2011 Clemson Tigers football team

2011 Clemson Tigers football
ACC champion ACC Atlantic Division champion
ACC Championship, W 38–10 vs. Virginia Tech
Orange Bowl, L 33–70 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22
AP	No. 22
2011 record	10–4 (6–2 ACC)
Head coach	Dabo Swinney (3rd full, 4th overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Chad Morris (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Steele (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Charlie Harbison (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 81,500)
Seasons ← 2010 2012 →

2011 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 22 Clemson x$		6	–	2					10	–	4
Wake Forest		5	–	3					6	–	7
No. 23 Florida State		5	–	3					9	–	4
NC State		4	–	4					8	–	5
Boston College		3	–	5					4	–	8
Maryland		1	–	7					2	–	10
Coastal Division
No. 21 Virginia Tech x%		7	–	1					11	–	3
Virginia		5	–	3					8	–	5
Georgia Tech		5	–	3					8	–	5
Miami		3	–	5					6	–	6
North Carolina		3	–	5					7	–	6
Duke		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 10
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Clemson Tigers football team represents Clemson University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his third full year and fourth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, known as "Death Valley". They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Clemson finished the previous season 6–7, losing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl to South Florida. They began the 2011 season unranked, but after a three-game winning streak against ranked opponents in late September, rose to #8 in the AP and Coaches Poll. However, the surprise Tigers lost three of their final four regular-season contests (with two of the losses to unranked opponents); they fell back to #21 in these polls. However, their early start was enough to clinch a spot in the 2011 ACC Championship Game. They won that game with an unexpectedly dominant performance over Virginia Tech, 38–10. In the process, they won their first ACC title since 1991, and with it an automatic berth in the 2012 Orange Bowl. It was the Tigers' first-ever Bowl Championship Series berth, as well as their first major-bowl appearance since the 1982 Orange Bowl. They lost the game in historic fashion to West Virginia by a score of 70–33, setting a bowl record for points conceded in a game.

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	3:30 p.m.	Troy*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ESPN3	W 43–19	73,458[1]
September 10	3:30 p.m.	No. 7 (FCS) Wofford*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ESPN3	W 35–27	74,538[1]
September 17	Noon	No. 21 Auburn*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ABC	W 38–24	81,514[1]
September 24	3:30 p.m.	No. 11 Florida State	No. 21	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 35���30	80,994[1]
October 1	6:00 p.m.	at No. 11 Virginia Tech	No. 13	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	ESPN2	W 23–3	66,233[1]
October 8	3:00 p.m.	Boston College	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy)	ACCRSN	W 36–14	76,315[1]
October 15	7:00 p.m.	at Maryland	No. 8	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	ESPNU	W 56–45	47,961[1]
October 22	Noon	North Carolina	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ESPN	W 59–38	80,519[1]
October 29	8:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	No. 6	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ABC	L 17–31	55,646[1]
November 12	Noon	Wake Forest	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ESPNU	W 31–28	78,375[1]
November 19	3:30 p.m.	at NC State	No. 7	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (Textile Bowl)	ABC/ESPN	L 13–37	57,583[1]
November 26	7:45 p.m.	at No. 14 South Carolina*	No. 18	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (Palmetto Bowl)	ESPN	L 13–34	83,422[1]
December 3	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech	No. 21	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game)	ESPN	W 38–10	73,675[1]
January 4, 2012	8:30 p.m.	vs. No. 23 West Virginia*	No. 14	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl)	ESPN	L 33–70	67,563[1]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[2]

Depth chart[]

