden. McFadden was an All-American in football and basketball for the Tigers in 1939 and was named the Nation's Most Versatile Athlete. On the gridiron, McFadden did everything possible, as he went both ways as a single wing tailback and a standout defensive back. He was known for his passing and running skills on offense, but when Clemson defeated Boston College in the 1940 Cotton Bowl, McFadden had four pass deflections in the second half to lead Clemson to a 6-3 victory.

Stuckey was named the Chevrolet Player of the Game by ABC Sports in Clemson's win over Wake Forest. He might have had the best game by a Clemson football player in so many areas since McFadden played for the Tigers. Making his first career start at wide receiver, Stuckey had eight receptions for 112 yards. It was the first time a Clemson receiver had a 100-yard receiving game in his first career start since 1979 when Perry Tuttle had 145 yards in a victory over Furman in his first career start. His performance included two catches for 35 yards on Clemson's game tying touchdown in the fourth period that sent the game into overtime. Stuckey also threw a pass on an end-around, a play that resulted in a pass interference call in the end zone. He had four rushes for 10 yards, including a 14-yarder that was Clemson's long rush of the day. He even took a couple of snaps at quarterback in a shotgun formation.

On special teams, Stuckey had a blocked punt that resulted in a safety in the second period. He also had a key block on Justin Miller's 69-yard punt return for a touchdown. That might have been the all-time hustle play in Clemson history. Stuckey lined up at the line of scrimmage on the right end and rushed the punter. His dive in front of the punter's foot was just a few inches from a block. He then reversed his field and ran to the 48-yard line in front of the Clemson bench, where he threw a key block on Miller's run to a score.

Pickens Makes First Career Appearance
Clemson senior offensive tackle Jesse Pickens was one of seven Clemson players who made their first career starts in the win over Wake Forest. It was quite a start for Pickens, who had never appeared in a game for the Tigers. In fact, he had played just 20 snaps in his high school career at Spartanburg High. Pickens played 76 snaps and graded 77 percent for the game. He had another 77 percent grade on 66 snaps against Georgia Tech.

Marion Dukes, Clemson's other starting tackle, also made his first career start and played 76 snaps against Wake Forest. He earned a 77 percent grade from the coaches and had four knockdown blocks. Chansi Stuckey was the third offensive player making his first career start. His accomplishments in the Wake Forest game have already been documented.

Four players on defense made their first career start. The list included Charles Bennett (DE), Eric Coleman (DT), Trey Tate (DT) and Anthony Waters (LB). The four players combined for 17 tackles.

Clemson 15th in Associated Press Preseason Poll
Clemson was ranked 15th in the nation in the Associated Press preseason college football poll. Clemson was one of five ACC teams ranked in the top 25 by the poll.

Florida State was the highest ranked ACC team with a number-five rating, while new ACC member Miami (FL) was sixth. Clemson must play both of those teams on the road this year. Clemson was the third highest rated ACC team with its #15 rating, and was followed by Virginia at 16 and Maryland at 22. In July, Clemson was ranked 16th in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coach's poll.

This is the 19th season Clemson has been ranked in the AP preseason poll, the first time since 2001 when the Tigers were 18th. The number-15 ranking is Clemson's highest in a preseason poll since 1992 when the Tigers were 13th. Clemson's highest preseason ranking in history is #4 in 1988 and 1984.

Clemson has been ranked in the preseason 18 times prior to this year and has gone on to finish in the top 25 in 11 of those seasons. Once, in 1989, Clemson was ranked the same in the preseason and in the final poll (12th).

This is the third time under Tommy Bowden that Clemson has been ranked in the preseason of the Associated Press poll. The other years were 2000 (17th) and 2001 (18th). Clemson finished the 2003 season ranked 22nd in the final poll after it was unranked in the preseason. Clemson was not ranked in the top 25 in the preseason of 1981, the year Clemson went on to win the national championship.

Browning Productive
During his talk to the Clemson team the night before the Clemson vs. Wake Forest game, head coach Tommy Bowden encouraged all his players to be ready to make a game winning play on Saturday afternoon. He then singled out one player. "Kyle Browning, be ready, you could be the one who wins the game for us on Saturday."

