1981 National Championship Season. 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

1981 National Championship Season 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team ClemsonTigers.com 2006 Clemson Football 125 1981 Team 2...
Author: Russell Griffin
33 downloads 0 Views 2MB Size
1981 National Championship Season 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

ClemsonTigers.com

2006 Clemson Football

125

1981 Team 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

Numerical # 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

126

Player Vandell Arrington Frank Magwood Homer Jordan Dale Hatcher Bob Paulling Cliff Austin Lockie Brown Ken Brown Mike Isaacs Jeff Parker Mike Gasque Andy Headen Jeff Stockstill Richard Hendley Anthony Parete Donald Igwebuike Richard Butler Anthony Rose Perry Tuttle Jeff Suttle Billy Davis Randy Learn Tim Childers Kevin Mack Rod McSwain Hollis Hall Carl Martin Jeff McCall Kenny Danforth Chuck McSwain Dean Day Fitzhugh Bethea Brendon Crite Craig Crawford Randy Vereen Jerry Gaillard Edgar Pickett Terry Kinard Otis Lindsey Jeff Davis Duke Holloman Roy Brown Pete Demery Ronald Watson

Pos. CB WR QB P PK TB PK SS DB QB QB DE WR P QB PK WR CB WR SS FS FS SS FB CB CB SS FB DB TB LB WR RB FB TB WR DE FS LB LB TB LB WR DB

2006 Clemson Football

Hgt. 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-8 6-0 5-9 6-0 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-10 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-9 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-1 5-11

Wgt. 185 188 180 195 188 190 166 185 180 180 190 224 180 185 190 172 185 175 180 185 190 174 180 197 190 174 152 220 189 190 210 175 198 190 177 172 218 190 230 223 198 202 187 175

Cl. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Fr.

Exp. SQ 1VL 1VL HS 1VL 2VL SQ 1VL HS HS 1VL 2VL 1VL 1VL SQ ---HS 2VL 3VL 1VL 1VL 2VL SQ 1VL 1VL 2VL SQ 2VL HS 2VL SQ SQ 1VL HS HS 3VL 1VL 2VL JC 3VL SQ 1VL TR HS

Alphabetical Hometown Fayetteville, NC John’s Island, SC Athens, GA Cheraw, SC Saint Matthews, SC Scottdale, GA Tucker, GA Hartwell, GA Pickens, SC Gordo, AL Elon College, NC Liberty, NC Fernandina Beach, FL Greenville, SC Jacksonville, FL Anambra, Nigeria Ware Shoals, SC Sumter, SC Winston-Salem, NC Lafayette, GA Alexandria, VA Belvidere, NJ Gaffney, SC Kings Mountain, NC Caroleen, NC Seneca, SC Elloree, SC Fayetteville, NC Aiken, SC Caroleen, NC North Augusta, SC Dillon, SC Brevard, NC Springlake, NC North Myrtle Beach, SC Yuma, AZ Lexington, NC Sumter, SC Chester, GA Greensboro, NC Myrtle Beach, SC Myrtle Beach, SC Kingstree, SC Jefferson, GA

High School E.E. Smith HS Saint John’s HS Cedar Shoals HS Cheraw HS Saint Matthews HS Avondale HS Tucker HS Hartwell County HS Pickens HS Gordo HS Western Alamance HS East Randolph HS Fernandina Beach HS Wade Hampton HS Bishop Kenny HS ---------Ware Shoals HS Mayewood HS North Davidson Lafayette HS Mount Vernon HS Belvidere HS Gaffney HS Kings Mountain HS Chase HS Seneca HS Clarendon Hall HS Pine Forest HS Aiken HS Chase HS North Augusta HS Dillon HS Brevard HS Pine Forest HS North Myrtle Beach HS Enterprise HS Central Davidson HS Sumter HS Dodge HS Dudley HS Myrtle Beach HS Myrtle Beach HS Kingstree HS Jefferson HS

# 89 69 1 7 71 76 63 37 57 73 68 9 8 72 47 99 62 19 56 55 26 70 39 38 33 24 45 36 48 94 85 81 64 60 61 59 41 11 95 53 29 5 12 16

Player Kendall Alley Vernie Anthony Vandell Arrington Cliff Austin Dan Benish Steve Berlin Tony Berryhill Fitzhugh Bethea Nick Bowman Don Brinegar Gary Brown Ken Brown Lockie Brown Ray Brown Roy Brown Jeff Bryant Brian Butcher Richard Butler Andy Cheatham Randy Cheek Tim Childers Brian Clark Craig Crawford Brendon Crite Kenny Danforth Billy Davis Jeff Davis Dean Day Pete Demery William Devane Bubba Diggs K.D. Dunn Joe Ellis James Farr Brad Fisher Bob Frierson Jerry Gaillard Mike Gasque Kevin Gemas Joe Glenn Hollis Hall Dale Hatcher Andy Headen Richard Hendley

Pos. WR MG CB TB DT DT C WR DE OT OT SS PK DE LB DT OG WR OG LB SS OG FB RB DB FS LB LB WR MG TE TE OG OG OT C WR QB LB DE CB P DE P

ClemsonTigers.com

Cl. So. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Fr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr.

1981 Team 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

Numerical (cont’d) # Player 50 Scott Williams 51 Jeff Lytton 52 Cary Massaro 53 Joe Glenn 54 Jim Hohler 55 Randy Cheek 56 Andy Cheatham 57 Nick Bowman 58 Dale Swing 59 Bob Frierson 60 James Farr 61 Brad Fisher 62 Brian Butcher 63 Tony Berryhill 64 Joe Ellis 65 Scott Weeks 66 William Perry 67 Jim Scott 68 Gary Brown 69 Vernie Anthony 70 Brian Clark 71 Dan Benish 72 Ray Brown 73 Don Brinegar 74 Bob Mayberry 75 Dean Herman 76 Steve Berlin 77 Lee Nanney 79 Tony Shirley 80 Jim Wurst 81 K.D. Dunn 82 Danny Triplett 84 Bill Smith 85 Bubba Diggs 87 Eldridge Milton 89 Kendall Alley 90 Johnny Rembert 91 Mike Wade 92 Mark Richardson 94 William Devane 95 Kevin Gemas 96 Chuck Meeks 98 Cliff McLellan 99 Jeff Bryant

ClemsonTigers.com

Pos. C C C DE LB LB OG DE C C OG OT OG C OG OG MG DT OT MG OG DT DE OT OG DT DT OT OT TE TE LB DE TE WR WR LB DE DE MG LB LB LB DT

Hgt. 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-2 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-3 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-6 6-4 6-2 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 5-9 6-5

Wgt. 218 230 231 216 218 200 240 200 239 207 225 234 235 240 249 234 300 240 244 233 254 242 231 240 238 260 242 260 275 210 215 224 220 220 220 182 227 204 194 250 190 207 190 260

Cl. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sr. Sr.

Exp. HS HS 1VL 2VL HS 1VL HS 2VL HS SQ 1VL 2VL 1VL 2VL SQ SQ HS 1VL 2VL SQ 2VL 2VL 1VL SQ 2VL HS HS 2VL HS 1VL HS 2VL 3VL 2VL HS SQ JC SQ SQ 1VL SQ SQ SQ 3VL

Alphabetical (cont’d) Hometown Hixson, TN Blue Ash, Ontario Canonsburg, PA Columbia, SC Sandusky, OH Augusta, GA Mableton, GA Crossville, TN Lexington, NC Lexington, SC Thomson, GA Fostoria, OH Roswell, GA Thomaston, GA Toms River, NJ Jackson, SC Aiken, SC Alexandria, VA Philadelphia, TN Collins, GA Fort Meyers, FL Hubbard, OH Rome, GA Clemmons, NC Sharon, PA Wise, VA Bethel Park, PA Spartanburg, SC Gordo, AL Atlanta, GA Decatur, GA Boone, NC Duncan, SC Augusta, GA Folkston, GA Salisbury, NC Arcadia, FL Greer, SC Spartanburg, SC Jacksonville, NC Plymouth, WI Augusta, GA Pendleton, SC Atlanta, GA

High School Baylor HS Moeller HS Canon-McMillan HS A.C. Flora HS Perkins HS Butler HS Pebblebrook HS Cumberland HS Central Davidson HS Lexington HS Thomson HS Fostoria HS Crestwood HS Robert E. Lee HS Toms River HS Jackson HS Aiken HS Mount Vernon HS Loudon HS Reidsville HS Cypress Lake HS Hubbard HS East Rome HS West Forsythe HS Hickory HS J.J. Kelly HS Bethel Park HS Dorman HS Gordo HS Lakeside HS Gordon HS Watauga HS Byrnes HS Butler HS Charlton County HS North Rowan HS DeSoto HS Eastside HS Hill HS Jacksonville HS Plymouth HS Belton-Honea Path (SC) HS Pendleton HS Gordon HS

# 75 54 46 18 9 3 43 25 44 51 27 2 31 52 74 32 98 35 28 96 87 77 17 10 6 66 42 90 92 21 67 79 84 15 23 58 82 22 40 91 49 65 50 80

Player Dean Herman Jim Hohler Duke Holloman Donald Igwebuike Mike Isaacs Homer Jordan Terry Kinard Randy Learn Otis Lindsey Jeff Lytton Kevin Mack Frank Magwood Carl Martin Cary Massaro Bob Mayberry Jeff McCall Cliff McLellan Chuck McSwain Rod McSwain Chuck Meeks Eldridge Milton Lee Nanney Anthony Parete Jeff Parker Bob Paulling William Perry Edgar Pickett Johnny Rembert Mark Richardson Anthony Rose Jim Scott Tony Shirley Bill Smith Jeff Stockstill Jeff Suttle Dale Swing Danny Triplett Perry Tuttle Randy Vereen Mike Wade Ronald Watson Scott Weeks Scott Williams Jim Wurst

Pos. DT LB TB PK DB QB FS FS LB C FB WR SS C OG FB LB TB CB LB WR OT QB QB PK MG DE LB DE CB DT OT DE WR SS C LB WR TB DE DB OG C TE

2006 Clemson Football

Cl. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr.

127

1981 Reserves & Support Staff 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

Reserves & Red-Shirts Player Rick Bailey Tim Basich Steve Berlin Wilbur Bullard Matt Carr Mark Calhoon David Clayton Jeff Cruce Tyrone Davis Eric Dawson Lee Day Richard Donaldson John Duncan Steve Duncan Mike Eppley Frank Fredere Preston Gillespie Billy Green Bob Hardaway Alex Hudson Reid Ingle Don Inman Mike Isaacs Jay Lundstrom Byron May David Noelte Reggie Pleasant Chuckie Richardson James Robinson Sonny Sealy Caulder Settles Guy Varn Randy Vereen Willie Ward Jeff Wells Braxton Williams Ray Wrenn

Pos. OG LB DT TB WR FS OT OT FS LB LB SS DB LB QB TE DB QB DB OT OT E SS WR LS DE DB LB DT SS DE DB RB FS TE RB QB

Cl. Hometown So. Melbourne, FL So. Delta, OH Fr. Bethel Park, PA So. Laurel Hill, NC Fr. Stony Point, NC Fr. Lexington, SC Fr. Lyman, SC So. Lake City, FL So. Athens, GA Fr. Anderson, SC Fr. North Augusta, SC So. Fayetteville, NC Sr. Mooresville, NC Fr. Erwin, TN So. Charlotte, NC Fr. Winston-Salem, NC So. Liberty, SC So. Columbia, SC Fr. Atlanta, GA Jr. Spartanburg, SC So. Calhoun, GA Fr. Atlanta, GA Fr. Pickens, SC Fr. Naples, FL So. Seneca, SC Fr. Reisterstown, MD So. Pinewood, SC So. Thomasville, NC So. Charleston, SC Jr. Blacksburg, SC Fr. Laurinburg, SC So. Martinsville, VA Fr. North Myrtle Beach, SC Fr. Jackson, GA So. Rome, GA Jr. Greensboro, NC Fr. Columbia, SC

Other Assistant Coaches Coach Position Steve Hale .................................... Defensive Ends Coach Rex Kipps .............................................. Tight Ends Coach Rick Whitt ..................................... Defensive Backs Coach George Caine ........................... Graduate Assistant Coach

Bo Blanton .................................. Student Assistant Coach David Bounds .............................. Student Assistant Coach

Danny Moss .................................. Student Athletic Trainer Chip Winchester ............................ Student Athletic Trainer Vann Yates .................................... Student Athletic Trainer

Strength Training Coaches Coach Position George Dostal ................................. Head Strength Coach Jim Beatty ................................. Assistant Strength Coach Craig Bryson ............................. Assistant Strength Coach Jim Speros ................................ Assistant Strength Coach Don Telle ................................... Assistant Strength Coach Sam Varner ............................... Assistant Strength Coach

Equipment Staff Manager Position Len Gough ............................................................ Director Bobby Douglas ....................................... Assistant Director Lawrence Mudge .......................... Head Student Manager Ricky Steen ................................... Head Student Manager Mark Garrison ........................................ Student Manager Ben Massengill ....................................... Student Manager Eric Rivers .............................................. Student Manager Jimmy Ray Seay .................................... Student Manager Jeff Singletary ........................................ Student Manager Jim Weldon ............................................ Student Manager Alan Wertz ............................................. Student Manager Jeff Wright .............................................. Student Manager

Athletic Department Staff Staff Member Position Bill McLellan .............................................. Athletic Director Earle Ambrose .......................... Assistant Athletic Director Bob Bradley ............................ Sports Information Director Tim Bourret ............. Assistant Sports Information Director Kim Kelly ................. Assistant Sports Information Director Van Hilderbrand ........................................ Ticket Manager Rick Brewer ................................ Assistant Ticket Manager Allison Dalton ..................................... Promotions Director Les Jones ........................................... Director of Facilities Joann West ................................................. Staff Assistant Joe White .............................................. Academic Advisor Don Denning .................. Football Administrative Assistant June Roach ........................................... Football Secretary Elaine Swearingen ................................ Football Secretary Ken Vickery ................................. NCAA Faculty Chairman Joe Turner ............................... IPTAY Executive Secretary

