Clemson vs. Wofford Preview
The Game
•Clemson (8-0, 6-0) vs. Wofford (5-2, 4-1)
•Clemson ranked #3 by USA Today and #4 by Associated Press
*Wofford ranked #20 in FCS Coaches Poll and tied for first in the Southern Conference
•ACC Network,4:00 p.m. (Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Kelsey Riggs)
•At Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC (81,500) Game is Sold Out
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 12-3, including an 8-0 record at Clemson. Only four of the eight wins have taken place at Death Valley.
•The series dates to 1896 and the first year and third game in Clemson football history, a 16-0 Clemson win at Wofford. Clemson won the first four games of the series and three of the four were at Wofford.
•Clemson has won five in a row in the series, and Wofford’s last victory took place in 1933 at Wofford by a 14-13 score in Spartanburg.
•Clemson won the last game in the series by a 49-10 score in 2015, as the Tigers scored touchdowns on six of their first eight possessions. Deshaun Watson completed 18-22 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns.
•Clemson defeated Wofford in 2011 by a 35-27 score and that is the closest an FCS team has come to beating Clemson. Tajh Boyd threw three touchdown passes in that Clemson win.
The Coaches
• Josh Conklin is in his second year as head coach at Wofford. He has led Terriers to a 14-6 record in his short tenure, including a 9-1 record at home and a 10-3 mark in Southern Conference games.
•Conklin led Wofford to the Southern Conference Championship with a 9-4 overall record last year, including 6-2 in the Southern Conference. Wofford is tied for first with Furman at 4-1 in the Southern Conference so far this year.
•Wofford reached the second round of the FCS playoffs last year. Conklin was the only first-year coach to win an FCS playoff game last year.
•Conklin has also coached at South Dakota State, The Citadel, Florida International, and Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach at Wofford from 2007-09 under Mike Ayers.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 124-30 (.805) record entering Saturday’s game.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage. 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. Petersen is now 144-36 for a .800 mark.
•Swinney’s record includes a 75-16 mark in ACC games and that .824 winning percentage is the best in league history.
Five Notes of Interest
•Wofford head coach Josh Conklin has experienced a victory in Memorial Stadium. He was the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh when the Panthers defeated Clemson, 43-42, in 2016. That is Clemson’s last loss at home.
•When the two teams played in 1981, the Tigers won 45-10. One of the highlights of the game for Wofford was an interception of Clemson quarterback Homer Jordan by Wofford defensive back Tim Renfrow, the father of former Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow.
•Both teams have had success rushing the football this year. Wofford ranks second in the FCS in rushing with 361.7 yards per game, while Clemson is 11th at the FBS level with 254.1 yards per game.
•Clemson has averaged 254 yards rushing and 272 yards passing. Clemson and Oklahoma are the only teams in the FBS averaging at least 250 yards a game in each area. This Clemson team is on pace to be the first in school history to average at least 250 yards a game in each area for a season.
•Clemson has five wins over Power 5 Conference teams by at least 30 points, more than any other school.
Dabo Swinney on the Wofford Game
“I am excited about Military Appreciation Day. Clemson does this day right and there is such a connection between Clemson and its military history. Wofford will bring some fans and this game is good for football in this state. We do this every year (play an in-state FCS opponent) and it is good for the state of South Carolina.
“I am excited for this game, but not excited about stopping Wofford’s ground game. They run an option offense in a unique way. They incorporate shot-gun and a lot of misdirection and they have been very successful. It is an option offense, but they don’t always have a dive player. Everything goes through their big backs. They are have multiple personnel groupings.
“They will force us to be disciplined, but we have been very disciplined in our defense so far this year. They can get you with the passing game. D’maurie VanCleave is just 5-7 but he is very quick. He is their leading receiver and a very good punt returner.
“On defense, they are 16th in the FCS in scoring defense and 11th in total defense. They can run the ball and stop the run. This is a really good FCS team that will be very pumped to play Clemson.
