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Tiger Trivia by Tim Bourret
Tiger Trivia by Tim Bourret
Clemson vs. Virginia Preview
The Game
ACC Championship Game
•Clemson (12-0, 8-0) vs. Virginia (9-3, 6-2)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by AP
•Virginia ranked #23 by College Football Playoff, #22 by AP, #22 by USA Today
•ABC, 7:30 (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay, Maria Taylor)
•Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 38-8-1, including a 20-3-1 advantage at Clemson, 17-5 at Charlottesville and 1-0 at neutral site. The neutral site game took place in Richmond, Virginia in 1971, a 32-15 Clemson victory. This is the first meeting between the two teams in the ACC Championship game.
•Clemson won the first 29 games of the series between 1955 and 1989. Clemson won the first game in 1955 in Charlottesville by a 20-7 count. Its first win over the Tigers in the series came in 1990 in Charlottesville by the same 20-7 score.
•Since Virginia got that first win in 1990, the series has been almost even, a 9-8-1 advantage for Clemson.
•The two teams have met just three times since the ACC went to divisions in 2005. Those games took place in 2008, 2009 and 2013. Clemson has won all three of those games and Dabo Swinney has been the head coach in all three. Clemson has won those games by 13-3 at Virginia in 2008, 34-21 at Clemson in 2009, and 59-10 at Charlottesville in 2013.
The 2008 game was Swinney’s fifth game as interim coach. The 2009 victory clinched the Atlantic Division for the Tigers for the first time. It was also C.J. Spiller’s “Senior Day” game at Clemson. The Tigers dominated the 2013 game behind Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. The duo combined on a 96-yard scoring pass in the game, the second longest offensive play in Clemson history. Boyd finished the game 24-29 for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Watkins finished with eight receptions for 169 yards.
•Virginia’s last win in the series took place in 2004, a 30-10 Cavaliers win in Charlottesville on a Thursday night.
•The two teams are schedule to play at Clemson next season.
The Coaches
• Bronko Mendenhall, a 1988 Oregon State graduate, is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. He is in his fourth year leading the Virginia program and has a 25-25 record, including a 9-3 mark this year. He has increased his victory total each year he has been with the program. Prior to that he was the head coach at Brigham Young for 11 years and posted a 99-43 mark. He has a 124-68 overall record as a head coach.
•Mendanhall has a .646 winning percentage, 10th among active coaches given a minimum of 100 wins. Clemson’s Dabo Swnney is first on that list at .810.
•Mendenhall has taken a program to a bowl game 13 of his previous 14 years as a head coach, and obviously will make it 14 of 15 on Sunday when bowl bids are announced.
•Mendenhall was an assistant at Snow College, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico and Brigham Young before becoming the head coach of the Cougars in 2005.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 128-30 (.810) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon.
•Swinney’s record includes a 78-16 mark in ACC games and that .830 winning percentage is the best in league history.
•Swinney has won five ACC Championships already, each of the last four years and in 2011. He can tie Frank Howard’s Clemson record of six ACC titles with a win on Saturday.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson can become the first team power five conference team in college football history to win five consecutive conference championship games if the Tigers defeat Virginia on Saturday. Clemson’s active four-game streak and a four-game conference championship game victory streak by Florida under Steve Spurrier are the current record.
•With Clemson ranked third and Virginia 22nd by the AP poll, this will be the first meeting of top 25 teams in this series since 1992. That year 25th ranked Clemson upset 10th ranked Virginia 29-28 at Charlottesville in the greatest comeback in Clemson history. The Tigers trailed 28-0 before winning 29-28 on a last minute field goal by Nelson Welch. This will be just the third meeting of top 25 teams in the history of the series.
*Travis Etienne was named the ACC Player of the Year for 2019, the second straight year he has won the award. He is the first Clemson player to win the honor in back-to-back seasons since Steve Fuller in 1977-78. He is the first running back from any ACC school to win the award in back-to-back years since North Carolina’s Mike Voight in 1975-76.
•Clemson and Ohio State are the only teams in the nation to rank in the top five in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense, total offense and total defense.