Radio Network Announcer Position Jim Phillips ........................................... Voice of the Tigers Scott Shannon .................................... Color Commentator

Athletic Training Staff Athletic Trainer Position Fred Hoover ...................................... Head Athletic Trainer Bert Henderson ........................... Assistant Athletic Trainer Larry Sutton ................................ Assistant Athletic Trainer Dr. Jud Hair ............................................... Team Physician Dr. Byron Harder ....................................... Team Physician Dr. Roland Knight ............................... Orthopedic Surgeon Mark Abel ...................................... Student Athletic Trainer Jay Bennett ................................... Student Athletic Trainer Tony Blackwell .............................. Student Athletic Trainer Mike Bowman ............................... Student Athletic Trainer Stephanie Brake ........................... Student Athletic Trainer Joel Bullard ................................... Student Athletic Trainer Robby Corley ................................ Student Athletic Trainer Greg Craig .................................... Student Athletic Trainer Bob Easley .................................... Student Athletic Trainer Joe Franks .................................... Student Athletic Trainer Bill Long ........................................ Student Athletic Trainer

Cheerleaders Cheerleader Position Ricky Capps .................................................. Tiger Mascot Mark Barhyte ......................................... Head Cheerleader Kathy Anderson .............................................. Cheerleader Rick Conte ..................................................... Cheerleader Scott Gallaway ............................................... Cheerleader Bill Grainger ................................................... Cheerleader George Helmrich ............................................ Cheerleader Jennifer Hemphill ........................................... Cheerleader Pat Hook ........................................................ Cheerleader Karen Lawing ................................................. Cheerleader Mary McNeil ................................................... Cheerleader Sheri Nix ........................................................ Cheerleader Danny Pechthalt ............................................. Cheerleader David Pinion ................................................... Cheerleader Russell Ragen ................................................ Cheerleader

1981 Game-By-Game Starters Position OT OG C OG OT TE/WR SE QB TB FB FLK/TE

WOF Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

TUL Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Wurst

UGA Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Magwood Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Stockstill

KEN Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Magwood

UVA Nanney Mayberry Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan C. McSwain Mack Wurst

DUK Nanney Mayberry Berryhill Farr Fisher Magwood Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

NCS Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Magwood Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

WFU Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

UNC Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Magwood Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

UMD Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin Mack Gaillard

USC Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Butcher Tuttle Jordan Austin Mack Gaillard

NEB Nanney Clark Berryhill Farr Fisher Diggs Tuttle Jordan Austin McCall Gaillard

DE DT MG DT DE LB LB CB SS FS CB

Glenn Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Glenn Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Glenn Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Glenn Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Suttle Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Perry Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall K. Brown Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Glenn Benish Devane Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Smith Ra. Brown Perry Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Perry Bryant Headen Rembert J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

Smith Benish Perry Bryant Headen Triplett J. Davis Hall Childers Kinard Rose

PK P

Igwebuike Hendley

Igwebuike Hatcher

Paulling Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Igwebuike ----------

Paulling Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Paulling Hatcher

Igwebuike Hatcher

Note: Bold denotes a Clemson home game.

128

2006 Clemson Football

ClemsonTigers.com

1981 Stats 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team 12-0 Overall, 6-0 ACC, 6-0 Home, 5-0 Away, 1-0 Neutral, 10-0 Day, 2-0 Night

Team Stats

Individual Offensive & Kicking Stats CU 4698 910 42 5.2 391.5 2977 705 32 4.2 248.1 1721 205 112 10 10 54.6 8.40 15.4 131.5 143.4 2059 49 42.1 1 39.5 323 37 8.7 190 23 8.3 409 20 20.5 254 167 79 8 21.2 80-734 6.7 61.2 30-14 44-366 87-186 46.8 32:05 338 28.2 14-23 38-41

TOTAL OFFENSE Total Plays Touchdowns Yards Per Play Yards Per Game RUSHING YARDS Attempts Touchdowns Yards Per Rush Yards Per Game PASSING YARDS Attempts Completions Had Intercepted Touchdowns Completion Percentage Yards Per Attempt Yards Per Completion Efficiency Yards Per Game PUNTING YARDS Number of Punts Average Punt Had Blocked Net Punting PUNT RETURN YARDS Number of Returns Average Return INTERCEPTION RETURN YARDS Number of Interceptions Return Yards Per Interception KICKOFF RETURN YARDS Number of Returns Average Return FIRST DOWNS By Rushing By Passing By Penalty First Downs Per Game PENALTIES Penalties Per Game Penalty Yards Per Game FUMBLES-LOST SACKS THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Percentage TIME OF POSSESSION PER GAME POINTS Points Per Game FIELD GOALS PAT (KICKS)

Opp. 3023 810 11 3.7 251.9 1854 461 5 2.5 97.4 1854 349 164 23 6 47.0 5.31 11.3 84.1 154.5 3105 77 40.3 1 36.0 127 15 8.5 87 10 8.7 659 36 18.3 201 79 106 16 16.8 61-552 5.1 46.0 36-18 14-85 63-176 35.8 27:55 105 8.8 8-12 9-9

Scoring By Quarters CLEMSON Opponents

1 49 39

2 133 15

3 96 22

4 60 19

Tot 338 105

RUSHING C. Austin C. McSwain H. Jordan J. McCall K. Mack B. Crite C. Crawford D. Holloman R. Vereen P. Tuttle A. Parete M. Gasque TEAM CLEMSON Opponents PASSING H. Jordan M. Gasque C. Austin CLEMSON Opponents RECEIVING P. Tuttle J. Gaillard F. Magwood B. Diggs J. Stockstill K. Alley K. Mack C. Austin C. McSwain CLEMSON Opponents

G 12 12 12 10 12 12 3 4 3 12 12 6 12 12 12

Car 163 144 168 96 76 23 2 11 6 3 5 5 3 705 461

Yds Y/C TD 824 5.1 9 692 4.8 7 486 2.9 6 457 4.8 5 287 3.8 2 87 3.8 1 78 39.0 1 63 5.7 1 26 4.3 0 21 7.0 0 7 1.4 0 9 1.8 0 -60 -20.0 0 2977 4.2 32 1854 2.5 5

LG 77 30 30 24 13 17 72 12 8 22 7 3 NA 77 26

G C-A-I Yds TD C% Y/G 12 107-196-9 1630 9 54.6 135.8 6 5-8-0 91 1 62.5 15.2 12 0-1-1 0 0 0.0 0.0 12 112-205-10 1721 10 54.6 143.4 12 164-349-23 1854 6 47.0 154.5 G 12 10 12 12 12 7 12 12 12 12 12

Rec 52 19 17 9 4 4 3 2 2 112 164

Yds 883 218 345 88 81 51 23 18 14 1721 1854

Y/R TD 17.0 8 11.5 1 20.3 1 9.8 0 20.3 0 12.8 0 7.7 0 9.0 0 7.0 0 15.4 10 11.3 6

LG 80 24 42 24 42 18 11 10 14 80 30

FIELD GOALS FG D. Igwebuike 10-17 B. Paulling 4-6 CLEMSON 14-23 Opponents 8-12

Pct 0-29 30-39 40-49 58.8 2-2 6-7 1-4 66.7 2-4 2-2 0-0 60.9 4-6 8-9 1-4 66.7 NA NA NA

PUNTING D. Hatcher R. Hendley TEAM CLEMSON Opponents

Yds 1908 151 0 2059 3105

P 44 4 1 49 77

PUNT RETURNS B. Davis R. McSwain K. Brown J. Rembert CLEMSON Opponents

PR 34 1 2 0 37 15

Y/P 43.4 37.8 0.0 42.1 40.3

Yds 275 28 20 0 323 127

LG 64 43 0 64 62 Avg 8.1 28.0 10.0 ---8.7 8.5

Individual Defensive & Miscellaneous Stats Y/G 68.7 57.7 40.5 45.7 23.9 7.3 26.0 15.8 8.7 1.6 0.6 1.5 -5.0 248.1 97.4 Eff. 130.4 199.3 -200.0 131.5 84.1 Y/G 73.6 21.8 28.8 7.3 6.8 7.3 1.9 1.5 1.2 143.4 154.5

50+ LG 1-4 52 0-0 37 1-4 52 NA 46

HB 1 0 -1 1

Net 40.5 37.8 0.0 39.5 36.1

TD 0 0 0 1 1 0

LG 47 28 14 0 47 19

TACKLES J. Davis T. Kinard J. Bryant D. Triplett D. Benish H. Hall A. Headen W. Perry B. Smith T. Childers J. Suttle W. Devane M. Richardson R. McSwain

G 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 10 11 10 12 12 12

INTERCEPTIONS T. Kinard H. Hall T. Childers B. Davis J. Rembert A. Rose J. Suttle D. Triplett R. McSwain CLEMSON Opponents

Hit 119 74 69 54 48 41 34 33 22 26 31 24 13 20

Ast 56 21 23 32 19 12 19 15 20 15 7 8 14 6

Tot 175 95 92 86 67 53 53 48 42 41 38 32 27 26

TFL Sacks PBU 10-37 4-27 6 1-5 0-0 6 19-74 8-61 2 4-7 1-2 2 10-39 2-15 1 2-3 0-0 11 4-26 0-0 8 9-50 4-44 0 4-37 4-37 1 3-26 2-22 5 2-14 1-11 4 4-30 4-30 0 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0-0 1

Int 6 5 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 23 10

Yds 51 55 13 32 15 11 8 5 0 190 87

Avg 8.5 11.0 4.3 16.0 7.5 5.5 8.0 5.0 0.0 8.3 8.7

TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LG 19 28 9 21 11 8 8 5 0 28 27

KICOFF RETURNS KOR P. Tuttle 12 K. Mack 2 C. Austin 2 B. Crite 2 D. Holloman 1 J. McCall 1 CLEMSON 20 Opponents 36

Yds 266 45 34 29 19 16 409 659

Avg 22.2 22.5 17.0 14.5 19.0 16.0 20.5 18.3

TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LG 38 25 17 20 19 16 38 33

SCORING TD C. Austin 9 P. Tuttle 8 B. Paulling 0 C. McSwain 7 H. Jordan 6 D. Igwebuike 0 J. McCall 5 K. Mack 2 F. Magwood 1 B. Crite 1 D. Holloman 1 C. Crawford 1 J. Gaillard 1 J. Rembert 1 L. Brown 0 CLEMSON 43 Opponents 11

R-P-Re 9-0-0 0-8-0 0-0-0 7-0-0 6-0-0 0-0-0 5-0-0 2-0-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-1 0-0-0 32-10-1 5-6-0

FG PAT 2PC 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 4-6 34-35 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 10-17 1-1 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 3-5 0 14-23 38-41 0 8-12 9-9 3

Pts 54 48 46 42 36 31 30 12 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 338 105

Game-By-Game Results & Stats Clemson Date 9-5 9-12 9-19 10-3 10-10 10-17 10-24 10-31 11-7 11-14 11-21 1-1

Opponent (AP,USA) Wofford at Tulane Georgia (4,4) at Kentucky * Virginia * at Duke * N.C. State * Wake Forest * at North Carolina (8,9) * Maryland at South Carolina ^ Nebraska (4,4)

W-L W W W W W W W W W W W W

Score Attend. CU Rk 45-10 59,313 13-5 45,736 13-3 62,466 21-3 57,453 14,14 27-0 63,064 9,10 38-10 26,000 6,7 17-7 62,727 4,5 82-24 60,383 3,4 10-8 53,611 2,3 21-7 63,199 2,2 29-13 56,971 2,2 22-15 72,748 1,1

FD Car 21 54 18 68 15 57 17 58 17 53 25 59 21 59 35 68 17 61 28 52 23 64 17 54

Yds TD 285 4 161 1 101 0 223 3 265 3 323 4 304 2 536 10 171 1 199 0 254 3 155 1

C 8 7 11 4 9 14 3 11 7 20 7 11

A 16 16 18 11 17 20 14 19 10 29 13 22

Opponents I 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 1 1 1

Yds TD 186 2 114 0 135 1 55 0 161 0 240 1 43 0 220 2 83 0 270 3 80 0 134 1

PL 70 84 75 69 70 79 73 87 71 81 77 74

Yds 471 275 236 278 426 563 347 756 254 469 334 289

FD Car 17 51 12 35 16 40 20 39 14 41 23 36 11 38 24 32 16 42 18 30 17 43 13 40

Yds TD 165 0 40 0 122 0 49 0 110 0 82 0 87 1 88 1 84 0 44 1 105 1 193 1

C 11 13 12 15 12 17 11 27 13 18 9 6

A 23 29 26 31 24 28 25 43 30 45 28 17

I 2 4 5 2 2 3 1 2 0 0 2 0

Yds TD 128 1 137 0 133 0 168 0 127 0 243 1 114 0 270 2 179 0 192 0 100 1 63 1

PL 74 64 66 70 65 64 63 75 72 75 71 57

Yds 293 177 255 217 237 325 201 358 263 236 205 256

* - ACC game; ^ - Miami, FL (Orange Bowl); Note: Home games in bold; official home attendance - 371,152 (61,859 per game); Head Coach - Danny Ford; Assistants - Willie Anderson (DL), Curley Hallman (DB), Tom Harper (AHC,DL), Les Herrin (LB), Lawson Holland (WR), Buddy King (OL), Chuck Reedy (RB), Nelson Stokley (QB), Larry Van Der Heyden (OL).