“We are a better team on paper, but we don’t play the game on paper. In 2011 we were lucky to get out with a win (35-27). I remember we were booed as we came off the field at halftime. They had a terrific running back and they had a receiver open by 20 yards for a touchdown. I remember that. Then we settled down after halftime.
“Anything can happen. Alabama was tied with The Citadel (10-10) at halftime last year late in the season.”
Clemson Offense vs. Wofford Defense
Clemson ranks seventh in the nation in scoring (42.2), 11th in rushing (254.1) and fourth in total offense (526) so far this season. Clemson and Oklahoma are the only schools in the nation averaging at least 250 yards rushing and 250 yards passing per game so far this year.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has completed 53 of his last 73 passes for 658 yards and nine touchdowns against just three interceptions in his last three games. His 183.1 passing efficiency was fifth in the nation for the month of October. For the year he is 137-209 for 1809 yards and 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He has a 157.44 passing efficiency that is now 22nd in the nation, up from 68th three weeks ago. He is now second in the ACC in passing efficiency and tied for second in touchdown passes.
Travis Etienne is third in the ACC in yards per game on the ground with 111.2, on 114 carries for 890 yards and nine touchdowns. He needs just 110 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season. He averages 7.8 yards per carry this year and 7.8 for his career. He has 46 career rushing touchdowns and 49 total touchdowns. He needs just three total touchdowns to break C.J. Spiller’s Clemson record for career total TDs.
Justyn Ross leads Clemson in total receptions with 32 for 394 yards and four scores. Tee Higgins leads in reception yards with 588 on 27 catches, for a team best 21.8 yards per catch. Amari Rodgers is a third Clemson receiver with 20 catches as he has 20-294 and three scores. Diondre Overton is coming off a career game in which he had three catches for 119 yards, all for touchdowns. He was named ACC receiver of the week against Boston College.
Wofford has some strong national rankings on defense. The Terriers are 11th in the nation at the FCS level in total defense, allowing just 318 yards a game. Defending the run is a big reason as they rank 13th in that category, allowing just 104 yards per game. In terms of scoring defense, Wofford is 24th, giving up 22 points per game. The Terriers are 24th in sacks with 2.71 per game.
Free Safety Dimitri Redwood leads the team in tackles with 32 and has added three passes broken up. Ryan Titus is a second-team inside linebacker, but he is tied for second in tackles with 27. Jireh Wilson also has 27 stops, but he leads the team in sacks with 4.5 and has 6.5 tackles for loss, second on the team.
Damon Paschal and John Beckley have added 26 tackles apiece. George Gbessee has 24 tackles, but leads the team in passes broken up with seven. Second team defensive end Michael Mason leads the team in tackles for loss with seven and has added four sacks.
Clemson Defense vs. Wofford Offense
Clemson’s defense ranks fourth in the nation in total defense, allowing just 246 yards per game. Clemson has not allowed the opposition to gain over 300 yards in each of the first eighth games, the longest streak since an eight-game in 1957. The Tigers have not allowed more than 20 points in any game, a big reason the Tigers are sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points per game. Clemson has not allowed the opposition to score over 20 points in each of the first eight games this year, the longest season opening streak of its kind since an 11-game streak to open 1979 season.
Clemson is also second in pass defense, allowing just 136 yards a game, and sixth in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points a game.
Isaiah Simmons leads the point prevention unit with 63 tackles, including 11.5 for loss, including six sacks and four passes broken up. The junior All-America candidate is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. He has a team best 197 tackles for his career, including 24 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
James Skalski is second on the team in tackles from his inside linebacker position with 46. He has added four tackles for loss, three of which are sacks. Clemson has 30 sacks and 66 tackles for loss as a team.
Chad Smith, who forced a fumble on a sack that led to a Logan Rudolph touchdown on a fumble return, has 42 tackles to rank third on the team. K’Von Wallace is fourth on the team with 34 tackles from a safety position, while Tanner Muse has 32 tackles and a team best three interceptions. Tyler Davis leads the defensive linemen in tackles with 24, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Wofford has a great history of running the football. They have finished in the top 10 in the nation in rushing each of the last 21 years, including 10 rankings of first or second at the FCS level during that period.