Bowden became a profit that Saturday. Of course he had final veto power on play calling, so it might have been a little more than a coincidence, but it was Browning who scored the game winner on an 11-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst in the second overtime period to give Clemson a 37-30 victory over Wake Forest.

Browning played 18 snaps in the contest, but touched the ball just twice, both on pass receptions. It was the second consecutive game that the 5-7 172-pound junior had scored a touchdown in limited duty. In the Peach Bowl victory over Tennessee he played just one snap on offense, but scored on an eight-yard run on a "Panther Play", a rooskie in which he took the ball between his legs from Charlie Whitehurst and raced to the left untouched to the endzone, while the entire line and Whitehurst ran to the right.

Browning continued his fine production with 80 yards in five carries against Georgia Tech, including a 54-yard scoring run, the longest run of his career.
Browning was Clemson's third leading rusher last year with 152 yards on 29 carries and his 5.2 average led the team. He started two games last year, Middle Tennessee and Georgia Tech, and had 15 carries for 85 yards in the two games combined. Clemson scored 75 points in the two victories. He had 4-32 rushing against Georgia Tech in last year's 39-3 Clemson victory.

Eight Sets of Same Names
There are eight sets of players with the same last name on the Clemson football team, but only one combination are brothers. Maurice Nelson (#42) and Roosevelt Nelson (#49) are brothers from Rembert, SC and Crestwood High School. Maurice is a red-shirt freshman and Roosevelt is a red-shirt junior.

Three name combinations are starters, or could be once Duane Coleman returns from injury. The starting combinations are the Hills (Leroy and Tye, who both start on defense), the Bennetts (Charles, starting DE and Nathan, starting guard), and the Colemans (Eric, starting defensive tackle and Duane, starting tailback when healthy).

There are two unrelated Frys who play on the offensive line, Roman and Dustin, who are both currently second team. Yusef Kelly is the starting tailback and Aaron Kelly is a freshman receiver, while Lionel Richardson is a reserve linebacker and Barry Richardson is a reserve offensive tackle. Both played against Wake Forest. Finally, Robert Reese is a reserve defensive back and Tribble Reese is a reserve freshman quarterback.

Williamson throwback Player
Players haven't gone both ways in college football on a consistent basis since the 1963 season. But, Clemson junior Bobby Williamson is one of those "throw back players" and played on both sides of the ball in the win over Wake Forest.

The 250-pounder from Tarpon Springs, FL played seven snaps at tight end and 15 snaps at defensive end in the first game of the season. It is believed to be the first time a player has played at least seven snaps on both sides of the ball in the same game since the 1960s. Williamson had an 86 percent blocking grade and one knockdown block from his tight end position. He did not have a tackle on defense for his 15 plays.

In the second game, Williamson played only on defense for 22 snaps, and had his first career sack, a 16-yarder against Reggie Ball. He had three total tackles.
Williamson had been strictly a tight end in his first three years at Clemson. He played 24 games out of 26 possible contests at tight end in 2002 and 2003. In fact, he started 11 of the 13 games last year and had 12 catches for 205 yards, first among Clemson tight ends. He had five receptions at NC State, most by a Clemson tight end in a single game since 1975.

Tigers in the NFL
According to rosters released on September 5, 15 former Tigers are NFL rosters heading into the first week of play. The list includes rookies and 2003 Clemson team members Derrick Hamilton of the San Francisco 49ers and Gregory Walker of the New York Giants. Walker is the only player in Clemson history to play in 50 games and Hamilton left Clemson as the school's all-time leader in receptions and all-purpose running.
Donnell Washington, also a member of Clemson's 2003 team, is on injured reserve with the Green Bay Packers. A 15th player, Lorenzo Bromell of the New York Giants, is on the physically unable to perform list and should return by midseason.

The list below does not include practice squad players who could be added later this week.

The list of Tigers in the NFL includes Brentson Buckner of the Carolina Panthers, who is in his 11th season in the league, Brian Dawkins, a three time Pro Bowl safety with Philadelphia, Chris Gardocki, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who is in his 14th season in the league, and Trevor Pryce of the Denver Broncos, a two-time Super Bowl Champion and four time Pro Bowl selection. Lamont Hall was cut and did not play for the New Orleans Saints last year, but he is back with the team in 2004.