•Clemson has won each of its last seven games by at least 30 points, just the third team in the Poll Era (since 1936) to do that. The others are Army in 1944 and Michigan in 1976.
Dabo Swinney on Virginia
“Congrats to Bronko Mendenhall and Virginia. He is what is great about the profession. He is a true ambassador for the game and about building a program the right way. He is tough and not afraid to fail. From the first meeting I was with him, I said, ‘that guy gets it’. He has done a remarkable job. I am not surprised we are playing them for the championship.
“As an opposing coach I want to know who they are. After I see the tape, I ask that question. This is a football team that I have appreciation for. You can see the culture, the heart, the will to win and their belief on tape. It oozes out. That is credit to Bronko. That is why they are where they are.
“Offensively they are very efficient in what they do. It will be critical to defend them on third down because they are very good on third down offensively and defensively
“Wide receiver Joe Reed is a very good receiver and leads the nation in kickoff returns. He is a great player. Their Receivers really fight for the ball. It goes back to the belief they have in the quarterback. Overall, they have a very good receiver group and you can’t sleep on the tight end.
“The quarterback, Bryce Perkins is a wow guy. The crazier things get, the better he gets. He is 6-3 and can run as well as anyone. He put up great numbers against Virginia Tech (475 yards total offense). He is the most dynamic guy we have faced and we have seen some good players.
“Perkins is a grown man, has a giant heart and is a winner. He has a huge belief in himself and his teammates believe in him. Pre-snap we must do great job. We need to have eyes on him at all times. We need to try to keep him in the pocket. They try to move him and buy some time.
“They are really a pass first offense. There are a lot of quarterback run plays and many come off the draw game. It is a different type of RPO. It is a good scheme for their personnel. We must account for him at all times. Perkins can go 50 yards on you. Our defensive line will have to be disciplined.
“They have long defenders on the outside. They have found a way to maximize their roster. They only played 13 guys on defense vs. Virginia Tech. Charles Snowden and Noah Taylor are long guys who can be disruptive on defense.
“On defense, they are sixth in the nation in sacks with 43, we have 35. They do great job schematically and they do great job in terms of communication. Only had two teams out of 12 have had 400 yards. Only Louisville has rushed for at least 200 and six have had less than 100. They are built to stop the run.
“They are 24th in third-down defense and top 20 in third down offense. They keep the ball and get off the field. They are a very efficient team that does not beat itself.
Clemson Offense vs. Virginia Defense
Clemson averages 256 rushing yards per game, 10th in the nation, but the Tigers are second in yards per carry at 6.53. The Tigers have 36 rushing touchdowns to rank sixth in the nation, and 7.38 yards per play in total offense to rank fourth. The Tigers have given up just 11 sacks, fourth in the nation.
In terms of the major categories of yards per game and scoring, the Tigers are third at 542 a game, and fourth in scoring at 45.3. The secret has been balance as Clemson has also gained 285 yards a game passing.
First-team All-ACC Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never lost as the Clemson starter, a perfect 23-0. Most of those 23 wins have been decisive and he has never taken a second-half snap with Clemson trailing. Lawrence is 216-315 for 2870 yards and 30 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He is first in the ACC in passing efficiency with a this year with a 171.45 figure and he completes 68.6 percent of his passes.
Lawrence has been on fire since October 1. He was fifth in the nation in passing efficiency in October and finished fifth for the month of November. He has also become a factor in the running game, as he has 71 carries for 383 yards. a 5.4 average, and seven touchdowns. He is coming off a career high 66 rushing yards against South Carolina. John Simpson, a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, has been the leader of an offensive line that starts four seniors.
Travis Etienne is the leading rusher for the Tigers with 1,382 yards on 168 attempts. His 8.2 yards per rush is best in the nation and his 8.0 yards per carry for his career is on a record pace for a Power 5 Conference player. He had a Clemson record setting sixth straight 100-yard rushing game against Wake Forest. With 3,810 rushing yards for his career, Etienne needs just 157 yards to break Raymond Priester’s record of 3,966, a record that has stood since 1997.
Lawrence has plenty of outstanding pass catchers. Tee Higgins leads the way in reception yards with 900 on 43 catches and a team best 10 touchdowns. He is the first receiver in Clemson history to have double figures in touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons. He had a Clemson record tying three touchdown catches in the win over Wake Forest.