Quarterback Joe Newman is the leading rusher with 760 yards in seven games, an average of 108.6 yards per game, just three yards a game less than Travis Etienne. His 25-yard run in overtime proved to be the winning score in the recent win over Chattanooga. He leads the team in touchdowns scored with 11 and has added five touchdown passes. He has completed 55 percent of his passes for 674 yards. He has a solid efficiency rating of 140.94.
Blake Morgan leads the running backs in terms of rushing with 423 yards and five scores. He was Wofford’s top rusher in the win over Chattanooga with eight carries for 82 yards. Jacquez Allen has 381 rushing yards on 30 attempts for a 12.7 average. Nathan Walker (269) and Ryan Lovelace (207) give the Terriers five players with at least 200 yards and multiple touchdowns this year.
D’mauriae VanCleave, a 5-7 slash back, leads the team in receiving with 15 receptions for 199 yards. T.J. Luther leads the team in reception yards with 217 on seven catches.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 40 touchbacks on 50 kickoffs so far this year and is first in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.9 yards per kickoff average. He has 119 career touchbacks on 164 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. He is sixth in the nation in touchback percentage. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 43.1. He has allowed just two punt returns for nine yards this year and his individual net average of 42.5, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 25.5 kickoff return average on 10 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 8.6 punt return average. Rodgers had a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown against Boston College last year.
•Wofford’s D. VanCleave has a 24.2 average on nine punt returns this year, including an 87-yard return for a score. T.J. Luther has a 21.0 average on kickoff returns. Luke Carter is the punter with a 39-yard average on 28 attempts and he also handles field goals with 6-8 and a long of 44 yards this year.
•In terms of returns Travis Levy averages 24 yards per kickoff returns and also handles punt returns with a 9.0 average. Opponents average 23 yards per kickoff return and 6.2 on punt returns. Each team had a punt return for a touchdown in this game last year, a first in Clemson history.
The Game
•Clemson (8-0, 6-0) vs. Wofford (5-2, 4-1)
•Clemson ranked #3 by USA Today and #4 by Associated Press
*Wofford ranked #20 in FCS Coaches Poll and tied for first in the Southern Conference
•ACC Network,4:00 p.m. (Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Kelsey Riggs)
•At Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC (81,500) Game is Sold Out
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 12-3, including an 8-0 record at Clemson. Only four of the eight wins have taken place at Death Valley.
•The series dates to 1896 and the first year and third game in Clemson football history, a 16-0 Clemson win at Wofford. Clemson won the first four games of the series and three of the four were at Wofford.
•Clemson has won five in a row in the series, and Wofford’s last victory took place in 1933 at Wofford by a 14-13 score in Spartanburg.
•Clemson won the last game in the series by a 49-10 score in 2015, as the Tigers scored touchdowns on six of their first eight possessions. Deshaun Watson completed 18-22 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns.
•Clemson defeated Wofford in 2011 by a 35-27 score and that is the closest an FCS team has come to beating Clemson. Tajh Boyd threw three touchdown passes in that Clemson win.
The Coaches
• Josh Conklin is in his second year as head coach at Wofford. He has led Terriers to a 14-6 record in his short tenure, including a 9-1 record at home and a 10-3 mark in Southern Conference games.
•Conklin led Wofford to the Southern Conference Championship with a 9-4 overall record last year, including 6-2 in the Southern Conference. Wofford is tied for first with Furman at 4-1 in the Southern Conference so far this year.
•Wofford reached the second round of the FCS playoffs last year. Conklin was the only first-year coach to win an FCS playoff game last year.
•Conklin has also coached at South Dakota State, The Citadel, Florida International, and Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach at Wofford from 2007-09 under Mike Ayers.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 124-30 (.805) record entering Saturday’s game.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage. 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. Petersen is now 144-36 for a .800 mark.
•Swinney’s record includes a 75-16 mark in ACC games and that .824 winning percentage is the best in league history.