#Injured reserve, $Physically unable to perform

Tommy, Sharp on Offensive Line
During the preseason, Clemson had a lot of injuries in the offensive line, which led to many players moving positions. That was especially the case with Roman Fry, who was referred to as "our putty man" by head coach Tommy Bowden.

But, one player who has not moved up or down the depth chart, or across to another position has been reliable center Tommy Sharpe. The 6-0, 270-pounder from Albany, GA has now started 19 games in his career, 19 of the 20 Charlie Whitehurst has started at quarterback. He had one of his better games as a Tiger in the win over Wake Forest as he had a team best 91 percent blocking grade and a team best seven knockdown blocks. He was a big reason Clemson's offensive line allowed just one quarterback sack. He had an87 percent grade against Georgia Tech.

Whitehurst now has a 13-7 record as a starter and the Tigers are 12-7 when Sharpe and Whitehurst are working in tandem. Last year, Sharpe started all but the North Carolina game and had 56 knockdown blocks, second on the team behind Gregory Walker, who just earned a roster spot with the New York Giants. He had a career high eight knockdown blocks in the win over third ranked Florida State.

54 Players Saw Action vs. Demon Deacons
Fifty-four different players participated for Clemson in the season opener against Wake Forest. That included six freshmen, 14 sophomores, 21 juniors and 13 seniors. The Tigers used 23 different players on offense and 21 different players on defense. Bobby Williamson played seven snaps on offense and 15 snaps on defense, but is counted just once. Coach Bowden used just two first-year freshmen in the game, wide receiver La'Donte Harris and offensive tackle Barry Richardson, who played nine and seven plays, respectively. Six players, three on offense and three on defense, played in their first games for the Tigers.

The Future of the ACC (Division structure)
The ACC is one 11-team league in 2004, as Miami (FL) and Virginia are in the ACC for the first time. Next year, Boston College will join the conference, creating a 12 team league that will have a conference championship at the end of the year.

The league will be divided into two divisions for 2005. Division A will be composed of Maryland, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, Florida State and Boston College. Clemson is guaranteed to play each of those schools every year. Division B is composed of Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech. Clemson is guaranteed to play only Georgia Tech every year from that Division.

The winners of each division will meet in the ACC Championship game the first Saturday in December in Jacksonville, FL each of the next two seasons.

Fourth Quarter Comeback
Clemson trailed Wake Forest by one point entering the fourth quarter and by eight points with just seven minutes left before gaining the 37-30 overtime victory. Saturday's victory marked the fifth time under Coach Bowden that Clemson has scored to break a tie or overcome a deficit with two minutes or less left on the clock.

It was the third time Clemson has won in overtime. The other two occasions took place against South Carolina in 2000 when Aaron Hunt kicked a 25 yards field goal with three seconds left to give Clemson a 16-14 victory, and when Hunt kicked a 21-yard field goal with eight seconds left to beat Duke in 2002.

Hill, Currie Seek Double ACC Championships
Clemson starting cornerback Tye Hill and starting wide receiver Airese Currie have already been on an ACC Championship team in 2004. Both were key members of Clemson's 2004 ACC Outdoor Track championship team. The Tigers won the event last April with 224 points, the most in the history of the meet by any school.

Hill could claim the title as the ACC's fastest athlete because he won the ACC Championship in the 60 meters indoors (6.73) and captured the 100 meters outdoors (10.29). He is the seventh Clemson track athlete to win both in the same academic year. Only one man has done it twice in a career and that is Shawn Crawford, who won the Gold Medal in the 200 meters in Athens this summer. Hill hopes to join Crawford with that distinction this coming year.

Currie ran a Clemson team season best 10.22 in the 100 meters outdoors and was a member of Clemson's ACC Championship 4X100 meter relay. He was the NCAA East Region champion in the 100 meters in 2003 and was a track All-American as a freshman in 2002 when he was a member of Clemson's national second place 4X100 meter relay team.

A third Clemson football player who is a two-sport athlete is reserve cornerback C.J. Gaddis. The native of North Carolina was a member of Clemson's baseball team in 2004.