ClemsonTigers.com

2006 Clemson Football

129

1981 Honors & Records 25th Anniversary of the 1981 National Championship Team

Team • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Associated Press National Champions United Press International National Champions Sporting News National Champions Sports Illustrated National Champions Football Writers National Champions (Grantland Rice Bowl) Football Coaches National Champions Football Hall of Fame National Champions (MacArthur Bowl) First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation National Champions Washington Touchdown Club National Champions Fans National Champions (Chicago Tribune) Kickoff National Champions Orange Bowl Champions Only undefeated Division I team in the nation First National Championship in Clemson athletic history ACC Champions Established the nation’s longest winning streak #2 in the nation in scoring defense #7 in the nation in rushing defense Tied for #7 in the nation in turnover margin #8 in the nation in total defense #1 in the ACC in total defense #1 in the ACC in scoring defense #1 in the ACC in interceptions #1 in the ACC in interception avoidance #1 in the ACC in turnover margin #1 in the ACC in first downs Set school record for wins in a season Set or tied 21 Clemson or ACC Records Had more All-Americans (5) than any team in Clemson history

Cliff Austin, TB • State Offensive-Back-of-the-Week vs. Duke

Dan Benish, DT • Honorable Mention AP All-American • All-ACC • All-State

• • • • • • • •

All-ACC All-State Led ACC in passing efficiency Most Valuable Offensive Player vs. Nebraska Tied for 12th in the nation in passing efficiency State Offensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Maryland ACC Offensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Maryland Team MVP as selected by his teammates

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

First-Team AP All-American First-Team NEA All-American First-Team Football Writers All-American First-Team WTBS All-American Honorable Mention UPI All-American Honorable Mention Sporting News All-American All-ACC All-State Set school record for tackles by a defensive back (95) State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Wofford ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Tulane ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Kentucky State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Duke State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina

Tony Berryhill, C • • • • • • • •

Honorable Mention AP All-American Honorable Mention Football News All-American All-ACC Academic All-ACC All-State Participated in Senior Bowl State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Georgia Ninth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Colts

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Second-Team Football News All-American Honorable Mention AP All American Honorable Mention Sporting News All-American Strength All-American All-ACC All-State Participated in East-West Shrine Game Participated in Olympia Gold Bowl ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Duke ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. N.C. State State Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. N.C. State ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. North Carolina State Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Maryland First-round draft pick (#6 overall) of the Seattle Seahawks

Jeff Bryant, DT

Terry Kinard, FS

Jeff McCall, FB • ABC Player-of-the-Game vs. North Carolina

Chuck McSwain, TB • • • • •

Brian Clark, OG Danny Ford, Head Coach • Football Writers Association of America National Coachof-the-Year • UPI National Coach-of-the-Year • American Football Coaches Association (Kodak) National Coach-of-the-Year • Washington Pigskin Club National Coach-of-the-Year • WTBS National Coach-of-the-Year • Washington Touchdown Club National Coach-of-the-Year • Columbus (OH) Touchdown Club National Coach-of-theYear • First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation National Coachof-the-Year • ACC Coach-of-the-Year • UPI National Coach-of-the-Week after Georgia win • Youngest head coach to win the national title at age 33

• State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. North Carolina • 12th-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos

ABC Player-of-the-Game vs. Kentucky State Offensive Back-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina State Fair Association Clemson MVP vs. South Carolina ESPN Player-of-the-Game vs. South Carolina ESPN National Amateur Athlete-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina

Rod McSwain, CB • State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina

Jeff Davis, LB • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

First-Team Kodak All-American First-Team UPI All-American First-Team Football Writers All-American First-Team Football News All-American Second-Team AP All-American Honorable Mention Sporting News All-American First-Team Football News Bowl All-American Strength All-American ACC Player-of-the-Year All-ACC All-State Set school record for tackles in a season (175) Participated in East-West Shrine Game Selected for Japan Bowl Clemson Team MVP by Schiltz ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Kentucky ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. N.C. State State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. N.C. State State Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. Maryland ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina Clemson MVP vs. South Carolina Most Valuable Defensive Player vs. Nebraska Fifth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lee Nanney, OT • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Second-Team UPI All-American Honorable Mention AP All-American Honorable Mention Sporting News All-American Honorable Mention Football News All-American Strength All-American All-ACC All-State Jacobs Blocking Trophy (ACC) Jacobs Blocking Trophy (South Carolina) State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Kentucky State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Wake Forest State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Maryland State Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina

• • • •

First-Team Football News Freshman All-American Converse Freshman All-American Set school record for tackles by a freshman (48) ACC Rookie-of-the-Week vs. North Carolina

William Perry, MG

Danny Triplett, LB • ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Georgia • State Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Georgia

Bubba Diggs, TE Perry Tuttle, WR

• ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Virginia

Dale Hatcher, P • • • • •

First-Team Football News Freshman All-American #19 in the nation in punting #1 in the ACC in punting Set school punting record vs. Kentucky (51.0) ACC Rookie-of-the-Week vs. South Carolina

Andy Headen, DE • State Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week vs. Tulane

Homer Jordan, QB Defensive tackle Jeff Bryant was a secondteam All-American in 1981, and later was the #6 overall pick of the 1982 NFL draft. 130

2006 Clemson Football

• Honorable Mention AP All-American • Honorable Mention Football News All-American • Second in voting for ACC Player-of-the-Year

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

First-Team NEA All-American First-Team Sporting News All-American Second-Team Football News All-American Honorable Mention AP All-American Honorable Mention UPI All-American First-Team Hartford Insurance Senior All-American Special award recipient from Washington Touchdown Club All-ACC All-State Participated in Hula Bowl ACC Offensive-Back-of-the-Week vs. Wake Forest Set school season record for touchdown receptions (8) Set school career record for receptions (150) Set school career record for reception yardage (2,534) First-round draft pick (#19 overall) of the Buffalo Bills

ClemsonTigers.com

Game 1 The 1981 Wofford Game

Wofford

10

Clemson

45

September 5, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC Editor’s note: The following 12 game stories from the 1981 season were written by Sports Information Director Tim Bourret. I still remember the day in March of 1981 when Bob Bradley got the word that Villanova was going to announce it was dropping football the next day. Clemson was previously scheduled to play the Wildcats on September 26, 1981, and that meant Athletic Director Bill McLellan was going to have to scramble to find an 11th opponent in a short period of time. The first thought was to call the other schools who were on Villanova’s schedule, but a matchup with any of those northeast schools could not be worked out. As a last resort, McLellan called then NAIA school Wofford of Spartanburg, SC with a financial offer that would easily balance the Terriers’ budget. Wofford was very competitive at its level (7-2-2) and had taken Southern Conference Champion Furman to overtime in 1980. Furman’s only loss that year had come to ACC Champion North Carolina. Wofford took the opening kickoff and marched to the Tiger seven, where Don Hairston kicked a 24yard field goal to give Wofford a 3-0 lead. Donald Igwebuike kicked a 52-yard field goal late in the quarter on his first career field-goal attempt to tie the score at 3-3. That was the score at the end of the first quarter. Think of the odds you could have gotten in Las Vegas against Clemson winning the 1981 National Championship after that first quarter of the season! In the second quarter, quarterback Homer Jordan connected with Perry Tuttle on an 80-yard scoring pass, the longest reception of Tuttle’s career. It was his 100th career reception and 10th career touchdown catch.

Clemson held a 17-3 lead at halftime, then put the game away in the third quarter when Frank Magwood caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jordan for a 24-3 lead. That was the first touchdown catch of Magwood’s career, and the first Clemson touchdown reception by someone other than Tuttle since 1978. Clemson won the game 45-10. The Terriers scored a late touchdown on a pass in the fourth quarter, the last touchdown the Tiger defense would yield until mid-October. Wofford’s “Wingbone Offense” moved the ball that day, gaining 165 yards on the ground on 51 rushes. Only Nebraska would gain more yards on the ground against the Clemson defense than Wofford in 1981. Jordan had a strong day rushing and passing, as he gained 58 yards on nine carries on the ground, and completed 7-15 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Tuttle had just four catches, but they went for 134 yards. One of my lasting memories of this day was the play of first-year freshman defensive lineman William Perry. At 305 pounds, he was considered a freak of nature in 1981. No one at 300 pounds could possibly run well. But early in the game, he chased down a Wofford running back on the sideline (see photo), much to the cheers of the Clemson fans in attendance. Perry was credited with seven tackles in his first game as a Tiger, fourth-best on the afternoon in just 28 plays.

Stars of the Game Offense - Homer Jordan threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in gaining 235 yards of total offense. Defense - Terry Kinard had 11 total tackles, including 10 first hits, in providing key run support against Wofford’s innovative Wingbone offense.

Stat of the Game Wofford had 165 yards rushing against the Tigers. Only Nebraska had more rushing yards in 1981 against Clemson than Wofford. The Tigers ended the season allowing just 89 yards per game on the ground, the seventh-best figure in the nation.

Note of Interest Wofford had the Tiger defense on its heels in the first half before William Perry and company took control in the second half. ClemsonTigers.com

Wofford had the ball for 35 minutes on offense compared to just

Game Stats Wofford Clemson

3 3

0 14

0 14

7 14

10 45

WOF Hairston 24 FG, 1st, 8:16 CU Igwebuike 52 FG, 1st, 6:37 CU Tuttle 80 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 2nd, 9:37 CU Jordan 14 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 4:23 CU Magwood 11 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 3rd, 10:46 CU Jordan 3 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 1:15 CU C. McSwain 5 run (Igwebuike kick), 4th, 11:54 WOF Derrick 15 pass from Thompson (Hairston kick), 4th, 4:36 CU McCall 10 run (Paulling kick), 4th, 1:05 Attendance - 59,313 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles/Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

WOF 17 51-165 11-23-2 128 293 4.0 3-0 2 6-55 2-6 0-0 5-89 8-42.6 4-15 0-0 35:00

CU 21 54-285 8-16-2 186 471 6.7 3-1 3 8-81 2-21 6-50 2-63 4-44.8 6-14 4-20 25:00

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) WOF Lang 18-76, Gaines 15-63, L. Best 4-12 CU Austin 18-95, Jordan 9-58-2, McCall 8-57-1 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) WOF Bradshaw 6-13-70-1-0, Thompson 3-8-28-1-1 CU Jordan 7-15-177-2-2, Gasque 1-1-9-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) WOF Derrick 3-45-1, Moore 2-21, Taylor 1-22 CU Tuttle 4-134-1, Magwood 2-34-1, Gaillard 2-18 Interceptions (Int-Yards) WOF Tuthill 1-6, Renfrow 1-0 CU Rembert 1-11, Kinard 1-10 Tackles CU J. Davis 13, Bryant 11, Kinard 11, Devane 7, Perry 7 Sacks CU J. Davis 1-6, Bryant 1-5, Headen 1-5, Devane 1-4

25 for the Tigers. The Terriers were the only team all year to have a time-of-possession advantage against the Tigers.

Impact on the Polls Clemson’s 45-10 victory over an NAIA school had no impact on the polls, as Clemson remained outside the top 20 and did not receive a single vote in either the AP or UPI poll.

It Was Said “Wofford had the best gameplan for us of any opposing team since I have been at Clemson. They ran us ragged in the first half with the misdirection plays. They did a super job. That is a tribute to Coach (Buddy) Sasser and his staff, and the young men who are playing for him.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford 2006 Clemson Football

131

Game 2 The 1981 Tulane Game

Clemson

13

Tulane

5

September 12, 1981 • Superdome • New Orleans, LA Perhaps the most impressive athletic accomplishment of the Tulane game took place during pregame warmups. Clemson was playing the Green Wave in the Superdome, Clemson’s first-ever indoor football game (there have been many since in the Georgia Dome and one game in Japan). Freshman punter Dale Hatcher had already made a name for himself with his booming punts, and his teammates were interested to see if he could hit the gondola near the Superdome roof. It was a well-known stat that then Oakland Raider punter Ray Guy and Texas punter Russell Erxleben had been the only ones to hit the gondola during pregame warmups. With most of the team watching during pregame, Hatcher accomplished the feat after a few warmup tries. Ironically, Hatcher went on to average just 39.3 yards a punt in this game, his second-worst game of the year. And, a snap from center from the Clemson 26 went over his head and all the way to the endzone for a safety to give the Green Wave a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was the first safety allowed by Clemson in six years. Senior Joe Glenn had perhaps his best game as a Tiger in just 34 snaps. He had a sack, a recovered fumble, and assisted on two other sacks. His recovered fumble at the Tulane 25 in the second quarter set up the only touchdown of the game for either team, a five-yard run by Cliff Austin with 8:22 left in the second quarter. Austin did not know it at the time, but it would not be his last game in the Superdome. He was drafted by New Orleans after his senior year (1982) and played 11 games for the Saints in 1983 before he was traded to Atlanta in 1984. Clemson’s offense struggled throughout this game, gaining just 275 yards of total offense and scoring only one touchdown. The Tigers had two

costly fumbles, including one at the Tulane seven, and six penalties for 64 yards, including one on a pass play that would have given Clemson first-andgoal at the Tulane one. Clemson got two second-half field goals from Bob Paulling, who had hit .410 for Bill Wilhelm’s ACC Championship baseball team the previous spring. That gave Clemson a 13-5 lead, but the threat of one drive for a score and a two-point conversion kept Tulane in the game. But, the Tiger defense was at its best in the second half, holding Tulane without a point, and limiting the host team to 50 yards and five first downs. With the game on the line during Tulane’s last opportunity, Tom Harper’s pressure defense forced the Green Wave into a fourth-and-40 situation. You had the feeling Tulane would not have scored again if the game lasted until Tuesday. Tulane had to punt with 2:30 left and never got the ball back, as Homer Jordan ran for a first down on a fourth-and-four option play from the Tulane 32. The Tiger defense forced seven turnovers, four interceptions, and three fumbles. The starting secondary of Terry Kinard, Tim Childers, Hollis Hall, and Anthony Rose all had at least one interception, the first time in Clemson history every member of the starting secondary had a pick in the same game. One of the lasting memories of this game was the amount of Tiger fans who made the trip to New Orleans. The Clemson ticket office sold 8,000 tickets to this Saturday evening game. Many Tiger fans picked up the train in Clemson and took it all the way to the Superdome. It was an impressive turnout, because all Clemson had done was beat Wofford in the season-opener after a 6-5 record the previous year. The “Bandwagon” had not yet kicked into high gear. But that all changed the following Saturday when defending National Champion Georgia came to town.