Five Notes of Interest
•Wofford head coach Josh Conklin has experienced a victory in Memorial Stadium. He was the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh when the Panthers defeated Clemson, 43-42, in 2016. That is Clemson’s last loss at home.
•When the two teams played in 1981, the Tigers won 45-10. One of the highlights of the game for Wofford was an interception of Clemson quarterback Homer Jordan by Wofford defensive back Tim Renfrow, the father of former Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow.
•Both teams have had success rushing the football this year. Wofford ranks second in the FCS in rushing with 361.7 yards per game, while Clemson is 11th at the FBS level with 254.1 yards per game.
•Clemson has averaged 254 yards rushing and 272 yards passing. Clemson and Oklahoma are the only teams in the FBS averaging at least 250 yards a game in each area. This Clemson team is on pace to be the first in school history to average at least 250 yards a game in each area for a season.
•Clemson has five wins over Power 5 Conference teams by at least 30 points, more than any other school.
Dabo Swinney on the Wofford Game
“I am excited about Military Appreciation Day. Clemson does this day right and there is such a connection between Clemson and its military history. Wofford will bring some fans and this game is good for football in this state. We do this every year (play an in-state FCS opponent) and it is good for the state of South Carolina.
“I am excited for this game, but not excited about stopping Wofford’s ground game. They run an option offense in a unique way. They incorporate shot-gun and a lot of misdirection and they have been very successful. It is an option offense, but they don’t always have a dive player. Everything goes through their big backs. They are have multiple personnel groupings.
“They will force us to be disciplined, but we have been very disciplined in our defense so far this year. They can get you with the passing game. D’maurie VanCleave is just 5-7 but he is very quick. He is their leading receiver and a very good punt returner.
“On defense, they are 16th in the FCS in scoring defense and 11th in total defense. They can run the ball and stop the run. This is a really good FCS team that will be very pumped to play Clemson.
“We are a better team on paper, but we don’t play the game on paper. In 2011 we were lucky to get out with a win (35-27). I remember we were booed as we came off the field at halftime. They had a terrific running back and they had a receiver open by 20 yards for a touchdown. I remember that. Then we settled down after halftime.
“Anything can happen. Alabama was tied with The Citadel (10-10) at halftime last year late in the season.”
Clemson Offense vs. Wofford Defense
Clemson ranks seventh in the nation in scoring (42.2), 11th in rushing (254.1) and fourth in total offense (526) so far this season. Clemson and Oklahoma are the only schools in the nation averaging at least 250 yards rushing and 250 yards passing per game so far this year.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has completed 53 of his last 73 passes for 658 yards and nine touchdowns against just three interceptions in his last three games. His 183.1 passing efficiency was fifth in the nation for the month of October. For the year he is 137-209 for 1809 yards and 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He has a 157.44 passing efficiency that is now 22nd in the nation, up from 68th three weeks ago. He is now second in the ACC in passing efficiency and tied for second in touchdown passes.
Travis Etienne is third in the ACC in yards per game on the ground with 111.2, on 114 carries for 890 yards and nine touchdowns. He needs just 110 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season. He averages 7.8 yards per carry this year and 7.8 for his career. He has 46 career rushing touchdowns and 49 total touchdowns. He needs just three total touchdowns to break C.J. Spiller’s Clemson record for career total TDs.
Justyn Ross leads Clemson in total receptions with 32 for 394 yards and four scores. Tee Higgins leads in reception yards with 588 on 27 catches, for a team best 21.8 yards per catch. Amari Rodgers is a third Clemson receiver with 20 catches as he has 20-294 and three scores. Diondre Overton is coming off a career game in which he had three catches for 119 yards, all for touchdowns. He was named ACC receiver of the week against Boston College.
Wofford has some strong national rankings on defense. The Terriers are 11th in the nation at the FCS level in total defense, allowing just 318 yards a game. Defending the run is a big reason as they rank 13th in that category, allowing just 104 yards per game. In terms of scoring defense, Wofford is 24th, giving up 22 points per game. The Terriers are 24th in sacks with 2.71 per game.