Recruiting class[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Sammy Watkins WR	Fort Myers, Florida	South Fort Myers	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Charone Peake WR	Roebuck, South Carolina	Dorman H.S.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tony Steward LB	Saint Augustine, Florida	Pedro Menendez H.S.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stephone Anthony LB	Wadesboro, North Carolina	Anson H.S.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Mike Bellamy (running back) RB	Punta Gorda, Florida	Charlotte	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Corey Crawford DE	Chatham, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Lateek Townsend LB	Bennettsville, South Carolina	Marlboro County	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	-
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Eric Mac Lain TE	Fayetteville, North Carolina	Jack Britt	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cortez Davis S	Daytona Beach, Florida	Mainland H.S.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Joe Gore DE	Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina	East Columbus H.S.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tony McNeal QB	Chester, South Carolina	Chester H.S.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Shaq Anthony OL	Piedmont, South Carolina	Wren H.S.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
DeShawn Williams DT	Central, South Carolina	D.W. Daniel H.S.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ryan Norton C	Mauldin, South Carolina	Mauldin H.S.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Roderick Byers DE	Rock Hill, South Carolina	Northwestern H.S.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	262 lb (119 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cole Stoudt QB	Dublin, Ohio	Dublin Coffman	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
B. J. Goodson LB	Lamar, South Carolina	Lamar H.S.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Grady Jarrett DT	Conyers, Georgia	Rockdale County H.S.	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	282 lb (128 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Robert Smith (safety) S	Dorchester, South Carolina	Woodland H.S.	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ammon Lakip K	Alpharetta, Georgia	Chattahoochee H.S.	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jerome Maybank DT	Pawleys Island, South Carolina	Waccamaw H.S.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	335 lb (152 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Adam Humphries WR	Roebuck, South Carolina	Dorman H.S.	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Colton Walls LB	Charlotte, North Carolina	Charlotte Latin School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stanton Seckinger WR	Charleston, South Carolina	Porter-Gaud School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	—
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11   Rivals: 8  247Sports: 10  ESPN: 8
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

Game summaries[]

Troy[]

1 2 3 4 Total Troy 6 10 0 3 19 • Clemson 13 0 13 17 43 Date: September 3 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC

Clemson opened the season against Troy from the Sun Belt Conference. The Tigers offense had a shaky first half adapting to offensive coordinator Chad Morris's faster new spread set. They were 0-for-8 on third down conversions and had only four first downs. Sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd had several bad throws and near interceptions as the team were booed off the field at half time.

Down 16–13 with 6:56 left in the third quarter, Clemson finally converted their first third down, tight end Dwayne Allen with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Boyd to put the Tigers ahead. On the next drive, Boyd completed all of his passes including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown. The scoring run continued in the fourth quarter, ending in a 43–19 rout.

Boyd finished the game 20-for-30 for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his debut as Clemson's starting quarterback. Sammy Watkins had seven catches for 81 yards while Andre Ellington rushed 18 times for 89 yards. Freshmen accounted for 266 of Clemson's 468 yards.^[3]

Wofford[]

1 2 3 4 Total Wofford 14 7 6 0 27 • Clemson 13 8 7 7 35 Date: September 10 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC

In week two, Clemson faced Wofford. The inexperienced Tigers defense struggled to contain Wofford's triple-option offense throughout the game. The Terriers led 21–13 with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter, but Tajh Boyd led a six-play, 72-yard drive and a two-point conversion to tie the game before half time.

Wofford's last lead in the game came in the opening series of the second half with a field goal. Clemson scored a touchdown each in the third and fourth quarters before stopping Wofford on fourth-and-2 with 3:30 remaining in the game to hold on for a 35–27 victory.

Boyd was 18-for-29 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Andre Ellington had 22 carries for 165 yards. His 74-yard touchdown run was the longest of his career.^[4]

Auburn[]

#21 Auburn at Clemson

1 2 3 4 Total Auburn 14 7 3 0 24 • Clemson 0 21 14 3 38 Date: September 17 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC Game start: Noon EDT Game attendance: 81,514 Game weather: Sunny TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (Play-by-play), Urban Meyer (Color), Chris Spielman (Sideline) & Quint Kessenich (Sideline)

Scoring summary 1 10:36 AUB Michael Dyer 52-yard run (Cody Parkey kick) AUB 7–0 1 7:54 AUB Emory Blake 36-yard pass from Barrett Trotter (Cody Parkey kick) AUB 14–0 2 14:56 CLEM DeAndre Hopkins 4-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) AUB 14–7 2 8:54 AUB Michael Dyer 1-yard run (Cody Parkey kick) AUB 21–7 2 5:06 CLEM Dwayne Allen 6-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) AUB 21–14 2 1:11 CLEM Andre Ellington 2-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) Tied 21–21 3 13:45 CLEM Sammy Watkins 65-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 28–21 3 5:00 AUB Cody Parkey 38-yard field goal CLEM 28–24 3 0:16 CLEM Sammy Watkins 19-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 35–24 4 11:48 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 38-yard field goal CLEM 38–24

Clemson faced defending national champions #21 Auburn in week three. Auburn took a 14–0 lead in the first quarter before Tajh Boyd began finding his passing rhythm. Boyd completed 30 of 42 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns. The game was tied 21–21 at half time, but Clemson's defense restricted Auburn to a field goal in the second half while Boyd threw two touchdown passes to earn a 38–24 win, ending a 17-game winning streak for Auburn.

