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.
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So.
Jr.
So.
So.
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Jr.
Jr.
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Jr.
Jr.
So.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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4.
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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
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