Justyn Ross leads the team in receptions with 52 for 648 yards and seven scores. He is coming off a career high nine catches for 111 yards at South Carolina. Amari Rodgers has 28 catches for 380 yards and four scores, in an 87- yarder at Syracuse, while Deondre Overton has 19-303 and three scores. Etienne also has become a threat out of the backfield with 28 catches for 289 and two scores.
Virginia is fourth in the ACC in rushing defense, allowing just 123 yards a game. The Tigers average 256 on the ground per game. The Cavs are also fourth in scoring defense at 23.5 and in total defense, allowing 336.5. They allow 213 yards a game through the air and have 11 interceptions for an ACC best 279 return yards.
Virginia’s top tackler is Zane Zandier, who has 85 tackles to lead the team. Joey Blount has 79 tackles from his safety position, including a team best 10 at Notre Dame. Jordan Mack is another linebacker with 79 stops and three interceptions. Charles Snowden has 63 tackles, including 10 behind the line of scrimmage. Noah Taylor has 6.5 sacks.
Clemson Defense vs. Virginia Offense
The Clemson defense has not allowed a team to record at least 300 yards in a game this year, and the Tigers are the only FBS team to accomplish that feat since 1996. Clemson held South Carolina to 174 yards of total offense last Saturday, the fewest yards for the Gamecocks against Clemson since 1989.
Clemson has held the opposition to 20 points or less for 15 consecutive games, including just three points in each of the last two games. Clemson has allowed just 10.1 points per game, 138 first downs, 106 rushing yards per game and 126.5 passing yards per game. Additionally, teams average just 3.8 yards per play, 2.9 per rush and 5.2 per pass. The Tigers have given up just 14 touchdowns, including a national best six touchdown passes.
Those numbers are a big reason Clemson has outscored the opposition 156-10 in the first quarter and 336-42 in the first half.
Isaiah Simmons, recently named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is the leader of the defense with 82 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks and five passes broken up. He is a finalist for the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Awards, honors given to the national defensive player of the year, and the Butkus Award, which is given to the top linebacker.
James Skalski, who was not even an honorable mention All-ACC selection, is second on Clemson’s second ranked defense with 69 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Linebacker running mate Chad Smith has 55 tackles and three sacks, while K’Von Wallace has 48 tackles from a safety position. First-team All-ACC safety Tanner Muse has 45 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions during a breakout senior year.
Tyler Davis leads the front four with 31 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. He was the second leading vote-getter for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Justin Foster has added eight tackles for loss, including three sacks.
The Clemson defense will be challenged by the second best scoring offense in the ACC (33.7 PPG). The Cavaliers average 392 yards a game, including 262 passing, fifth best in the ACC. They are good on third down, advancing 45 percent of the time, fourth best in the ACC.
Bryce Perkins was second in the ACC Player of the Year voting to Clemson’s Travis Etienne. The Cavaliers quarterback has completed 265-413 passes for 245 yards per game with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has added 687 yards on the ground and 11 rushing touchdowns, giving him 3533 yards of total offense. He had 475 yards of total offense against Virginia Tech, second most by an ACC player this year.
Wayne Taulapapa leads the rushing attack with 12 touchdowns, fourth best in the ACC. Joe Reed average has 70 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns, while Hasise Dubois has 55 catches for 849 yards and three
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 62 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs so far this year and is second in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.63 yards per kickoff average. He has 141 career touchbacks on 194 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year and he is 10-17 on field goals this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 42.6. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.4, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 10.4 punt return average. Clemson could get some punt return opportunities as Virginia is 13th in the ACC in net punting at 37 yards per punt.
•Virginia is led on special teams by place kicker Brian Delaney, who is 19-23 on field goals this year, fourth best in the ACC. His long field goal this year is 49 yards and he has made 4-5 between 40-49 yards this year.
•Reed leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 34.7 average on 22 returns. He has a pair of touchdowns on kickoff returns, so Clemson’s B.T. Potter will be important when it comes
to field position.