Clemson's offense totaled 624 yards, its record against an SEC opponent. Fans swarmed the field at the end of the game. Coach Dabo Swinney remarked, "I couldn't think of a better place to end the streak than Death Valley, South Carolina, baby."^[5]

Florida State[]

1 2 3 4 Total Florida State 10 0 7 13 30 • Clemson 14 7 7 7 35 Date: September 24 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 80,994 Game weather: Sunny Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 10:23 FSU Dustin Hopkins 32-yard field goal FSU 3–0 1 7:47 CLEM Sammy Watkins 24-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 7–3 1 1:54 CLEM Tajh Boyd 1-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 14–3 1 0:14 FSU Rodney Smith 57-yard pass from Clint Trickett (Dustin Hopkins kick) CLEM 14–10 2 11:31 CLEM Dwayne Allen 12-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 21–10 3 13:40 FSU Bjoern Werner 25-yard fumble return (Dustin Hopkins kick) CLEM 21–17 3 3:03 CLEM Andre Ellington 1-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 28–17 4 14:55 FSU Rashad Greene 30-yard pass from Clint Trickett (pass failed) CLEM 28–23 4 13:06 CLEM Sammy Watkins 62-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 35–23 4 7:21 FSU Kenny Shaw 9-yard pass from Clint Trickett (Dustin Hopkins kick) CLEM 35–30

Following their victory over Auburn, Clemson entered week four ranked #21. They faced Atlantic Division champions Florida State in their fourth straight home game. FSU were without injured starting quarterback E. J. Manuel. Clemson opened up a 21–10 lead by halftime, and were in control for the rest of the game.

Tajh Boyd was 23-for-37 for 344 yards and three touchdowns and had a rushing touchdown. Freshman receiver Sammy Watkins had eight catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns while Andre Ellington rushed for 72 yards.^[6]

Virginia Tech[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Clemson 3 7 7 6 23 Virginia Tech 0 3 0 0 3 Date: October 1 Location: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT Television network: ESPN2

Scoring summary 1 2:12 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 31-yard field goal CLEM 3–0 2 4:35 VT Courtney Journell 24-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 1:49 CLEM Andre Ellington 1-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 10–3 3 10:42 CLEM Dwayne Allen 32-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 17–3 4 6:12 CLEM Mike Bellamy 31-yard run (kick failed) CLEM 23–3

For Clemson's first road game the Tigers traveled to Blacksburg for a matchup with the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies. The Tigers' defense turned in its best effort of the season in a 23–3 victory against the No. 11 Hokies. The Clemson defense led by Andre Branch held the Hokies to 258 yards and no touchdowns. Branch had three sacks and was involved in 11 tackles. Tajh Boyd threw one touchdown to Dwayne Allen and one interception while Andre Ellington and Mike Bellamy both recorded a rushing touchdown apiece. This win marked the first time any ACC team had ever beaten three top 25 AP opponents in a row. It was also the second time Virginia Tech had not scored a touchdown in Lane Stadium under Frank Beamer and was the first time since 1995.^[7]

Boston College[]

1 2 3 4 Total Boston College 0 7 7 0 14 • Clemson 17 6 6 7 36 Date: October 8 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC TV announcers (ACCRSN): Rich Waltz (Play-by-play), Keith Jones (Color) & (Sideline)

Clemson's fifth home game of the season was against Boston College. Clemson controlled the Eagles for the majority of the game. Boyd scored 2 touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing) before being replaced by Cole Stoudt after suffering a hip injury. Andre Ellington (rushing) and Jaron Brown (receiving) each scored a touchdown, Sammy Watkins recorded 152 receiving yards, while Chandler Catanzaro hit a career-high 5 field goals (38, 42, 28, 20, and 47 yards). This win marked Clemson's best start since 2000.^[8]

Maryland[]

#8 Clemson at Maryland

1 2 3 4 Total • Clemson 10 7 18 21 56 Maryland 14 14 10 7 45 Date: October 15 Location: Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD Game start: 7:00 p.m. EDT