Crawford Wins Gold
This is a bit of a stretch, but there was a tie to Clemson football and the Olympics this summer. Former Clemson track All-American Shawn Crawford won the Gold Medal in the 200 meters in Athens in a time of 19.79, the fastest time in the world in four years. He also was a member of the Silver Medal 4X100 meter relay. Crawford is the first athlete with ties to Clemson to win a Gold Medal for a United States team since 1996 when Kim Graham won a gold for the United States 4X100 meter relay team, and Gigi Fernandez won a Gold Medal in women's doubles in the tennis competition.

Crawford tried his hand at football as a running back in the fall of 1999, his senior year at Clemson and coach Bowden's first year. He stayed with the team for a month, from mid-August to mid-September and was actually in the program roster for the first three games. He had a 65-yard run in a preseason scrimmage that got everyone's attention. But, a knee injury made him reconsider his football career and he left the team just prior to the Virginia Tech game of September 23rd that year. He never did appear in a game.

Clemson Season Tickets Sold Out
The Clemson University Athletic Ticket office announced in July that full season tickets for the 2004 football season are sold out. This is the first time Clemson has announced a preseason sellout of season tickets.

"The excitement has carried over from the strong finish of the 2003 season resulting in a sell out of available seating for season tickets," said Ticket Manager, Bobby Skelton.

The addition of Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2004 season has also added to the excitement concerning the upcoming season. Clemson will play at Miami (FL) on November 6, the first meeting between the two schools since 1956.

Clemson season ticket sales are up 2000 from the previous year to nearly 57,000 and the sale of ticket packages has almost doubled from 2003, resulting in the Clemson-South Carolina game being a total sell out.
Tickets are still available for the five remaining home games at a cost of $32.00 each. The opponents for those games are Wake Forest (Sept. 4), Georgia Tech (Sept. 11), Utah State (Homecoming on Oct. 16), Maryland (Oct. 23) and NC State (Oct. 30).

Tickets may be purchased by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-CLEMSON or online at www.clemsontigers.com.

Clemson Fourth in ACC Preseason Poll
Clemson is picked fourth in the preseason ACC football poll. The Tigers received one vote for first place out of the 88 ballots that were cast. Florida State was first, followed by Miami (FL), Virginia, Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech, NC State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke.

Clemson was picked fifth in the preseason poll by the ACC media last year, but finished third in the final standings, a contributing factor to Tommy Bowden selection as ACC Coach of the Year for the second time in his five years at Clemson. In his five years at Clemson, Bowden has finished worse than predicted in the ACC preseason poll, just once. In 2001 Clemson was picked third and finished fourth. His first year, 1999, Clemson was picked sixth in the preseason and finished second, one of only two times since 1976 that Clemson has finished four spots better than the preseason pick.

Since 1976 when the ACC preseason poll started, Clemson has finished better than predicted nine times, finished the same eight times and finished worse nine times.

Clemson 32nd in US News and World Report Poll
Clemson University President Jim Barker stated publicly when he took his current position in1999 that he had a goal of making Clemson one of the top 20 national public universities in the nation. On August 20, the latest rankings were released and Clemson was listed at #32, a seven position jump in the last two years and up from #35 last year. Clemson was named Time Magazine's Public College of the Year in 2001.

Pickens, Richardson, Downer Receive Scholarships
Three former walk-ons were given scholarships for the 2004 season. The list includes Jesse Pickens, who could be Clemson's starting left tackle against Wake Forest, Lionel Richardson, a reserve WHIP linebacker, and Cole Downer, another offensive lineman.

Richardson, a junior from Huger, SC, started four games last year and had 24 tackles in 205 plays from scrimmage. He had seven tackles each in victories over Virginia and North Carolina. He is the only electrical engineering major on the team.

Pickens has come from obscurity to the starting position at left tackle. In fact, when he starts against Wake Forest it will be the first time he has ever played in a game. He came to Clemson in the fall of 2001 after spending his first year out of school at Spartanburg Tech in nearby Spartanburg, SC.

Pickens could be the first original walk-on to start on the offensive line for Clemson since way back in ......2003. Tommy Sharpe, Clemson's starting center, is also an original walk-on.

50 Years of Cannon Fire
This will be the 50-year anniversary of a cannon sounding after each Clemson score. A Clemson cheerleader has fired the cannon for every score, home and away since the season opener of 1954.