Game Stats Clemson Tulane

0 5

7 0

0 0

6 0

13 5

TUL Manella 46 FG, 1st, 6:30 TUL TEAM safety, 1st, 4:47 CU Austin 4 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 8:22 CU Paulling 31 FG, 4th, 14:53 CU Paulling 37 FG, 4th, 12:28 Attendance - 45,736 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

CU 18 68-161 7-16-0 114 84-275 3.3 3-2 2 6-64 4-42 1-0 2-19 3-39.3 9-21 5-48 33:06

TUL 12 35-40 13-29-4 137 64-177 2.8 4-3 7 4-42 0-0 1-19 2-14 6-35.5 7-17 1-4 26:54

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) CU Austin 17-60-1, McCall 16-50, Jordan 19-43 TUL Lewis 15-50, Reginelli 6-15, Robinson 2-5 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) CU Jordan 7-15-114-0-0, Gasque 0-1-0-0-0 TUL Elmore 10-21-95-4-0, Catanese 3-8-42-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) CU Tuttle 4-50, Magwood 2-40, Gaillard 1-24 TUL Franz 5-65, Lewis 2-18, Robinson 2-16 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU Kinard 1-16, Childers 1-9, Hall 1-9, Rose 1-3 Tackles CU J. Davis 20, Kinard 12, Benish 9, Triplett 8, Bryant 7 Recovered Fumbles CU J. Davis 1, Glenn 1, Pickett 1

Stat of the Game Clemson held Tulane to 177 yards of total offense, the best performance by the Tiger defense in that category all year.

Note of Interest Stars of the Game

The Tiger defense held Tulane to just 177 yards of total offense in a 13-5 win that moved Clemson to 2-0 for the first time since 1970. 132

2006 Clemson Football

Offense - The offense would tell you to a man there were not a lot of candidates for this honor against Tulane, but we will go with Cliff Austin, who had 17 rushes for 60 yards and scored the only touchdown of the game. Defense - Jeff Davis had 20 tackles on 10 first hits and 10 assists, the high-tackle total by a Tiger during the 1981 season.

Clemson improved to 2-0 for the second time since 1965. Also, all four starting defensive backs had an interception, a first in Tiger history.

Impact on the Polls Clemson’s 13-5 victory was impressive from a defensive standpoint, but the Tigers did not move into the top 20 in either poll after the game.

It Was Said “There were a lot of mistakes in this game. I don’t know how many there were, but they came from both sides. I feel lucky to get out of here alive. We made too many mistakes on offense, so we didn’t score a lot of points. Tulane was a lot better team than they showed on the game film.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford ClemsonTigers.com

Game 3 The 1981 Georgia Game

Georgia

3

Clemson

13

September 19, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC When I reread a feature on Jeff Davis by then Assistant Sports Information Director Kim Kelly in the 1981 Clemson-Georgia game program, I ran across the following quote from the Tiger captain. “I am anxious to go up against the top back in the nation. Last year, Herschel (Walker) was a freshman who played like a senior. But it’s going to be different when he comes to Death Valley. He’ll find that he won’t be able to do as well against this senior.” Wow, what was I thinking as the editor of the program to let that get by! Those were different times...the Muhammad Ali era of sports. But as I look back, perhaps it was the best thing. Davis showed his teammates he had the confidence to beat the defending national champions, a team that had never lost with Walker in its lineup. In fact, Clemson’s 13-3 victory that September 19 day would be the only regular-season loss of Walker’s three-year career with the Bulldogs. Once again, it was the defense that carried the day for Clemson. The Tigers forced nine turnovers (five interceptions and four fumbles), and 25 years later, that is still the Tiger record for turnovers forced in a game. The nine takeaways were recorded by nine different players, the best stat that shows that this was an all-around team effort. It gave Clemson 16 forced turnovers in two games, the best back-toback takeaway totals in school history. Buck Belue threw five interceptions and lost a fumble for six of the nine turnovers. Walker had lost just one fumble his entire freshman season when he gained over 1,600 yards, an all-time NCAA freshman record. He had three fumbles in this game, two that were recovered by the Tiger defense, including one by William Perry when he seemingly just shoved Walker aside to scoop up the ball.

Walker would get 111 yards rushing on 28 carries, but he never reached the endzone. In fact, he would play three games against the Tigers in his career without scoring a touchdown, joining Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers of South Carolina with that career note against Clemson’s defense. This was a true rock-em-sock game from the outset, as the two teams combined for only 491 yards of total offense. Clemson had just 236 yards on the day, but still won by double-digits. Field position was a big issue, and Dale Hatcher was an unsung hero, as he averaged 43 yards on seven punts. Clemson scored 10 points in the second quarter, and they held up. An interception by Tim Childers set up the only touchdown of the day, an eight-yard pass from Homer Jordan to Perry Tuttle. Donald Igwebuike kicked two field goals, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth quarter. Georgia’s only points came on a Kevin Butler field goal on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the second half. The Bulldogs had won 15 consecutive games, the longest active winning streak in college football at the time. Their #4 national ranking was the highest-ranked team Clemson defeated in Death Valley over the first 107 years of Clemson football, and was only eclipsed when Tommy Bowden’s Tigers beat #3 Florida State in 2003. When Rod McSwain intercepted a pass in the endzone with 1:08 left to clinch the win, the defense came off the field whirling their index fingers. They were giving notice that they had defeated last year’s #1 team, and that Clemson was #1 on this day. But as it turned out, that celebration was a foreshadowing of things to come.

Game Stats Georgia Clemson

0 0

0 10

3 0

0 3

3 13

CU Tuttle 8 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 2nd, 7:13 CU Igwebuike 39 FG, 2nd, 0:11 UGA Butler 40 FG, 3rd, 11:24 CU Igwebuike 29 FG, 4th, 14:01 Attendance - 62,466 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

UGA 16 40-122 12-26-5 133 66-255 3.9 5-4 9 2-16 0-0 2-19 1-14 4-44.0 6-13 1-11 25:17

CU 15 57-101 11-18-0 135 75-236 3.1 4-2 2 5-55 5-47 3-3 0-0 7-43.0 7-19 2-19 34:43

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) UGA Walker 28-111, Stewart 2-8, Young 2-8 CU Jordan 25-59, McCall 12-32, Austin 8-16 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) UGA Belue 12-26-133-5-0 CU Jordan 11-18-135-0-1 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) UGA N. Brown 3-34, Scott 3-32, Kay 2-26 CU Tuttle 5-57-1, Magwood 3-43, Alley 2-31 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU B. Davis 1-21, Kinard 1-19, Childers 1-4, Rose 1-3, R. McSwain 1-0 Recovered Fumbles CU Ra. Brown 1, Perry 1, Smith 1, Suttle 1

Note of Interest Clemson would go on to score 316 points in the 11 regular-season games of 1981, the exact same total Georgia scored the previous season when it won the 1980 National Championship.

Stars of the Game Offense - Athens, GA native Homer Jordan threw for 135 yards and a touchdown, and had 25 rushes for 59 yards to lead the Tiger offense. Defense - On a day that Clemson forced nine turnovers, Danny Triplett was the only Tiger defender to win ACC Player-of-theWeek honors. He had a then career-high 11 tackles to help stuff the Georgia run.

Impact on the Polls Clemson’s 13-3 victory over the #4 Bulldogs finally put the Tigers on the national map. Clemson moved to #19 in the AP poll and #18 in the UPI poll after this victory. It is interesting to note that Clemson had the weekend of September 26 open. Clemson jumped to #14 in both AP and UPI without playing, and that was Clemson’s ranking heading into the Kentucky game on October 3.

It Was Said Stat of the Game

Clemson’s defense forced Georgia into nine turnovers, including two lost fumbles by Herschel Walker. He suffered the only regular-season loss of his career on this sunny day. ClemsonTigers.com

Clemson forced nine turnovers (five interceptions and four fumbles) in the win over Georgia, giving the Tiger defense 16 forced turnovers over consecutive games against Tulane and the Bulldogs. The nine forced turnovers are still a Clemson record.

“We’ve got no excuses. They beat us. We made a lot of mistakes. They played a good game and we didn’t.” Georgia running back Herschel Walker “Georgia wanted to go toe-to-toe and jaw-tojaw, and I think our guys accepted it real well. That’s the same thing we told our players. We just wanted to prove we could play with them...and we did.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford 2006 Clemson Football

133

Game 4 The 1981 Kentucky Game

Clemson

21

Kentucky

3

October 3, 1981 • Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY The nation had finally taken notice of Clemson with its win over defending champion Georgia on September 19. The Georgia game had not been on any live television, but it sent shockwaves in the college football world, because Herschel Walker had an air of invincibility until he was finally defeated. Clemson had moved into the top 20 in both polls after the win, a #19 ranking in AP and a #18 ranking by UPI, which was the coaches poll back then. Clemson had two weeks to prepare for Kentucky, the fourth game of the season, and moved up five spots in AP and four in UPI during the open date. I remember my boss Bob Bradley kidding that we should just sit out the rest of the season, and we would move up to #1. The Kentucky game contributed to two basic football theories we still carry today: • Theory I - Teams that pull off a big upset one week

will have a hangover the very next game and will not play well, at least at the start. That was the case for Clemson this October afternoon, as the Tigers trailed the Wildcats (who would end the season with a 3-8 record) by a 3-0 score at halftime. Clemson was awful on offense, gaining just 57 yards rushing and eight yards passing in the first 30 minutes. Had it not been for the defense and a record-setting punting performance by Dale Hatcher (six punts for a 51-yard average that is still a school record for a minimum of six punts), Clemson would have trailed by double-digits at halftime. • Theory II - The first

five minutes of the second half are the most important time period of any football game. How many Tiger players in 1981 and on future Tigers teams heard Danny Ford proclaim that axiom of football at halftime. After gaining just 65 yards of total offense in the first half, Clemson took its first possession of the second half 83 yards for a score. Clemson had not converted a third down during the first half, then converted three in this first drive of the third quarter, including the six-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Kevin Mack. 134

Then on Kentucky’s first possession of the second half, William Perry registered one of the longest sacks in Tiger history, a 17-yard sack. It put Kentucky in a third-and-27 situation. On the next play, Andy Headen recovered a fumble at the 21. A few players later, Jordan scored on an option play, and all of a sudden the Tigers were ahead 14-3. Clemson scored a third rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to come away with a 21-3 victory. The second half was by far the most complete half Clemson had recorded to date in the 1981 season. Chuck McSwain was the biggest individual example of the Tigers’ second-half comeback, as he had just 22 yards in a frustrating first half, then ended the game with 107 yards. This game was broadcast on a regional basis by ABC, the first live broadcast of a Tiger game in 1981. ESPN was just in its third year, and it did more live soccer than football. CBS did not have a broadcast package, so there were four regional games on ABC, and that was it. Even though the Tigers struggled, they jumped all the way to #9 in the AP poll after this game.

Stars of the Game Offense - Chuck McSwain had the first 100-yard rushing game by a Tiger running back in 1981 when he totaled 107 yards in the win at Kentucky. He was named Chevrolet Player-of-the-Game by ABC. Defense - While he was not on the field making tackles, Dale Hatcher’s punting was a key to the Tiger defense’s success. He had six punts for a 51.0yard average, still the best punting average by a Tiger given a minimum of six punts.

Game Stats Clemson Kentucky

0 3

0 0

14 0

7 0

21 3

KEN Griggs 40 FG, 1st, 6:54 CU Mack 11 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 9:02 CU Jordan 3 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 4:25 CU C. McSwain 3 run (Paulling kick), 4th, 2:48 Attendance - 57,453 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

CU 17 58-223 4-11-0 55 69-278 4.0 1-0 0 6-51 2-5 4-15 2-32 6-51.0 8-19 5-69 30:59

KEN 20 39-49 15-31-2 168 70-217 3.1 4-3 5 6-63 0-0 4-28 2-34 5-47.8 7-14 2-10 29:01

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) CU C. McSwain 20-107-1, Jordan 14-40-1, Mack 731-1 KEN Abraham 18-55, Adams 9-33, Henry 5-10 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) CU Jordan 4-11-55-0-0 KEN Jenkins 15-30-168-2-0, Henry 0-1-0-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) CU Diggs 1-24, Magwood 1-18, Austin 1-8 KEN Massie 7-107, Adams 3-28, Watson 2-18 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU Triplett 1-5, Hall 1-0 Tackles CU J. Davis 13, Triplett 12, Benish 7, Bryant 6, Kinard 6 Recovered Fumbles CU Bryant 1, Headen 1, Perry 1

overs, giving it 21 in the last three games, the most in any three-game period in school history.

Impact on the Polls Stat of the Game Clemson scored all 21 of its points in the second half. It had not scored 21 points in an entire game against a Division I team prior to that in 1981.

The impact of television can be shown in regards to the polls following this game that was shown on regional television by ABC. Even though Kentucky was not a highly-regarded team at the time and would finish the year with a 3-8 record, Clemson jumped five spots in the AP poll to #9 and four spots in the UPI poll to #10 after the victory.

It Was Said Note of Interest

The defense kept the Tigers in the game until the offense, behind Kevin Mack and others, put up 21 points in the second half.

