2011 Season Notes
OVERVIEW Coaches University Traditions Players Review Opponents records
Tigers Captured Another ACC Championship Clemson won the 2011 ACC Championship with a 3810 win over #3 Virginia Tech on December 3. It was the Tigers’ first ACC title since 1991. Clemson has been the ACC Champion 14 times (13 outright and one tied), two more than Florida State. Maryland is third with nine titles, while N.C. State and Duke have seven apiece. Clemson has 18 conference championships overall. The Tigers won the 1900 and 1902 SIAA Conference Championship under Head Coach John Heisman, then won the 1940 and 1948 Southern Conference titles under Head Coach Frank Howard. Clemson #15 in Final BCS Standings Clemson was #15 in the final BCS standings in 2011. It marked Clemson’s eighth straight week in the top 20 of the BCS standings. Entering this season, the most weeks Clemson appeared in the BCS standings in one season was six (2007). That year, Clemson finished #15 in the BCS, so the 2011 season tied for the Tigers’ best finish in the BCS standings. Road Wins Over Ranked Teams Clemson has 64 wins over AP top-25 teams over the years, and 21 of them have taken place on an opponent’s home field. The 21st took place on October 1, when the Tigers defeated #10 Virginia Tech 23-3. The 20-point margin was Clemson’s largest margin of victory in a road game over a ranked opponent. The previous record was a 11-point win at North Carolina in 1994 and an 11-point win at Florida State in 1989. The three points allowed in the win over the Hokies tied for the fewest points allowed in a Clemson win over a top-20 team on the road since 1950. Clemson also allowed three points in a 16-3 win at North Carolina in 1983. Clemson’s Road Wins Over Ranked Teams Date Opponent Score 11-13-1948 Wake Forest 21-14 9-17-1950 Missouri 34-0 10-28-1950 Wake Forest 13-12 1-1-1951 Miami (FL) 15-14 9-19-1959 North Carolina 20-18 9-17-1977 Georgia 7-6 11-18-1978 Maryland 28-24 11-8-1981 North Carolina 10-8 11-13-1982 Maryland 24-22 11-5-1983 North Carolina 16-3 9-20-1986 Georgia 31-28 9-9-1989 Florida State 34-23 10-10-1992 Virginia 29-28 11-5-1994 North Carolina 28-17 11-8-1996 Virginia 24-16 9-13-1997 N.C. State 19-17 9-29-2001 Georgia Tech 47-44 11-19-2005 South Carolina 13-9 9-16-2006 Florida State 27-20 10-24-2009 Miami (FL) 40-37 10-1-2011 Virginia Tech 23-3
Rank 19 17 17 15 12 17 11 8 18 10 14 16 10 19 15 25 9 19 9 8 10
Tigers Started 8-0 Clemson won its first eight games in 2011, just the fourth time in school history that happened and the first time since 2000. That year, Clemson’s streak ended with a 31-28 loss to Georgia Tech. The Tiger record for consecutive wins is 15, set from 1947-49 under Head Coach Frank Howard. Clemson won its last three games of 1947, then went 11-0 in 1948. The Tigers won the 1949 season-opener against Presbyterian College, but the streak was snapped with a loss to Rice. Overall, it was the 13th time in school history Clemson won at least eight games.
Streak Start 11-8-1947 10-7-1939 11-22-1980 9-30-1978 9-25-1982 9-24-1983 11-9-1899 10-28-1950 10-29-1988 11-23-1929 10-20-1990 9-2-2000 9-3-2011
Clemson’s Longest Winning Streaks Opponent Streak End Opponent WS Furman 9-24-1949 Rice 15 N.C. State 11-2-1940 Tulane 13 South Carolina 9-6-1982 Georgia 13 Villanova 9-15-1979 Maryland 11 Western Carolina 9-10-1983 Boston College 10 Georgia Tech 9-22-1984 Georgia 10 South Carolina 10-19-1901 Tennessee 9 Wake Forest 10-13-1951 Pacific 9 Wake Forest 9-30-1989 Duke 9 The Citadel 11-1-1930 Tennessee 8 N.C. State 10-5-1991 Georgia 8 The Citadel 10-28-2000 Georgia Tech 8 Troy 10-29-2011 Georgia Tech 8
Consecutive 50+ Point Games Clemson scored at least 56 points in consecutive games during the month of October, the first time that has happened in school history. It was the first time Clemson scored at least 50 points in consecutive ACC games and the first time against anyone since 2006, when Clemson had 50-point games in wins over North Carolina and Louisiana Tech. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers defeated Maryland 56-45 on October 15, then defeated North Carolina 59-38 on October 22. Clemson became just the third ACC team in history with consecutive games of at least 56 points and the first to do it since 1992. Virginia accomplished the feat in 1990 and Florida State did it in 1992. Turnovers the Key Statistic The number of turnovers was the key statistic when evaluating wins and losses for Clemson in 2011. In the 10 games Clemson won, the Tigers combined to commit just 11 turnovers and forced 20 for a +9 turnover margin. In Clemson’s four losses, the Tigers combined to commit 13 and forced just three for a -10 turnover margin. The Tigers were 8-0 when they at least tied the turnover margin statistic and 2-4 when they lost it. Clemson Had Experienced Offensive Line Clemson had four starters on the offensive line returning from 2010, and that contributed to the Tigers’ balanced performance in 2011. The Tigers had 2,219 rushing
yards and 3,952 passing yards to go with 22 rushing touchdowns and 33 receiving touchdowns. Seven players were in the mix on the offensive line when it came to consistent playing time, and those seven players combined for 188 career starts. Landon Walker started more games (49) than any other Tiger in history, while Antoine McClain started 41 games, all consecutively. Starting center Dalton Freeman has started 36 games, all consecutively, and he was only a junior. Freeman was a First-Team All-ACC pick and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. Starting left offensive tackle Phillip Price was a first-team All-ACC selection by CBSSports.com and had an outstanding season in his only year as a starter. Tiger Offensive Line Experience Chart Player Pos. 2011 PL Career PL 2011 G Career G Landon Walker OT 1033 3131 14-14 53-49 Antoine McClain OG 921 2438 14-14 54-41 Dalton Freeman C 1044 2397 14-14 40-36 Mason Cloy OL 177 1715 13-1 51-20 David Smith OG 430 1329 12-4 42-18 Phillip Price OT 802 925 13-13 42-14 Brandon Thomas OL 777 913 13-10 23-10 Totals 5184 12,848 93-70 305-188
Tigers Won ACC Title With Young Team Forty-two of the eighty-five players on scholarship were freshmen in 2011, and 29 of those players played in at least one game. Clemson tied with Indiana for the most freshmen who played in a game in 2011. Auburn, Florida State, and Texas tied for third with 26 apiece.
THE 2011 OFFENSIVE LINE LED THE TIGERS TO 33.6 POINTS AND 440.8 YARDS PER CONTEST.
Most Freshmen Played in 2011 Rk School Freshmen 1. Clemson 29 Indiana 29 3. Auburn 26 Florida State 26 Texas 26 6. Central Florida 25 Colorado 25 Georgia 25 Mississippi State 25 South Carolina 25 Virginia Tech 25 Source: Tennessee Sports Information Office.
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ANDRE ELLINGTON HAD A CAREER-HIGH 212 RUSHING YARDS AT MARYLAND IN 2011 TO HELP THE TIGERS RECORD BACK-TO-BACK 50-POINT SCORING OUTPUTS.
2012 Clemson Football