The tradition began in 1954 when George Bennett, then the head cheerleader, got the idea from his father, who had seen Army do it after each score at a game he had attended at West Point in 1953. Prior to the 1954 season Bennett approached Clemson Head Coach Frank Howard and asked him permission to fire the cannon. Permission was granted and just prior to the 1954 season, Bennett's father purchased the small cannon. The tradition has been handed down to each head cheerleader ever since.

Bennett just retired from full time duty as Clemson's Executive Secretary of IPTAY. He served Clemson in that capacity during two stints for nearly 20 total years. He still has an office in the Jervey Athletic Center and will serve as the master of ceremonies for Friday evening's Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. This past year he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors.

Clemson Looks for 17th Bowl Trip in 20 Years
Clemson has been to 16 bowl games in the last 19 years and certainly hopes to make it 17 out of 20 years with an invitation at the conclusion of the 2004 season. Clemson ranks in a tie for sixth among Division I schools in bowl game appearances since 1985 (19 seasons). The only schools ahead of Clemson is this category are Florida State, Michigan and Nebraska, who all been to 19 in a row, Tennessee with 18, and Miami (FL) with 17. Clemson is just ahead of Georgia (15) Southern Cal (14), Notre Dame (13), Arkansas 913), Auburn (13), Virginia (13), Syracuse (13) and NC State (13).

Clemson is one of 21 schools to go to a bowl game at least five years in a row and is one of 19 schools to win at least two bowl games over the last three seasons.

Clemson Secondary Ranked Among the Best
Clemson's secondary returns all four starters from last year. The foursome of Justin Miller, Travis Pugh, Jamaal Fudge and Tye Hill all started together for 11 of the 13 games. Miller, Pugh and Fudge started all 13 games. In its preseason college football issue, the Sporting News ranked the unit as the second best secondary in the nation.

Miller, Fudge and Hill are all juniors, so three quarters of the group could be together for a long time. They combined to play 3168 snaps, make 309 tackles, 10 interceptions and 45 passes defensed during the 2003 season. Clemson ranked second in the ACC in pass defense based on yards allowed, and second in interceptions.

Comebacks
Here is a list of Clemson's top comebacks in history The listings in bold took place under current head coach Tommy Bowden.

Clemson's Greatest Comebacks to win or Tie

# Denotes tie

Whitehurst, Hill, Miller on Preseason Lists
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, linebacker Leroy Hill and cornerback Justin Miller are all on preseason Watch Lists for major 2004 awards. Whitehurst is one of 40 "Players to Watch" for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award, while Hill is one of 65 preseason candidates for the Butkus Award. The Butkus Award is given to the nation's top linebacker. Miller was named to the Thorpe Award and Lott Award preseason lists.
Hill is one of seven ACC players on the Butkus Watch List. He is joined by Darryl Blackstock and Ahmad Brooks of Virginia, D'Qwell Jackson of Maryland, A.J. Nicholson of Florida State, Pat Thomas of NC State and Leon Williams of Miami (FL).

Last year, Hill led the Tigers in tackles with 145, including 27 tackles for loss. He ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss and was a first-team All-ACC selection. Earlier this summer he was named a preseason candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the nation and the Lombardi Award, which goes to the top lineman in college football.

Miller has 10 career interceptions and one fumble recovery for 11 career takeaways. He led the Tigers in passes defended last year. He is also a great kick returner. He is already the only player in Clemson history with three kick returns for touchdowns.

Whitehurst is one of five ACC Players on the Walter Camp list. He is joined by P.J. Daniels of Georgia Tech, Tramain Hall of NC State, Chris Rix of Florida State, and Antrel Rolle of Miam (FL). Earlier this summer he was named to the preseason list for the O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation's top quarterback.

Whitehurst holds 33 Clemson school records, including passing efficiency in a career and passing yardage in a season. He quarterbacked the Tigers to a 9-4 record as a sophomore when he threw for 3561 yards and 21 touchdowns. Among the victories were triumphs over #3 Florida State and #6 Tennessee. He joined Homer Jordan as the only Clemson quarterback to lead the Tigers to two wins over top 10 teams in the same season.

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