2006 Clemson Football

Clemson trailed at the end of the first quarter 3-0. It was the fourth straight game that the Tigers did not hold the lead at the end of the first quarter. Clemson’s defense forced five turn-

“We had much-better execution in the second half. We came in at halftime and talked things over. Sometimes you have days like that. When we came out for the second half, we were fired up to play.” Clemson quarterback Homer Jordan “We were taking licks instead of giving them in the first half. We didn’t pressure them enough. But in the second half, we played our type of defense, which is to kill them. We dominated the second half.” Clemson defensive tackle Dan Benish ClemsonTigers.com

Game 5 The 1981 Virginia Game

Virginia

0

Clemson

27

October 10, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC With a 4-0 record for the first time since 1958, the bandwagon was bulging at the seems when Clemson hosted Virginia on Homecoming in 1981. The 63,064 fans (sellout in those days) saw Clemson play its most complete game of 1981. The offense proved the second half of the Kentucky game was no fluke by scoring 27 points, three touchdowns, and gaining over 400 yards for the first time all year. It was vintage Danny Ford football, as the Tigers gained 265 yards rushing, including 161 from the tailback duo of Cliff Austin and Chuck McSwain. Austin had 14 carries for 89 yards, and McSwain had 14 rushes for 71 yards. The two fullbacks, Kevin Mack and Jeff McCall, had seven carries apiece, so the running stats had perfect symmetry. What was not vintage Danny Ford football was the play of tight end Bubba Diggs. He caught three passes for 30 yards in the game (Clemson tight ends would catch just five more passes the entire season), and he had an 87-percent blocking grade. Diggs was named ACC Offensive Lineman-of-theWeek for his performance, the only time all year a Tiger offensive lineman was accorded that weekly honor. The offense scored in every quarter for the first time all year, and Clemson actually had the lead at the end of the first quarter for the first time in 1981. What was very impressive was that Clemson went its second consecutive game without an offensive turnover. It marked the first time since the 1940 season (games against Wofford and N.C. State) that the Tigers had gone consecutive games without one. The defense pitched its first shutout of the year, holding Virginia to just 237 yards of total offense and 14 first downs. Clemson had moved into the national lead in scoring defense, allowing just 4.2 points per game, and also led the nation in forcing turnovers with 25 through five games.

Jeff Davis led Clemson in tackles (11), including nine first hits. He led Clemson in tackles in every game in 1981, and had at least double-figures in all 12 games as well. Supporting Davis was Jeff Bryant with nine stops. Danny Triplett, Tim Childers, and Dan Benish all added eight stops apiece. The offense again made the first drive of the second half count, driving 77 yards in 5:18 to score a touchdown. Clemson faced a fourth-and-two from the Virginia eight, but the normally-conservative Ford gambled a bit, and Cliff Austin picked up the first down. Jeff McCall scored from five yards out later in the drive, and Clemson had a 17-0 lead. Donald Igwebuike had quite a weekend. He had two field goals against Virginia to firmly establish himself as the first-team placekicker. The next day, the freshman striker scored two goals in Clemson’s soccer victory over rival South Carolina. Igwebuike played on two ACC Championship teams that ranked in the final top five of the respective polls that fall, and the two teams were a combined 30-2 (18-2 in soccer and 12-0 in football). In all fairness, this was your father’s Virginia team. Future Head Coach George Welsh had not gotten to Charlottesville yet, and the Cavaliers went on to a 1-10 record. But, it was noteworthy that Clemson had taken care of business in all areas. With #7 Alabama’s tie against Southern Mississippi, Clemson was now destined to move past the Crimson Tide in the polls. What must Bear Bryant have thought that night when he went to bed? His former player Ford, just 33 years of age, now had a team ranked ahead of his Crimson Tide.

Stars of the Game Offense - Tight end Bubba Diggs had a career-high three catches for 30 yards. He graded 87 percent as a blocker, the best of all the Tiger offensive linemen, and was named ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week. Defense - Jeff Bryant had nine tackles, eight of which were first hits, and three tackles for loss, leading the Tiger defense to the shutout.

Stat of the Game

Bubba Diggs (#85) had a career-high three receptions and was Clemson’s top-rated blocker in the Homecoming win over Virginia. ClemsonTigers.com

There was only a difference of three first downs in the game (1714 in favor of Clemson), but a near 200-yard difference in total offense (426-237) and a 27point difference.

Game Stats Virginia Clemson

0 3

0 7

0 14

0 3

0 27

CU Igwebuike 22 FG, 1st, 0:22 CU Austin 42 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 5:40 CU McCall 5 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 9:42 CU Austin 1 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 1:16 CU Igwebuike 32 FG, 4th, 10:42 Attendance - 63,064 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

UVA 14 41-110 12-24-2 127 65-237 3.6 3-0 2 3-11 0-0 2-9 3-25 7-35.3 9-17 0-0 28:53

CU 17 53-265 9-17-0 161 70-426 6.1 0-0 0 6-49 2-21 3-33 1-20 4-42.3 6-15 4-28 31:07

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) UVA Jenkins 11-41, Whitehead 13-24, Taylor 11-22 CU Austin 14-89-2, C. McSwain 14-71, McCall 736-1 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) UVA Whitehead 12-24-127-2-0 CU Jordan 9-16-161-0-0, Gasque 0-1-0-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) UVA Johnson 2-34, Riccio 2-29, Fears 1-12 CU Tuttle 3-59, Diggs 3-30, Magwood 2-57 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU Hall 1-13, Suttle 1-8 Tackles CU J. Davis 11, Triplett 11, Hall 10, Childers 9

Note of Interest This was Clemson’s 21st consecutive victory over Virginia. The streak would run to 29 before the Tigers suffered their first loss in the series at Virginia in 1990. The game was also played in a steady rain, the first time in over three years that it had rained during a Tiger home game.

Impact on the Polls With the shutout of Virginia, Clemson moved to #6 by AP and #7 by UPI. It was Clemson’s highest ranking by AP since the final poll of 1978.

It Was Said “We got tired of seeing those three-pointers on the scoreboard. We wanted a goose egg.” Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis “The fans down here are the best in the country. They are such good people. This is what football should be all about. At our hotel, you don’t see a bunch of drunks, you see families. They have children coming to the game with their parents, and they have parties like you are supposed to have. This Clemson operation...I can’t say anything negative about it.” Virginia Head Coach Dick Bestwick 2006 Clemson Football

135

Game 6 The 1981 Duke Game

Clemson Duke

38 10

October 17, 1981 • Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC Over the course of the 1981 season, Clemson and 81 yards passing. Austin had 11 carries for 155 had five “revenge games.” And what we mean by yards in the first half, and it looked like Don King’s that is the 1981 schedule featured five games against Clemson single-game rushing record of 234 yards teams that had defeated Clemson during the 1980 was in jeopardy. But he had just eight carries in the season. While many Tiger players would have second half when Ford called off the dogs. ranked the Georgia game as revenge game #1, most The only disappointment of the day came in of the players looked at the Duke game as revenge the second half when Duke scored a touchdown on game #2. a 21-yard completion from Bennett to Cedric Jones The Blue Devils had ruined Clemson’s 1980 in the third quarter. That ended a streak of 18 conseason with an embarrassing 34-17 victory in Death secutive quarters without allowing a touchdown for Valley. The Tigers were on their way to a very good the Tiger defense, a streak the defense took great 1980 season with a 4-1 record, and the only loss pride in. That streak has not been duplicated since. was by four points to a Georgia team that went on Jeff Davis led the defense on this day with 18 to win the National Championship. tackles, helping the Tigers force five turnovers. Terry Clemson had a 17-3 lead at halftime over Duke, Kinard had two diving interceptions, and Johnny then fell apart in the second half when Ben Bennett Rembert added a theft. Those two Tigers went on threw the ball all over the yard and added an exclato play a combined 15 years in the NFL, and each mation point when he taunted the Tiger defense on played in the Pro Bowl. a scoring run that clinched the victory for Red Clemson finished the day with 563 yards of Wilson’s team. Clemson went on to finish 6-5. total offense, including 323 rushing and 240 through The image of Bennett rubbing it in the Tigers’ the air. It was the most-balanced performance of face on that touchdown apparently had remained at the season by far, and one of just two games in 1981 the forefront of their collective minds, because in which Clemson gained 500 yards of total offense. Clemson took control of the game from the outset in every phase. Stars of the Game Cliff Austin gained 21 yards on Clemson’s first Offense - Cliff Austin had 178 yards rushing on 19 play, and Homer Jordan connected with Frank carries and scored two touchdowns. The 178 yards Magwood on a 22-yard pass a few plays later. rushing were the most by a Tiger in 1981. He had a Brendon Crite completed the 64-yard touchdown 77-yard run in that game that is still the 12th-longest drive with a four-yard run, and Clemson led 7-0. run in school history and the longest run by a Tiger With the lead up to 17-0 in the second quarter, during the 1981 season. Clemson put together a 98-yard touchdown drive Defense - Jeff Davis was all over the field, recordthat was highlighted by ing 18 tackles to lead the a 77-yard run by Austin. Tiger defense. Six times It did not go for a touchin the second and third down, as he was caught quarters, Duke ran a from behind at the four play from the Clemson yard line by Dennis one yard line without Tabron. There was a bit scoring, and it seemed of irony there because like Davis was disrupting Tabron had been the dethe Blue Devil offense fensive star of the 1980 on all six plays. game when he had three interception reStat of the Game turns for 128 yards and Clemson had 323 was named Sports Ilyards rushing and 240 lustrated National Deyards passing. It was fensive Player-of-thethe only game during a Week. Austin’s run is 10-year period that the longest non-scoring Clemson had at least rush in school history. 300 yards rushing and Jordan scored from a 200 yards passing in the yard out to put Clemson same game. up 24-0. Clemson gained Note of Interest 325 yards in the first half Gerald Austin was Cliff Austin gained 178 yards on the ground on 244 yards rushing one of the officials for at Duke, the top figure by a Tiger in 1981. 136

2006 Clemson Football

Game Stats Clemson Duke

7 0

17 3

14 7

0 0

38 10

CU Crite 4 run (Paulling kick), 1st, 11:54 CU Paulling 20 FG, 2nd, 13:55 CU Austin 15 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 9:05 CU Jordan 1 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 3:07 DUK McKinney 29 FG, 2nd, 0:41 CU Austin 2 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 9:03 DUK Jones 21 pass from Bennett (McKinney kick), 3rd, 6:25 CU Tuttle 29 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 3rd, 4:13 Attendance - 26,000 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

CU 25 59-323 14-20-1 240 79-563 7.1 2-2 3 11-83 3-4 1-9 3-50 2-31.5 9-13 2-12 34:02

DUK 23 36-82 17-28-3 243 64-325 5.1 3-2 5 5-45 1-1 1-5 2-32 3-40.3 3-9 0-0 25:58

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) CU Austin 19-178-2, Jordan 14-47-1, C. McSwain 11-47 DUK Grayson 18-51, Bennett 11-25, Boone 1-4 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) CU Jordan 13-19-198-1-1, Gasque 1-1-42-0-0 DUK Bennett 17-25-243-1-1, R. Frederick 0-1-0-1-0, Salley 0-1-0-1-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) CU Tuttle 5-86-1, Stockstill 3-75, Gaillard 3-40 DUK R. Frederick 7-126, Jones 5-74-1, Militello 1-14 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU Kinard 2-0, Rembert 1-4 DUK Obremskey 1-1 Tackles CU J. Davis 18, Kinard 11, Triplett 8, Bryant 7, Hall 7 Recovered Fumbles CU J. Davis 1, Hall 1

this game. In those days, Austin was both an ACC football official and an ACC basketball official. He is still an NFL official 25 years later.

Impact on the Polls Clemson moved into the top five in both polls after this victory. Clemson jumped to #4 in AP and #5 in UPI after the victory at Duke. The #4 ranking in the AP poll was the highest in school history at the time, and the first ranking in the top five for the Tiger program since September 21, 1959.

It Was Said “Clemson deserves to be ranked #6 in the nation. They are a great football team. They may deserve an even higher rating. There is no doubt they are one of the best football teams in America.” Duke Head Coach Red Wilson ClemsonTigers.com

Game 7 The 1981 N.C. State Game

N.C. State Clemson

7 17

October 24, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC Clemson entered the N.C. State game with a 6-0 record, Clemson’s best start since 1948, and the Tigers’ #4 national ranking by AP was their best in history. Coming off a 38-10 win at Duke, Clemson was flat for some reason from the outset against the Wolfpack. It was especially surprising from an offensive standpoint, because Clemson had gained at least 200 yards of total offense in each of the last five halves entering this game. N.C. State had been a thorn in Danny Ford’s side since he became Clemson’s head coach. He was 0-2 against the Wolfpack so far, including close losses in 1979 and 1980. In the 1980 game, Clemson had committed five turnovers that led directly to 21 of their 24 points in a 24-20 N.C. State win in Raleigh. Monte Kiffin was a 1964 Nebraska graduate, and it would not be the last time Clemson would face a Cornhusker alum in 1981. It appeared the first quarter of the 1981 game was going to be the fifth quarter of the 1980 contest. On Clemson’s first possession of the game, Cliff Austin, who would be Clemson’s top rusher in the 1981 season, fumbled and N.C. State recovered at the Wolfpack 41. N.C. State then drove it down Clemson’s throat on the ensuing possession, and Laramount Lawson scored on a 13-yard run to put the Wolfpack up 7-0. Incredibly, that was the first rushing touchdown of the season against the Tiger defense, and it was the longest touchdown run of the regular season against the Tigers. Faced with the 7-0 deficit at home, Clemson came back and drove to the N.C. State 23, where Donald Igwebuike booted a 39-yard field goal. That score might have calmed Ford’s fears for a while,

but Jordan threw two interceptions in the second quarter, giving Clemson three first-half turnovers. The Tigers got the ball back with 3:10 left in the quarter and made its final drive of the half count. It was the most important drive of the game, and one of the most under-appreciated drives of 1981. Jordan, who completed just three passes in this game for 43 yards, connected with Perry Tuttle twice on this 65-yard scoring drive for key plays, especially a 17-yard gain to the N.C. State six with just under 30 seconds left. Austin scored on a oneyard run with just 13 seconds left to give Clemson a 10-7 lead and momentum heading into halftime. Clemson had to feel good in that it had committed three turnovers, something it had not done in the last three games combined, yet had the lead. The third quarter belonged to Clemson, as the Tigers allowed just one first down. The Tigers could not score either, but controlled the tempo. Finally, with 8:30 left in the game, Jeff McCall bulled in from 15 yards to complete a 52-yard drive, and Clemson had a 17-7 lead. That would be the final score, as Clemson’s defense dominated the rest of the game. Davis entered the game needing 20 tackles to reach 400 for his career. He ended the game with 19, but he joined future NFL veteran Jeff Bryant to limit N.C. State to 76 total yards, three first downs, and 21 yards rushing in the second half. Bryant had four tackles for loss and 12 tackles overall. Jordan had thrown just three interceptions all year, but he threw three on this day and completed just 3-14 passes for 43 yards. It was his worst-passing game as a Tiger, but he had a career-high 104 yards rushing on 21 carries. Every national championship team has a midseason game in which it is flat and needs to overcome some doldrums to keep the streak going. Texas had it in 2005 when it fell behind Oklahoma State by three touchdowns in the first half. This was Clemson’s trap game of 1981. But it kept the unbeaten streak alive.