Free Safety Dimitri Redwood leads the team in tackles with 32 and has added three passes broken up. Ryan Titus is a second-team inside linebacker, but he is tied for second in tackles with 27. Jireh Wilson also has 27 stops, but he leads the team in sacks with 4.5 and has 6.5 tackles for loss, second on the team.
Damon Paschal and John Beckley have added 26 tackles apiece. George Gbessee has 24 tackles, but leads the team in passes broken up with seven. Second team defensive end Michael Mason leads the team in tackles for loss with seven and has added four sacks.
Clemson Defense vs. Wofford Offense
Clemson’s defense ranks fourth in the nation in total defense, allowing just 246 yards per game. Clemson has not allowed the opposition to gain over 300 yards in each of the first eighth games, the longest streak since an eight-game in 1957. The Tigers have not allowed more than 20 points in any game, a big reason the Tigers are sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points per game. Clemson has not allowed the opposition to score over 20 points in each of the first eight games this year, the longest season opening streak of its kind since an 11-game streak to open 1979 season.
Clemson is also second in pass defense, allowing just 136 yards a game, and sixth in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points a game.
Isaiah Simmons leads the point prevention unit with 63 tackles, including 11.5 for loss, including six sacks and four passes broken up. The junior All-America candidate is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. He has a team best 197 tackles for his career, including 24 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
James Skalski is second on the team in tackles from his inside linebacker position with 46. He has added four tackles for loss, three of which are sacks. Clemson has 30 sacks and 66 tackles for loss as a team.
Chad Smith, who forced a fumble on a sack that led to a Logan Rudolph touchdown on a fumble return, has 42 tackles to rank third on the team. K’Von Wallace is fourth on the team with 34 tackles from a safety position, while Tanner Muse has 32 tackles and a team best three interceptions. Tyler Davis leads the defensive linemen in tackles with 24, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Wofford has a great history of running the football. They have finished in the top 10 in the nation in rushing each of the last 21 years, including 10 rankings of first or second at the FCS level during that period.
Quarterback Joe Newman is the leading rusher with 760 yards in seven games, an average of 108.6 yards per game, just three yards a game less than Travis Etienne. His 25-yard run in overtime proved to be the winning score in the recent win over Chattanooga. He leads the team in touchdowns scored with 11 and has added five touchdown passes. He has completed 55 percent of his passes for 674 yards. He has a solid efficiency rating of 140.94.
Blake Morgan leads the running backs in terms of rushing with 423 yards and five scores. He was Wofford’s top rusher in the win over Chattanooga with eight carries for 82 yards. Jacquez Allen has 381 rushing yards on 30 attempts for a 12.7 average. Nathan Walker (269) and Ryan Lovelace (207) give the Terriers five players with at least 200 yards and multiple touchdowns this year.
D’mauriae VanCleave, a 5-7 slash back, leads the team in receiving with 15 receptions for 199 yards. T.J. Luther leads the team in reception yards with 217 on seven catches.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 40 touchbacks on 50 kickoffs so far this year and is first in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.9 yards per kickoff average. He has 119 career touchbacks on 164 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. He is sixth in the nation in touchback percentage. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 43.1. He has allowed just two punt returns for nine yards this year and his individual net average of 42.5, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 25.5 kickoff return average on 10 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 8.6 punt return average. Rodgers had a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown against Boston College last year.
•Wofford’s D. VanCleave has a 24.2 average on nine punt returns this year, including an 87-yard return for a score. T.J. Luther has a 21.0 average on kickoff returns. Luke Carter is the punter with a 39-yard average on 28 attempts and he also handles field goals with 6-8 and a long of 44 yards this year.
•In terms of returns Travis Levy averages 24 yards per kickoff returns and also handles punt returns with a 9.0 average. Opponents average 23 yards per kickoff return and 6.2 on punt returns. Each team had a punt return for a touchdown in this game last year, a first in Clemson history.