Scoring summary 1 8:25 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 18-yard field goal CLEM 3–0 1 4:58 MD Davin Meggett 9-yard run (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 7–3 1 2:23 MD Cameron Chism 46-yard interception return (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 14–3 1 1:00 CLEM Andre Ellington 9-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) MD 14–10 2 13:54 MD Davin Meggett 7-yard pass from C.J. Brown (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 21–10 2 8:38 MD C.J. Brown 21-yard run (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 28–10 2 5:28 CLEM DeAndre Hopkins 6-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) MD 28–17 3 13:06 MD Matt Furtsenburg 22-yard pass from C.J. Brown (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 35–17 3 10:46 CLEM Sammy Watkins 13-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) MD 35–24 3 7:27 MD Nick Ferrera 27-yard field goal MD 38–24 3 6:15 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 23-yard field goal MD 38–27 3 3:25 CLEM Sammy Watkins 15-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Tajh Boyd to Dwayne Allen pass) MD 38–35 4 11:26 CLEM Jaron Brown 12-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 42–38 4 7:35 MD Matt Furtsenberg 32-yard pass from C.J. Brown (Nick Ferrera kick) MD 45–42 4 7:24 CLEM Sammy Watkins 89-yard kickoff return (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 49–45 4 3:55 CLEM Andre Ellington 44-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 56–45

Tajh Boyd threw four touchdown passes, Andre Ellington rushed for a career-high 212 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, and freshman Sammy Watkins scored three TDs (two passing, one kick-off return) as No. 8 Clemson rallied from an 18-point deficit against Maryland to remain unbeaten with a 56–45 victory. The defense, however, yielded 468 yards and had no answer for sophomore quarterback C.J. Brown, who ran for 162 yards and a touchdown and threw three scoring passes in his first college start. The 18-point deficit was the second largest in Clemson University history. Sammy Watkins also broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a game (345 yards) held previously by Clemson great C.J. Spiller (312 yards).^[9]

North Carolina[]

1 2 3 4 Total North Carolina 7 10 7 14 38 • Clemson 10 14 35 0 59 Date: October 22 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC Television network: ESPN

A 35-point third quarter explosion highlighted Clemson's home win over the Tar Heels, including a 5-touchdown performance by quarterback Tajh Boyd. Defensive end Kourtnei Brown scored two defensive touchdowns, once on an interception and another on a fumble return. Boyd threw for 367 yards and rushed for one touchdown. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had 157 yards receiving and a touchdown. Clemson's defense held UNC running back Giovani Bernard to 44 yards rushing, ending his five-game streak of 100 yards or more.^[10]

Georgia Tech[]

1 2 3 4 Total Clemson 3 0 7 7 17 • Georgia Tech 7 17 7 0 31 Date: October 29 Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick (Play-by-play) & Craig James (Color)

The Tigers suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Georgia Tech's triple option attack was seemingly unstoppable for the Clemson defense as Yellow Jacket quarterback Tevin Washington scampered for 176 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. Clemson's high-powered offense never left the gates in the first half, although the Tigers made a play for a comeback in the second half with a 48-yard touchdown catch by Sammy Watkins. Following a Rashard Hall interception to the Georgia Tech 9, the Tigers looked to have a chance to rally back, but Tajh Boyd threw an interception in the end zone to Jemea Thomas on the next play. Clemson's four turnovers in the game would ultimately prove to be costly for the Tigers.^[11]

Wake Forest[]

1 2 3 4 Total Wake Forest 7 0 21 0 28 • Clemson 7 7 7 10 31 Date: November 12 Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC Television network: ESPNU

Clemson clinched its second ACC Atlantic Division title in a nail-biter game against the Demon Deacons in Death Valley. The Tigers' 14–7 third quarter lead quickly deteriorated following a 50-yard Mike Campanaro punt return for Wake Forest. Demon Deacon running back Brandon Pendergrass added two more scores to put Wake Forest up 28–14. Clemson also lost Sammy Watkins for the second half following an injury on a third-quarter kick return. The Tigers, however, rallied back with two touchdown tosses from quarterback Tajh Boyd. Following a missed 47-yard field goal try by Demon Deacon kicker Jimmy Newman, the Tigers orchestrated a drive to set up a 43-yard game-winning kick by Chandler Catanzaro as time expired. With the win, Clemson secured its trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game and finished undefeated at home for the first time since 1990.^[12]

North Carolina State[]

1 2 3 4 Total Clemson 3 0 3 7 13 • North Carolina State 0 27 10 0 37 Date: November 19 Location: Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC Television network: ABC/ESPN

NC State shocked a heavily favored Clemson team in Raleigh, including a dominant 27-point second quarter performance. Wolfpack quarterback Mike Glennon threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns while Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, despite throwing 238 yards, threw two interceptions, no touchdowns, and was replaced in the 4th quarter by Cole Stoudt. NC State's aggressive pass rush hindered Boyd and Clemson's big play ability throughout the game, and the Tigers' four turnovers to NC State's none proved costly. The Wolfpack stymied Clemson's running game with running back Andre Ellington the team leader at only 28 yards.^[13]