Clemson’s defense gave up its first rushing touchdown of the season when Laramount Lawson scored on a 13-yard run in the first quarter. But the defense did not allow a point over the last three quarters against the Wolfpack. ClemsonTigers.com

Game Stats N.C. State Clemson

7 3

0 7

0 0

0 7

7 17

NCS Lawson 13 run (Auten kick), 1st, 7:04 CU Igwebuike 39 FG, 1st, 3:36 CU Austin 1 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 0:13 CU McCall 15 run (Paulling kick), 4th, 8:30 Attendance - 62,727 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

NCS 11 38-87 11-25-1 114 63-201 3.2 1-0 1 7-63 3-52 0-0 2-24 9-36.6 5-17 1-2 28:13

CU 21 59-304 3-14-3 43 73-347 4.8 3-2 5 3-30 1-5 5-31 2-29 4-45.0 5-13 1-9 31:47

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) NCS McIntosh 15-39, Lawson 11-36-1, Sullivan 5-12 CU Jordan 21-104, Austin 14-75-1, McCall 7-46-1 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) NCS Avery 9-21-94-1-0, Laraway 2-4-20-0-0 CU Jordan 3-14-43-3-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) NCS Quick 5-72, McIntosh 2-17, Longmire 1-10 CU Tuttle 2-22, Gaillard 1-21 Interceptions (Int-Yards) NCS E. Williams 2-36, Etheridge 1-16 CU Hall 1-5 Tackles CU J. Davis 19, Bryant 12, Benish 10, Headen 7

7-0 lead. Although Clemson trailed at some point in seven of the 12 games, that 7-0 deficit tied for the largest that it faced all season.

Note of Interest Clemson had a season-low 43 yards passing, but rushed for 304 yards in the win over N.C. State. Clemson is 99-3-1 all-time when rushing for at least 300 yards, including 3-0 in 1981.

Impact on the Polls Clemson improved to #3 in the AP poll and #4 in the UPI poll after the victory over N.C. State.

Stars of the Game

It Was Said

Offense - Cliff Austin had 14 rushes for 75 yards and one of Clemson’s two touchdowns. Defense - Jeff Bryant had a careerhigh 12 tackles, including four tackles for loss, most by a Tiger in 1981, in the victory over N.C. State.

“State got a lot of enthusiasm after they scored first, and we knew we had to start controlling the football or it was going to be a long day. So we figured if they didn’t get any more first downs, there wouldn’t be much else they could do.” Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis “I was afraid N.C. State would play like that. We always seem to turn the ball over against them. There are not a lot of teams in the country that are 7-0. I was very impressed with our performance today.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford

Stat of the Game When Laramount Lawson scored on a 13-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, it gave the Wolfpack a

2006 Clemson Football

137

Game 8 The 1981 Wake Forest Game

Wake Forest

24

Clemson

82

October 31, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC One of the most odd moments of my 29-year Clemson sports information career took place on Halloween, 1981. As Bob Bradley’s assistant that year, it was my responsibility to have an accurate gameday roster in the game notes for the media. But on this day, one got by me. The Tigers had a 76-24 lead with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Danny Ford had long since emptied his bench. He would play 75 players on this day, including eight running backs, all of whom carried the ball. With Clemson trying to run out the clock, a Tiger wearing #44 took a pitchout and raced 72 yards for a touchdown (see photo). At the time he crossed the goal line and for a few minutes thereafter, I had no idea who that player was. While Wake Forest was not a strong team in 1981, we did not expect such a rout that would lead to Ford playing just about everyone eligible. After all, Al Groh’s team (yes, the current Virginia head coach) had played a 35-33 game with Clemson the previous year under Head Coach John Mackovic. But Clemson was heavily favored and Ford added a few to the roster late in the week, even to the point of using some players with the same number. I never got the memo. I knew the #44 on defense, that was Otis Lindsey. But I doubt he had suddenly decided to switch positions in pregame. When #44 scored, outside public address announcer Freeman Martin gave the touchdown to Lindsey, but I knew that could not be right. On the inside press box P.A., we had to say, “guys, we don’t know who scored that touchdown.” That brought great laughter from the media. We did not have cell phones or walkie-talkies in those days, but there was a phone line to the sidelines. I got on the phone, and it rang and rang until someone picked it up. I asked the manager on the

other end to find out who that #44 was on offense that scored to give Clemson an 82-24 lead. I was finally told that it was Craig Crawford, who had never carried the ball until this day. I had not even noticed him on the scout team that week. We finally issued a correction. Crawford would move to defensive end in 1982 and became a starter by the end of his career. The other memory of this game that jumps out concerns the Tiger mascot. Clemson was scoring touchdowns at an alarming rate, and Tiger mascot Ricky Capps was running out of gas. The Demon Deacon mascot could see Capps was struggling to do his pushups after each score, so after a Duke Holloman touchdown gave Clemson a 76-24 lead, he came over to the Tiger side of the field, and he did the pushups for him. Capps still set all kinds of pushup records that day for a Clemson mascot, performing 464 overall, even without the 76 done by the Demon Deacon mascot after Clemson’s 11th touchdown. It took me some time to figure out all the records Clemson set on a team and conference basis on this day. Many still stand today, including rushing yards (536), highest perfect third-down conversion percentage (12-12), points in an ACC game (82), touchdowns (12), yards of total offense (756), points in a quarter (35), and first downs (35).

Stars of the Game Offense - Perry Tuttle had seven receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The reception yardage total is still fourth-best in Clemson history entering the 2006 season. His day included a 75-yard scoring catch from Homer Jordan and a 25-yard scoring reception from Mike Gasque. Defense - On a day when the offense had 756 yards, it is difficult to concentrate on a defensive player, but we will go with Jeff Davis, who had 10 tackles while playing less than half the game to lead all Tiger tacklers.

Stat of the Game Clemson was a perfect 12-12 on third down in this game, and the record 100-percent rate has not been duplicated by a Tiger team since.

Game Stats Wake Forest Clemson

7 14

7 35

3 20

7 13

24 82

CU Austin 4 run (Paulling kick), 1st, 10:40 CU Austin 3 run (Paulling kick), 1st, 6:13 WFU Duckett 17 pass from Schofield (Denfeld kick), 1st, 3:06 CU C. McSwain 1 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 14:58 CU Mack 10 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 8:12 CU Jordan 7 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 6:07 CU McCall 24 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 5:40 CU C. McSwain 16 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 3:23 WFU Cunningham 1 run (Denfeld kick), 2nd, 0:39 CU Tuttle 75 pass from Jordan (L. Brown kick failed), 3rd, 14:42 WFU Denfeld 22 FG, 3rd, 9:32 CU Tuttle 25 pass from Gasque (L. Brown kick), 3rd, 5:17 CU C. McSwain 12 run (L. Brown kick), 3rd, 4:16 CU Holloman 3 run (L. Brown kick), 4th, 10:08 CU Crawford 72 run (L. Brown kick failed), 4th, 5:40 WFU Duckett 5 pass from Schofield (Denfeld kick), 4th, 2:59 Attendance - 60,383 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

WFU 24 32-88 27-43-2 270 75-358 4.8 3-2 4 4-45 1-27 0-0 5-109 6-46.5 1-10 0-0 29:11

CU 35 68-536 11-19-1 220 87-756 8.7 0-0 1 5-50 2-17 3-20 3-77 0 12-12 4-39 30:49

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) WFU Cunningham 9-48-1, Owen 9-40, Cockerham 524 CU Austin 13-101-2, C. McSwain 15-90-3, McCall 8-77-1, Crawford 2-78-1 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) WFU Schofield 21-35-229-2-2, Webber 5-7-34-0-0 CU Jordan 8-14-180-0-1, Gasque 3-4-40-0-1, Austin 0-1-0-1-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) WFU Denfeld 12-115, Duckett 3-42-2, Ruffner 3-37 CU Tuttle 7-161-2, Magwood 2-39, Diggs 1-10 Interceptions (Int-Yards) WFU Threat 1-27 CU B. Davis 1-11, Kinard 1-6 Tackles CU J. Davis 10, Kinard 8, Triplett 7 Recovered Fumbles CU Benish 1, J. Davis 1

Impact on the Polls Clemson improved to #2 by AP and #3 by UPI.

It Was Said Note of Interest

It took a while for someone in the press box to identify Craig Crawford after his 72-yard touchdown against Wake Forest. 138

2006 Clemson Football

Clemson punters could have stayed home. Clemson did not punt, as the Tigers were 12-12 on third-down conversions, and scored 12 touchdowns in the game by eight different players.

“I don’t think Clemson tried to run up the score. I’ve always felt it was my job to stop them. Clemson was more than gracious. I thought Clemson played like a class football team. They played the way they are suppose to play. When a football team plays like that, I appreciate their efforts.” Wake Forest Head Coach Al Groh ClemsonTigers.com

Game 9 The 1981 North Carolina Game

Clemson

10

North Carolina

8

November 7, 1981 • Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC It certainly took a while for the national media to catch on to the fact that this Clemson team just might be a factor in the national title race. Entering the North Carolina game in Chapel Hill, Clemson was #2 in the AP poll and #3 in the UPI poll. The week of the game, Alexander Wolff, then a very young writer for Sports Illustrated who is now renowned for his books about basketball, came to Clemson to do a story on the Tigers. “The Paws Have Given Cause for Pause,” was the title of the four-page article on the Tigers. The game was televised to 60 percent of the nation by ABC. Not only had Clemson’s high national ranking and an outrageous 82 points against Wake Forest the previous week brought attention to this game, but North Carolina was 7-1 entering the contest and ranked #8 in the nation in the AP poll. This was the first matchup of top-10 ACC teams in history, and it would be the only top-10 ACC matchup in the first 43 years of the league. Much of the pregame talk centered around the health of North Carolina running back Kelvin Bryant and quarterback Rod Elkins. Bryant had received national attention by scoring 15 touchdowns in the first three games of the season, but he had suffered a knee injury and had not played in the last five weeks. Elkins had suffered an ankle injury in North Carolina’s loss to South Carolina. This was a defensive battle from the get-go, and the hard-hitting was a reason there were six combined fumbles by the two teams in the first quarter. However, only one resulted in a turnover, a recovered fumble by Clemson’s Hollis Hall. North Carolina had a 3-0 lead when Clemson finally got a drive going in the second quarter. The Tigers drove 81 yards in 14 plays, 12 of which were running plays. Jeff McCall, the unsung hero in this game with 84 yards rushing, scored on a sevenyard run to give Clemson a 7-3 lead. Clemson had the momentum until the end of the half. Dale Hatcher stood near his own goal line preparing to punt on a fourth-and-14, but his punt was blocked by Danny Barlow and rolled through the endzone for a safety with just 14 seconds remaining. It made the score 7-5 and gave the Tar Heels all the momentum going into halftime. Danny Ford’s first five minutes of the secondhalf theory proved to be true in this game. North Carolina had the ball first in the second half, but the Tar Heels went three-and-out thanks to a 10-yard sack by Jeff Bryant. Clemson then used 6:17 off the clock on the next drive and scored on a 39-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike, giving the Tigers a 10-5 lead. It would be Clemson’s only third-quarter possession. North Carolina came back on its next possession to drive 79 yards in 17 plays. Again, it was a ClemsonTigers.com

key play by the defense that forced the field goal. With a first-and-goal from the Clemson four, Jeff Davis and Terry Kinard combined on a five-yard loss for Bryant on a sweep play. The game came down to the final North Carolina possession. After Hatcher’s coffin-corner kick pinned the Tar Heels on their own two with 2:19 left, Scott Stankavage guided North Carolina to its own 40 with over a minute left. Stankavage actually caught a 14-yard halfback option pass from Bryant to move the ball to the 40. But on first-and-10 from the 40, Stankavage threw what he thought was a forward pass in the right flat to Alan Burrus. The ball was behind Burrus and sat on the ground for what seemed to be an eternity. Bryant was the only player on both teams who thought it might be a lateral. He sprinted over and dove on the ball. The officials gave Clemson possession and that was the game. There would have been a replay today, but not in 1981. The Greenville News Sunday morning addition had what might be the best headline I have seen in my 29 years at Clemson...“Tigers are 10-8-cious.”