•Nash Griffin is the punter and has a 41.3 average on 46 punts with 19 punts inside the 20 against just four touchbacks.
The Game
ACC Championship Game
•Clemson (12-0, 8-0) vs. Virginia (9-3, 6-2)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by AP
•Virginia ranked #23 by College Football Playoff, #22 by AP, #22 by USA Today
•ABC, 7:30 (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay, Maria Taylor)
•Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 38-8-1, including a 20-3-1 advantage at Clemson, 17-5 at Charlottesville and 1-0 at neutral site. The neutral site game took place in Richmond, Virginia in 1971, a 32-15 Clemson victory. This is the first meeting between the two teams in the ACC Championship game.
•Clemson won the first 29 games of the series between 1955 and 1989. Clemson won the first game in 1955 in Charlottesville by a 20-7 count. Its first win over the Tigers in the series came in 1990 in Charlottesville by the same 20-7 score.
•Since Virginia got that first win in 1990, the series has been almost even, a 9-8-1 advantage for Clemson.
•The two teams have met just three times since the ACC went to divisions in 2005. Those games took place in 2008, 2009 and 2013. Clemson has won all three of those games and Dabo Swinney has been the head coach in all three. Clemson has won those games by 13-3 at Virginia in 2008, 34-21 at Clemson in 2009, and 59-10 at Charlottesville in 2013.
The 2008 game was Swinney’s fifth game as interim coach. The 2009 victory clinched the Atlantic Division for the Tigers for the first time. It was also C.J. Spiller’s “Senior Day” game at Clemson. The Tigers dominated the 2013 game behind Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. The duo combined on a 96-yard scoring pass in the game, the second longest offensive play in Clemson history. Boyd finished the game 24-29 for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Watkins finished with eight receptions for 169 yards.
•Virginia’s last win in the series took place in 2004, a 30-10 Cavaliers win in Charlottesville on a Thursday night.
•The two teams are schedule to play at Clemson next season.
The Coaches
• Bronko Mendenhall, a 1988 Oregon State graduate, is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. He is in his fourth year leading the Virginia program and has a 25-25 record, including a 9-3 mark this year. He has increased his victory total each year he has been with the program. Prior to that he was the head coach at Brigham Young for 11 years and posted a 99-43 mark. He has a 124-68 overall record as a head coach.
•Mendanhall has a .646 winning percentage, 10th among active coaches given a minimum of 100 wins. Clemson’s Dabo Swnney is first on that list at .810.
•Mendenhall has taken a program to a bowl game 13 of his previous 14 years as a head coach, and obviously will make it 14 of 15 on Sunday when bowl bids are announced.
•Mendenhall was an assistant at Snow College, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico and Brigham Young before becoming the head coach of the Cougars in 2005.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 128-30 (.810) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon.
•Swinney’s record includes a 78-16 mark in ACC games and that .830 winning percentage is the best in league history.
•Swinney has won five ACC Championships already, each of the last four years and in 2011. He can tie Frank Howard’s Clemson record of six ACC titles with a win on Saturday.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson can become the first team power five conference team in college football history to win five consecutive conference championship games if the Tigers defeat Virginia on Saturday. Clemson’s active four-game streak and a four-game conference championship game victory streak by Florida under Steve Spurrier are the current record.
•With Clemson ranked third and Virginia 22nd by the AP poll, this will be the first meeting of top 25 teams in this series since 1992. That year 25th ranked Clemson upset 10th ranked Virginia 29-28 at Charlottesville in the greatest comeback in Clemson history. The Tigers trailed 28-0 before winning 29-28 on a last minute field goal by Nelson Welch. This will be just the third meeting of top 25 teams in the history of the series.
*Travis Etienne was named the ACC Player of the Year for 2019, the second straight year he has won the award. He is the first Clemson player to win the honor in back-to-back seasons since Steve Fuller in 1977-78. He is the first running back from any ACC school to win the award in back-to-back years since North Carolina’s Mike Voight in 1975-76.
•Clemson and Ohio State are the only teams in the nation to rank in the top five in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense, total offense and total defense.
•Clemson has won each of its last seven games by at least 30 points, just the third team in the Poll Era (since 1936) to do that. The others are Army in 1944 and Michigan in 1976.