South Carolina[]

1 2 3 4 Total Clemson 0 10 0 3 13 • South Carolina 10 7 7 10 34 Date: November 26 Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC Television network: ESPN

Still reeling from the loss to NC State, the Tigers entered hostile territory in Columbia against the 12th-ranked Gamecocks. Clemson's offense again felt the heat from South Carolina's stingy defense, which held the Tigers to 153 total yards. Clemson's defense struggled as well against the Gamecocks' balanced attack and quarterback Connor Shaw, who threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns as well as rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers' tone for the game was set early when wide receiver Sammy Watkins dropped a sure touchdown pass early in the game. Although Clemson was able to keep the turnovers down this game, the tough Gamecock defense proved too relentless for the Tigers to open up any options on offense. The loss marked Clemson's third straight to its archrival.^[14]

ACC Championship[]

1 2 3 4 Total Virginia Tech 7 3 0 0 10 • Clemson 7 3 21 7 38 Date: December 3 Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC Television network: ESPN

Although devastating losses to NC State and South Carolina had Clemson's future looking bleak for the rematch against Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship, the Tigers regained their form from earlier in the season to secure their first ACC Championship game win and their first ACC title in 20 years. Quarterback Tajh Boyd threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard strike to Sammy Watkins during the Tigers' 21-point third quarter rally. Clemson defense forced three touchdowns and kept the Hokies scoreless in the second half. The defense also held running back David Wilson, the ACC's player of the year, to only 32 yards rushing. Clemson running back Andre Ellington ran for 125 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. With the win, Clemson solidified its first 10-win season since 1990, a spot in the Orange Bowl and its first BCS bowl bid in school history.^[15]

Orange Bowl[]

1 2 3 4 Total • West Virginia 14 35 14 7 70 Clemson 17 3 6 7 33 Date: January 4 Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL Game start: 8:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 67,563 Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 9:33 CLEM Andre Ellington 68-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 7–0 1 6:54 WVU Shawne Alston 4-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) Tied 7–7 1 4:38 CLEM Sammy Watkins 27-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) CLEM 14–7 1 2:49 WVU Tavon Austin 8-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) Tied 14–14 1 0:45 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 42-yard field goal CLEM 17–14 2 13:25 WVU Tavon Austin 27-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 21–17 2 10:28 WVU Darwin Cook 99-yard fumble return (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 28–17 2 4:49 CLEM Chandler Catanzaro 43-yard field goal WVU 28–20 2 2:29 WVU Geno Smith 7-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 35–20 2 1:13 WVU Tavon Austin 3-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 42–20 2 0:04 WVU Shawne Alston 1-yard run (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 49–20 3 12:35 WVU Stedman Bailey 6-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 56–20 3 9:18 WVU Tavon Austin 37-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 63–20 3 1:37 CLEM DeAndre Hopkins 28-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (pass failed) WVU 63–26 4 6:21 WVU Willie Milhouse 7-yard pass from Geno Smith (Tyler Bitancourt kick) WVU 70–26 4 1:01 CLEM Roderick McDowell 4-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) WVU 70–33

Clemson's best season in 20 years came to a crashing halt with arguably the worst bowl loss in school history. What at first appeared to have the makings of a high-scoring shootout between the Tigers and West Virginia turned into a shellacking on par with a video game score in the second quarter. Following Andre Ellington's fumble at the goalline and the 99-yard touchdown return by Mountaineer safety Darwin Cook, the floodgates opened for the Tigers. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was electrifying, and Clemson's defense did not have an answer for him as he rattled off 407 yards passing and 6 touchdowns. Although Clemson coughed the ball up four times on offense, the real story lay in the defense's inability to stop Smith and the Mountaineer offense. The result was a record in points in a bowl game for West Virginia.^[16]

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR	RV	NR	21	13	8	8	8	6	11	9	7	18	21	14	22
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	22	15	8	8	8	6	12	10	8	17	21	14	22
Harris	Not released						8	8	6	10	9	8	17	20	14	Not released
BCS	Not released							7	5	11	9	7	17	20	15	Not released

2012 NFL draft[]

Clemson had four players selected in the 2012 NFL draft.

Player	Team	Round	Pick #	Position
Andre Branch	Jacksonville Jaguars	2nd	38th	DE
Dwayne Allen	Indianapolis Colts	3rd	64th	TE
Brandon Thompson	Cincinnati Bengals	3rd	93rd	DT
Coty Sensabaugh	Tennessee Titans	4th	115th	CB

References[]