Stars of the Game Offense - Jeff McCall gained a season-high 84 yards from his fullback position to lead all rushers. He also scored the only touchdown for either team. Defense - Jeff Bryant had eight tackles, including two sacks, and recovered the most important fumble of the season in the 10-8 victory.

Stat of the Game Freshman Dale Hatcher had his worst average of the season with a 36.6-yard mark on six punts, but he also had his most important punt of the sea-

Game Stats Clemson North Carolina

0 0

7 5

3 3

0 0

10 8

UNC Barwick 22 FG, 2nd, 12:44 CU McCall 7 run (Paulling kick), 2nd, 6:54 UNC TEAM safety, 2nd, 0:14 CU Igwebuike 39 FG, 3rd, 6:17 UNC Barwick 26 FG, 3rd, 0:30 Attendance - 53,611 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

CU 17 61-171 7-10-0 83 71-254 3.6 4-1 1 4-30 0-0 3-43 1-14 7-31.4 6-17 6-31 32:52

UNC 16 42-84 13-30-0 179 72-263 3.7 4-2 2 4-40 0-0 1-19 3-48 7-39.1 4-15 4-31 27:08

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) CU McCall 16-84-1, Austin 10-39, Mack 9-29 UNC Burrus 5-38, Anthony 8-31, Bryant 13-31 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) CU Jordan 7-10-83-0-0 UNC Stankavage 8-21-93-0-0, Elkins 4-8-65-0-0, Anthony 1-1-21-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) CU Gaillard 4-27, Tuttle 3-56 UNC Richardson 4-48, Smith 3-41, Griffin 2-51 Tackles CU J. Davis 15, Triplett 11, Bryant 9, Kinard 9, Benish 8, Richardson 7 Recovered Fumbles CU Bryant 1, Hall 1

son, a 47-yard boot with 2:19 left that pinned the Tar Heels back on their own two.

Note of Interest One of the interesting side-battles of this game involved the Richardson brothers. Mark was a reserve defensive end (all 194 pounds of him) for Clemson, and Jon was the top wideout for North Carolina. Jon led North Carolina in receptions with four catches for 48 yards, and Mark had a careerhigh seven tackles. Both now work together as presidents with the Carolina Panthers.

Impact on the Polls Clemson remained #2 in the AP poll and moved to #2 in the UPI poll with the win.

It Was Said

Jeff McCall was the top rusher and scored the only touchdown against the Tar Heels.

“We were preparing to play against Kelvin Bryant, Rod Elkins, and even Lawrence Taylor in case he came back from the pros. It was a very tight ballgame. We played too tight emotionally and had a lot of breakdowns. But we played some good defense when we had to.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford 2006 Clemson Football

139

Game 10 The 1981 Maryland Game

Maryland Clemson

7 21

November 14, 1981 • Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC For the fourth time in the last five weeks, Clemson was playing against a team that had defeated the Tigers during the 1980 season. For a 15year period in the 1970s and 1980s, it seemed like Maryland and Clemson had played a game that was pivotal towards deciding the ACC Championship. While Maryland entered this game with a 3-5-2 record, Clemson needed the victory to clinch the outright ACC title. It was Senior Day at Clemson, and one of the school’s greatest classes in history was playing its final home game. It seems the final home game can bring out the best in a senior. Just a year earlier, Willie Underwood had a career game in his final game as a Tiger. He had never had an interception in his four years, then had two in the home victory over South Carolina that jumpstarted Clemson towards success in 1981. In 1981, it was Jerry Gaillard’s turn. Among Clemson’s top-10 wide receivers of all time in terms of catches entering his final home game, Gaillard had never caught a touchdown pass. Incredible as it may seem today, Perry Tuttle had been the only Tiger to catch a touchdown pass in both 1979 and 1980. And while Gaillard had 12 catches at this juncture in 1981, he still had not scored a touchdown. Homer Jordan was a junior, but he played like a senior quarterback with no tomorrow, especially in the first half. Danny Ford’s headset must not have been working in the first half, as Offensive Coordinator Nelson Stokely called pass play after pass play. And everything seemed to work.

Homer Jordan threw for a career-high 270 yards and had 312 yards of total offense in the ACC title-clinching win over Maryland. 140

2006 Clemson Football

Jordan was 15-18 for 214 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, unheard of numbers for Clemson in those days and very good numbers by today’s standards. He led the Tigers to 308 yards of total offense in the first half and a 21-0 lead. He also led the Tigers on a 61-yard drive for a score in the first quarter, connecting on a 14-yard scoring pass to Tuttle with four seconds left in the quarter. Then on Clemson’s first possession of the second quarter, he led the Tigers on an 88-yard drive that ended with a five-yard scoring pass to Tuttle. Tuttle would finish his final home game with 10 catches for 151 yards and two scores, among the top receiving games in school history. His 10 catches moved him into first place in school history in career catches with 142, three more than Jerry Butler had from 1975-78. Ironically, Tuttle would see his career record eclipsed 12 years later when Terry Smith surpassed his record in his final home game. While the crowd was rejoicing in Tuttle’s success, the team, and Tuttle for that matter, were most excited on the next possession when Jordan completed a 12-yard scoring pass to Gaillard, the popular senior from Yuma, AZ. He had finally scored, and Tuttle was the first player there to congratulate him. That score gave Clemson a 21-0 lead, and all but assured the ACC Championship. I started searching the Clemson recordbooks for the passing marks at halftime, but Maryland made a few changes at intermission. Jerry Claiborne was one of the top coaches of the era and made some adjustments that kept Clemson out of the endzone during the second half. Still, Clemson finished with 270 yards passing, a career high for Jordan, and 469 yards of total offense. The defense allowed one touchdown in the fourth quarter, something I am sure made Jeff Davis upset, as the senior wanted a shutout in his final home game. Still, he was credited with 16 tackles, many against Maryland star Charlie Wysocki, who had run through Clemson for three touchdowns the previous year in a 34-7 Maryland romp. The Maryland quarterback this day was Boomer Esiason, the future NFL star who took Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. Esiason started three games against Clemson in his career and finished with an 0-3 record. A look back to the postgame quotes from Ford was revealing in one sense. “This group of seniors deserves a lot of credit. When they came back in August, they had their goals set. First, they wanted to win the ACC title. Second, they wanted to win the state title. And third, they wanted to go to a major bowl. They accomplished the first goal today.” Interesting to note that there was never a mention of a national title as a legitimate goal, even with a 10-0 record.

Game Stats Maryland Clemson

0 7

0 14

0 0

7 0

7 21

CU Tuttle 14 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 1st, 0:04 CU Tuttle 5 pass form Jordan (Paulling kick), 2nd, 6:06 CU Gaillard 12 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 2nd, 2:00 UMD Wysocki 7 run (Atkinson kick), 4th, 13:38 Attendance - 63,199 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

UMD 18 30-44 18-45-0 192 75-236 3.1 2-0 0 4-20 1-1 1-5 2-37 8-41.8 7-19 1-8 25:50

CU 28 52-199 20-29-1 270 81-469 5.8 3-2 3 11-119 0-0 2-22 0-0 4-44.0 5-12 5-35 34:10

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) UMD Wysocki 15-59-1, Milkovich 2-6, Brkovich 2-4 CU Austin 15-55, Mack 18-54, C. McSwain 8-48 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) UMD Esiason 15-38-167-0-0, Milkovich 3-7-25-0-0 CU Jordan 20-29-270-1-3 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) UMD Brkovich 5-37, Tice 4-53, Nash 3-39 CU Tuttle 10-151-2, Magwood 3-50, Gaillard 2-30-1 Tackles CU J. Davis 16, Kinard 9, Bryant 7

Stars of the Game Offense - Homer Jordan completed 20-29 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 42 yards rushing for a career-high 312 yards of total offense. He was named ACC Back-of-the-Week. Defense - Playing in his final home game, Jeff Davis led the Tigers with 16 tackles, including 10 first hits.

Stat of the Game The Tiger defense forced at least one turnover in every game but the Maryland game. Clemson also had a season-high 119 penalty yards, penalties that kept it from winning by more than 18 points.

Note of Interest Jerry Gaillard waited until his final home game to score his first career touchdown, a 12-yard catch from Homer Jordan in the second quarter.

Impact on the Polls Clemson remained #2 in both polls.

It Was Said “Perry Tuttle is fast and has good hands. I was there, but Jordan made a perfect throw on the first touchdown. On the second touchdown, I made sure Tuttle wasn’t going to beat me on the outside. He went inside, and again the throw was on the money. It was one of those days.” Maryland cornerback David Taylor ClemsonTigers.com

Game 11 The 1981 South Carolina Game

Clemson

29

South Carolina

13

November 21, 1981 • Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC “Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up,” my former boss (the late Bob Bradley) used to say. That was the case with the odd coincidence concerning a blocked put in Clemson’s victory over South Carolina in 1981. Clemson entered the 1981 game with a perfect record and needed just one more win to close out its first perfect regular season since 1948. In that season, the Tigers had defeated South Carolina by a score of 13-7 at midseason (it was the Big Thursday era of the rivalry) thanks to a blocked punt by Phil Prince. With the line of scrimmage the South Carolina 28 and Clemson trailing with under five minutes left, Prince blocked a punt. The ball was recovered at the 11 by Oscar Thompson, who ran it in for a touchdown with just 4:15 left in the game. Thirty-three years later, Clemson trailed South Carolina 7-0 in the first quarter. With the line of scrimmage the Gamecock 28, Chris Norman waited to receive the punt snap. Rod McSwain came in from the left and blocked the punt. Johnny Rembert, who later became a teammate of McSwain in the NFL, pounced on the ball in the endzone for a touchdown. Two undefeated seasons and two blocked punts 33 years apart led to scores in the same endzone in the same stadium. And the line of scrimmage was the same at the same end of the field. While that 1981 blocked punt took place in the first quarter and Clemson still trailed after the play (the Tigers missed the extra point), the momentum had definitely swung to Clemson’s favor. As noted columnist Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Constitution wrote, “The momentum had switched. The Tigers were back on top of their game, doing what they do best, playing defense, and it was a matter of time before they would ride over the Gamecocks like an orange scourge.”

That orange scourge was in the form of running back Chuck McSwain, Rod McSwain’s older brother. He was not to be outdone this day by his sibling, as he had a career-high 151 yards rushing and two scores. Both scores came in the second half when he had 111 yards and two touchdowns. He was the big reason Clemson gained 254 yards on the ground and controlled the flow of the game. Clemson needed McSwain’s big second half, because the Gamecocks actually cut Clemson’s advantage to 15-13 on their first possession of the third quarter. Gordon Beckham, who’s son with the same name is the current starting shortstop at Georgia, threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Horace Smith with 10:28 left in the third quarter. It marked just the second time all year an opponent had scored more than one touchdown against the Tiger defense. The next drive was classic Clemson. South Carolina stopped Perry Tuttle at the 14 on his kickoff return. But the Tigers then drove 86 yards in 18 plays. Chuck McSwain had 29 of those yards rushing, including the touchdown with 4:07 left, putting Clemson in front 22-13. Two possessions later, McSwain gained 52 yards on an 80-yard drive, again ending with a touchdown, this time from 23 yards. South Carolina totaled just two first downs in the fourth quarter thanks to a defense led by Bill Smith, who had two sacks in the game. The Gamecocks ended the contest with just 205 yards of total offense and a 32-percent completion mark. Tiger fans, who were certainly concerned that this South Carolina team was capable of ruining their “dream season,” could now breath again.

Clemson South Carolina

6 7

9 0

7 6

7 0

29 13

USC Wright 1 run (Fleetwood kick), 1st, 9:05 CU Rembert recovered blocked punt (Paulling kick failed), 1st, 5:28 CU Paulling 24 FG, 2nd, 12:10 CU Jordan 11 run (pass failed), 2nd, 4:39 USC Smith 10 pass from Beckham (run failed), 3rd, 10:28 CU C. McSwain 1 run (Paulling kick), 3rd, 4:07 CU C. McSwain 23 run (Paulling kick), 4th, 9:32 Attendance - 56,971 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

CU 23 64-254 7-13-1 80 77-334 4.3 4-2 3 8-65 2-28 3-39 2-35 4-41.5 6-15 5-44 31:28

USC 17 43-105 9-28-2 100 71-205 2.9 1-0 2 8-88 1-0 2-11 5-110 8-36.4 3-14 2-9 28:32

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) CU C. McSwain 25-151-2, Austin 17-66, Jordan 1225-1 USC Wright 16-68-1, Hagood 12-48, Blasingame 2-3 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) CU Jordan 7-13-80-1-0 USC Beckham 9-28-100-2-1 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) CU Tuttle 3-46, Gaillard 2-17, Mack 2-17 USC Smith 5-57-1, Blasingame 2-19, Berry 1-13 Interceptions (Int-Yards) CU Hall 1-28, Childers 1-0 USC Pealotte 1-0 Tackles CU J. Davis 15, Bryant 12, Kinard 6

Stars of the Game

Note of Interest

Offense - Chuck McSwain gained 151 yards on 25 carries, including 110 yards in the second half. He was named the National Amateur Athlete-of-theWeek by ESPN. Defense - Bill Smith had five first hits, including two sacks of Gordon Beckham, to key the defense that held the Gamecocks to 205 yards of total offense.

Rod McSwain’s blocked punt in the second quarter was recovered in the endzone by Johnny Rembert. Both would go on to be teammates with the New England Patriots for seven years and played in the 1986 Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears.

The McSwain brothers had a huge impact on Clemson defeating the Gamecocks. Chuck (left) rushed for 151 yards, and Rod (right) blocked a punt that changed the momentum of the game. ClemsonTigers.com

Game Stats

Impact on the Polls

Stat of the Game

Clemson remained #2 in the country in both polls after the contest. The following weekend, Penn State thrashed undefeated Pittsburgh by a score of 48-14, allowing Clemson to move to #1 in both polls entering the bowl season. Clemson had 63 of the 67 AP first-place votes and 33 of the 42 UPI firstplace votes.