Dabo Swinney on Virginia
“Congrats to Bronko Mendenhall and Virginia. He is what is great about the profession. He is a true ambassador for the game and about building a program the right way. He is tough and not afraid to fail. From the first meeting I was with him, I said, ‘that guy gets it’. He has done a remarkable job. I am not surprised we are playing them for the championship.
“As an opposing coach I want to know who they are. After I see the tape, I ask that question. This is a football team that I have appreciation for. You can see the culture, the heart, the will to win and their belief on tape. It oozes out. That is credit to Bronko. That is why they are where they are.
“Offensively they are very efficient in what they do. It will be critical to defend them on third down because they are very good on third down offensively and defensively
“Wide receiver Joe Reed is a very good receiver and leads the nation in kickoff returns. He is a great player. Their Receivers really fight for the ball. It goes back to the belief they have in the quarterback. Overall, they have a very good receiver group and you can’t sleep on the tight end.
“The quarterback, Bryce Perkins is a wow guy. The crazier things get, the better he gets. He is 6-3 and can run as well as anyone. He put up great numbers against Virginia Tech (475 yards total offense). He is the most dynamic guy we have faced and we have seen some good players.
“Perkins is a grown man, has a giant heart and is a winner. He has a huge belief in himself and his teammates believe in him. Pre-snap we must do great job. We need to have eyes on him at all times. We need to try to keep him in the pocket. They try to move him and buy some time.
“They are really a pass first offense. There are a lot of quarterback run plays and many come off the draw game. It is a different type of RPO. It is a good scheme for their personnel. We must account for him at all times. Perkins can go 50 yards on you. Our defensive line will have to be disciplined.
“They have long defenders on the outside. They have found a way to maximize their roster. They only played 13 guys on defense vs. Virginia Tech. Charles Snowden and Noah Taylor are long guys who can be disruptive on defense.
“On defense, they are sixth in the nation in sacks with 43, we have 35. They do great job schematically and they do great job in terms of communication. Only had two teams out of 12 have had 400 yards. Only Louisville has rushed for at least 200 and six have had less than 100. They are built to stop the run.
“They are 24th in third-down defense and top 20 in third down offense. They keep the ball and get off the field. They are a very efficient team that does not beat itself.
Clemson Offense vs. Virginia Defense
Clemson averages 256 rushing yards per game, 10th in the nation, but the Tigers are second in yards per carry at 6.53. The Tigers have 36 rushing touchdowns to rank sixth in the nation, and 7.38 yards per play in total offense to rank fourth. The Tigers have given up just 11 sacks, fourth in the nation.
In terms of the major categories of yards per game and scoring, the Tigers are third at 542 a game, and fourth in scoring at 45.3. The secret has been balance as Clemson has also gained 285 yards a game passing.
First-team All-ACC Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never lost as the Clemson starter, a perfect 23-0. Most of those 23 wins have been decisive and he has never taken a second-half snap with Clemson trailing. Lawrence is 216-315 for 2870 yards and 30 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He is first in the ACC in passing efficiency with a this year with a 171.45 figure and he completes 68.6 percent of his passes.
Lawrence has been on fire since October 1. He was fifth in the nation in passing efficiency in October and finished fifth for the month of November. He has also become a factor in the running game, as he has 71 carries for 383 yards. a 5.4 average, and seven touchdowns. He is coming off a career high 66 rushing yards against South Carolina. John Simpson, a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, has been the leader of an offensive line that starts four seniors.
Travis Etienne is the leading rusher for the Tigers with 1,382 yards on 168 attempts. His 8.2 yards per rush is best in the nation and his 8.0 yards per carry for his career is on a record pace for a Power 5 Conference player. He had a Clemson record setting sixth straight 100-yard rushing game against Wake Forest. With 3,810 rushing yards for his career, Etienne needs just 157 yards to break Raymond Priester’s record of 3,966, a record that has stood since 1997.
Lawrence has plenty of outstanding pass catchers. Tee Higgins leads the way in reception yards with 900 on 43 catches and a team best 10 touchdowns. He is the first receiver in Clemson history to have double figures in touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons. He had a Clemson record tying three touchdown catches in the win over Wake Forest.