The victory completed a perfect regular season for the Tigers. The last time Clemson had a perfect regular season was 1948, the year Danny Ford was born.

“Our seniors have given us great leadership. We’re proud of everyone associated with this team. If everyone hadn’t done their part, we couldn’t have accomplished what we’ve done so far. We have done a lot, but there is still a lot to play for.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford

It Was Said

2006 Clemson Football

141

Game 12 The 1982 Orange Bowl vs. Nebraska

Nebraska Clemson

15 22

January 1, 1982 • Orange Bowl • Miami, FL After Clemson defeated South Carolina 29-13 to close the regular season, the Tigers were still ranked #2 in the nation behind Pittsburgh and quarterback Dan Marino. The future NFL Hall of Famer had actually narrowed his decision out of high school to Clemson and Pittsburgh, because he was considering playing both football and baseball. But on Thanksgiving weekend, Penn State trounced Pittsburgh 48-14, moving the Tigers into the #1 position entering the bowl games. Looking back, that was huge for the Tigers, because there probably would not have been a Clemson-Pittsburgh matchup because teams had made deals with bowls prior to Thanksgiving. When Pittsburgh lost, it dropped like a rock in the polls, all the way to #10 by AP. So entering the bowl games, Clemson was #1, the seventh different #1 team in 1981, and Georgia was #2. That meant if Clemson won, it would be national champions. Had Pittsburgh also been undefeated heading into the bowls, Clemson could have been 12-0 and not won the national title if Pittsburgh was also undefeated. Nebraska was hoping for dominos to fall, just as it had for Notre Dame in 1977 when the Irish went from #5 to #1 on January 1. Even though Tom Osborne’s Cornhuskers had lost two games in the regular season, the Cornhuskers were ranked #4 entering the bowl games and were on an eight-game winning streak. They knew if they beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Pittsburgh beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and Texas beat Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, they could jump all the way to #1 and give Osborne his first national title. Despite Clemson’s unbeaten record, the only unbeaten team in college football entering the bowl games, there was still a feeling that Georgia could

leapfrog the Tigers with an impressive victory over Pittsburgh and an unimpressive Tiger victory over Nebraska. That might seem absurd since Clemson beat Georgia head-to-head, but Herschel Walker and the Bulldogs had a national following and had won the title the previous year. And, they had won every game since losing to the Tigers back in September. That is why the lead story in our media packet for the Orange Bowl was an article by Dan Foster (Greenville News) that had the headline, “Herschel would vote for Clemson if both teams win.” Walker was just being honest, but I am sure Georgia Head Coach Vince Dooley wished he had not been quite that honest with Mr. Foster. Even though Clemson was the only undefeated team in the nation and Nebraska had two losses, the Cornhuskers were a four-point favorite entering this clash that would be nationally televised, the only time all season someone in California could see the Tigers play. The Cornhuskers had great tradition and they still do, but they had won two National Championships in 1970 and 1971, and had the thirdbest record in college football during the 1970s. In fact, they had won the 1971 national title in an Orange Bowl win over Alabama and Assistant Coach Danny Ford, so Ford was trying to erase his own demons in the Orange Bowl 10 years later. The media did not give the ACC much respect, calling it a “basketball conference.” In fact, Ford’s parting comment to the media after this game was, “Well, it’s on to basketball season.” (And North Carolina did win the national title that next March, the first time the conference won the two major titles in the same academic year.) While looking back, it seems odd that Nebraska was favored in this game...they did come in riding an eight-game winning streak, averaging 330 yards per game on the ground. They had just won at Oklahoma by a score of 37-14, only the second time in the last nine years they had defeated the Cornhuskers. And, they had a backfield that included Mike Rozier, the winner of the 1983 Heisman TroWilliam Devane’s recovered fumble on the game’s third play told Jeff phy, and Roger Davis, “This isn’t going to be any different from the previous 11 games.”

142

2006 Clemson Football

Game Stats Nebraska Clemson

7 6

0 6

0 10

8 0

15 22

CU Igwebuike 41 FG, 1st, 11:39 NEB Steels 25 pass from Rozier (Seibel kick), 1st, 6:43 CU Igwebuike 37 FG, 1st, 1:03 CU Austin 2 run (pass failed), 2nd, 3:56 Tuttle 13 pass from Jordan (Paulling kick), 3rd, 6:12 CU CU Igwebuike 36 FG, 3rd, 2:36 NEB Craig 26 run (Craig run), 4th, 9:15 Attendance - 72,748 Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Yards/Play Fumbles-Lost Turnovers Penalties Interceptions Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Punting Third-Down Conversions Sacks By Defense Time of Possession

NEB 13 40-193 6-17-0 63 57-256 4.5 3-2 2 8-64 1-0 1-12 2-50 6-43.0 6-15 2-10 27:54

CU 17 54-155 11-22-1 134 76-289 3.8 3-0 1 7-57 0-0 3-58 4-93 4-45.8 7-17 1-12 32:06

Rushing (Rush-Yards-TD) NEB Craig 10-87-1, Rozier 15-75, Bates 6-24 CU McCall 12-48, Jordan 16-46, C. McSwain 1224, Austin 7-22-1, Mack 5-15 Passing (Cm-Att-Yards-I-TD) NEB Mauer 5-15-38-0-0, Rozier 1-1-25-0-1, Fryar 01-0-0-0 CU Jordan 11-22-134-1-1 Receiving (Rec-Yards-TD) NEB J. Williams 2-8, Steels 1-25-1, Brown 1-13, Rozier 1-11, Wilkening 1-6 CU Tuttle 5-56-1, Gaillard 3-26, Diggs 2-10, Magwood 1-42 Tackles CU J. Davis 14, Smith 10, Benish 8, Bryant 5, Hall 5, Headen 5, Triplett 5 Recovered Fumbles CU J. Davis 1, Devane 1

Craig, who would go on to a successful NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. They had played a tough schedule, with non-conference games against Iowa, Florida State, Penn State, and Auburn. The Clemson players were excited enough prior to the game, but NBC held the start of the game 17 minutes due to the length of the Rose Bowl game between Penn State and Southern California. The game finally kicked off at 8:17 PM, and it did not take long for things to go Clemson’s way. On Nebraska’s first drive and third play from scrimmage, Cornhusker quarterback Mark Mauer fumbled and William Devane recovered at the Nebraska 33. Mauer had been the second-string quarterback for Nebraska much of the season, but was the starter in this game due to an injury to Turner Gill, who was a sophomore at the time. Gill is now the head coach at Buffalo. “We had been forcing turnovers all year, and that play told us that this game would be no different,” said Jeff Davis. “It gave us confidence.” ClemsonTigers.com

Game 12 The 1982 Orange Bowl vs. Nebraska

Clemson could not score a touchdown after the fumble, but Donald Igwebuike came on to boot his first of three field goals, this one a 41-yarder that would have been good from 60 yards. The Cornhuskers came right back and drove 69 yards for a score in just eight plays on the ensuing drive. They used a trick play to score, as Rozier threw a 25-yard halfback pass to Anthony Steels for six points. It is the only touchdown pass over Terry Kinard that I can remember over the last two years of his career. Clemson added a field goal and trailed 7-6 after the first quarter, the eighth time in 12 games Clemson went to the second quarter without holding the lead in 1981. The second quarter was the most dominant for the Tigers in 1981, outscoring the opposition 13315 for the season, and this game was no different. A fumble by Nebraska’s Phil Bates that was recovered by Davis, his record fourth recovered fumble of the season, gave Clemson the ball at the Nebraska 27. A series of runs brought the ball to the two, where Cliff Austin scored on a sweep. It had been quite a day for Austin, who was trapped in an elevator for two hours in the Clemson team hotel that afternoon. Frank Howard was quoted in the Miami Herald as having said in the press box, “Well, Coach Ford told the players to stay off their feet as much as possible.” Clemson held a 12-7 lead at halftime. While Clemson did not score on its first possession of the second half, it did record a touchdown on its second possession. The Tigers drove 75 yards in 12 plays on their best drive of the night. Homer Jordan connected with Perry Tuttle on a 13-yard scoring pass in the left corner of the endzone. For Tuttle, it was his eighth touchdown catch of the season, establishing a school record. His posttouchdown celebration was captured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the only time a current Tiger athlete has made the cover of the publication. That gave Clemson a 19-7 lead. Clemson forced a three-and-out on the next Nebraska possession, and freshman Billy Davis returned the punt 47 yards to the Nebraska 22. It would be the longest punt return of his career. Igwebuike booted a 36-yard field goal to give Clemson a 22-7 lead. The Tigers had scored 19 consecutive points. On the first play after the kickoff, Mauer attempted a pass in the left flat. Johnny Rembert, a backup linebacker on this team who would go on to a 10-year NFL career, jumped in the passing lane and had the ball in his hands for an easy touchdown. But he could not hang on. Had he done so, this game might have turned into a rout. Nebraska was a championship team and certainly was not down, even with a 15-point deficit. Mauer took the Cornhuskers 69 yards in eight plays, and Nebraska scored on a Roger Craig 26-yard run. It was the longest run all year against the Tigers. Nebraska lined up to go for two points, but was penalized for delay of game. Much to everyone’s surprise, they still went for two, and Craig scored from the eight on a pitchout to the left. Momentum appeared to have shifted with over nine minutes left. The momentum really shifted for Nebraska fans when it was learned about this time that Pittsburgh was going to beat #2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Texas had already beaten #3 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl earlier in the afternoon. This meant a ClemsonTigers.com

Note of Interest Perry Tuttle was on the cover of Sports Illustrated the week following the Orange Bowl. It was the first of consecutive weeks with a Tiger connection on the cover. The following week, Dwight Clark was on the cover for “The Catch” in the 49ers’ NFC Championship game victory over Dallas.

Impact on the Polls Clemson was the unanimous #1 team in the nation in both polls following its win over Nebraska, giving Clemson its first national championship in any sport. In addition to the AP and UPI polls, Clemson was also proclaimed national champion by Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Football Writers Association, Football Coaches Association, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Touchdown Club.

It Was Said Quarterback Homer Jordan was named Offensive MVP of the 1982 Orange Bowl.

Cornhusker victory over the top-ranked Tigers would in fact give them the national title. Clemson then went three-and-out, so Nebraska took over the ball at its own 37 down just seven points with 7:49 left. But, the Cornhuskers were called for holding on their first play, and a bad pitchout by Mauer on third-and-four forced a punt. Clemson then took over the ball with 5:24 left, and Jordan and the Tiger offense worked their ballcontrol magic. Nebraska could not stop Clemson’s offensive line. The Tigers converted two important third downs, including a 23-yard run by Jordan on third-and-four from the Tiger 37. Jordan was physically dehydrated after this drive, and one has to wonder if he would have been able to come back for another possession. He was virtually carried off the field after the game and was given IVs. Even though he was voted Offensive MVP, you will not find any quotes from him after the game, because it was far past the media’s deadline before he came out of the locker room. Clemson ran the clock down to six seconds before giving the ball up. The Cornhuskers had one last chance from their own 46, but Andy Headen knocked away their final long pass, and Clemson became the first ACC team to win the national title since 1953.

Stars of the Game Offense - Homer Jordan completed 11-22 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, and gained 46 yards on 16 carries. Defense - Jeff Davis was named Defensive MVP thanks to his 14 tackles that held the Nebraska offense to just 15 points and 256 yards.

Stat of the Game Cliff Austin scored a touchdown to put Clemson up 12-7 in the second quarter. As a freshman in 1978, he scored what proved to be the winning touchdown in the 1978 Gator Bowl against Ohio State. In both bowl games that Austin scored a touchdown, Clemson allowed the opposition just 15 points. Those were the only two games between 1972-89 that the opposition scored exactly 15 points.

“All I can say is that Clemson has a great team. We want to congratulate them. Our inability to move the ball and commit five or six major penalties were a factor, but Clemson played great defensively. Clemson has the best defense we faced all year. Offensively, they did a great job, particularly in the first half when they dominated the line of scrimmage. I didn’t think they could do that to us. Also, we couldn’t contain their quarterback Homer Jordan. This is probably the most disappointing loss I’ve ever had. There was so much at stake, and I thought we were good enough to win. It (winning the national title) was in our hands, and we let it get away.” Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne “Are we #1? Well, we’re the only team in the country that beat the #2 team (Georgia), the #4 team (Nebraska), and the #8 team (North Carolina). No matter what they say on the West Coast or in the Southeast, no one else did that this year. We just wanted to stay close to them in the first quarter and make sure it was close at the half. Our play was to try to whip them in the fourth quarter. I think we did that. We reacted a little better than they did. We might have been more used to it. I’m glad its over. Nebraska is by far the best team we played all season. I hope I’m not undercutting anyone on our schedule, but they were the best.” Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford

Game Stats Rk 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Team Clemson Texas Penn State Pittsburgh Southern Methodist Georgia Alabama Miami (FL) North Carolina Washington Nebraska Michigan Brigham Young Southern California Ohio State Arizona State West Virginia Iowa Missouri Oklahoma

Head Coach W-L Danny Ford 12-0 Fred Akers 10-1-1 Joe Paterno 10-2 Jackie Sherrill 11-1 Ron Meyer 10-1 Vince Dooley 10-2 Bear Bryant 9-2-1 Howard Schnellenberger 9-2 Dick Crum 10-2 Don James 10-2 Tom Osborne 9-3 Bo Schembechler 9-3 LaVell Edwards 11-2 John Robinson 9-3 Earle Bruce 9-3 Darryl Rogers 9-2 Don Nehlen 9-3 Hayden Fry 8-4 Warren Powers 8-4 Barry Switzer 7-4-1

2006 Clemson Football

143