Justyn Ross leads the team in receptions with 52 for 648 yards and seven scores. He is coming off a career high nine catches for 111 yards at South Carolina. Amari Rodgers has 28 catches for 380 yards and four scores, in an 87- yarder at Syracuse, while Deondre Overton has 19-303 and three scores. Etienne also has become a threat out of the backfield with 28 catches for 289 and two scores.
Virginia is fourth in the ACC in rushing defense, allowing just 123 yards a game. The Tigers average 256 on the ground per game. The Cavs are also fourth in scoring defense at 23.5 and in total defense, allowing 336.5. They allow 213 yards a game through the air and have 11 interceptions for an ACC best 279 return yards.
Virginia’s top tackler is Zane Zandier, who has 85 tackles to lead the team. Joey Blount has 79 tackles from his safety position, including a team best 10 at Notre Dame. Jordan Mack is another linebacker with 79 stops and three interceptions. Charles Snowden has 63 tackles, including 10 behind the line of scrimmage. Noah Taylor has 6.5 sacks.
Clemson Defense vs. Virginia Offense
The Clemson defense has not allowed a team to record at least 300 yards in a game this year, and the Tigers are the only FBS team to accomplish that feat since 1996. Clemson held South Carolina to 174 yards of total offense last Saturday, the fewest yards for the Gamecocks against Clemson since 1989.
Clemson has held the opposition to 20 points or less for 15 consecutive games, including just three points in each of the last two games. Clemson has allowed just 10.1 points per game, 138 first downs, 106 rushing yards per game and 126.5 passing yards per game. Additionally, teams average just 3.8 yards per play, 2.9 per rush and 5.2 per pass. The Tigers have given up just 14 touchdowns, including a national best six touchdown passes.
Those numbers are a big reason Clemson has outscored the opposition 156-10 in the first quarter and 336-42 in the first half.
Isaiah Simmons, recently named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is the leader of the defense with 82 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks and five passes broken up. He is a finalist for the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Awards, honors given to the national defensive player of the year, and the Butkus Award, which is given to the top linebacker.
James Skalski, who was not even an honorable mention All-ACC selection, is second on Clemson’s second ranked defense with 69 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Linebacker running mate Chad Smith has 55 tackles and three sacks, while K’Von Wallace has 48 tackles from a safety position. First-team All-ACC safety Tanner Muse has 45 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions during a breakout senior year.
Tyler Davis leads the front four with 31 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. He was the second leading vote-getter for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Justin Foster has added eight tackles for loss, including three sacks.
The Clemson defense will be challenged by the second best scoring offense in the ACC (33.7 PPG). The Cavaliers average 392 yards a game, including 262 passing, fifth best in the ACC. They are good on third down, advancing 45 percent of the time, fourth best in the ACC.
Bryce Perkins was second in the ACC Player of the Year voting to Clemson’s Travis Etienne. The Cavaliers quarterback has completed 265-413 passes for 245 yards per game with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has added 687 yards on the ground and 11 rushing touchdowns, giving him 3533 yards of total offense. He had 475 yards of total offense against Virginia Tech, second most by an ACC player this year.
Wayne Taulapapa leads the rushing attack with 12 touchdowns, fourth best in the ACC. Joe Reed average has 70 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns, while Hasise Dubois has 55 catches for 849 yards and three
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 62 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs so far this year and is second in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.63 yards per kickoff average. He has 141 career touchbacks on 194 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year and he is 10-17 on field goals this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 42.6. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.4, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 10.4 punt return average. Clemson could get some punt return opportunities as Virginia is 13th in the ACC in net punting at 37 yards per punt.
•Virginia is led on special teams by place kicker Brian Delaney, who is 19-23 on field goals this year, fourth best in the ACC. His long field goal this year is 49 yards and he has made 4-5 between 40-49 yards this year.
•Reed leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 34.7 average on 22 returns. He has a pair of touchdowns on kickoff returns, so Clemson’s B.T. Potter will be important when it comes
to field position.
•Nash Griffin is the punter and has a 41.3 average on 46 punts with 19 punts inside the 20 against just four touchbacks.