2011 Season Notes
OVERVIEW Coaches University Traditions
It is interesting to note that four of the top five streaks in school history have been stopped by North Carolina. Clemson scored in 49 of the 56 quarters in 2011.
Branch was a First-Team All-ACC pick at defensive end. The native of Richmond, VA led the ACC in sacks (10.5) and was among the league leaders in tackles for loss (17). Leading the second-team selections was defensive tackle Brandon Thompson. The senior had 77 tackles, fourth-most on the team, and had a team-tying-best 18 quarterback pressures. Ellington was named Second-Team All-ACC as a running back. Ellington had 1,178 rushing yards in 13 games. He scored 11 touchdowns and was second on the team in all-purpose yards (1,418). Catanzaro made 22-27 field goals in 2011. That included 9-12 on field goals of 40+ yards. Watkins was the first Tiger to earn All-ACC honors at two different positions since 2009, when C.J. Spiller was named First-Team All-ACC as a kick returner and SecondTeam All-ACC as a running back. Watkins had 2,288 allpurpose yards, second-most in Clemson history.
Players Review Opponents records
Started 9-17-2011 9-24-1983 9-8-2011 10-14-1978 11-1-2003
Most Consecutive Quarters Scoring Ended Opponent 10-22-2011 North Carolina (4th) 11-5-1983 North Carolina (1st) 10-20-2011 North Carolina (2nd) 11-11-1978 North Carolina (2nd) 1-2-2004 Tennessee (3rd)
Qtrs 22 20 17 15 15
35-Point Quarter Clemson scored 35 points in the third quarter of its 59-38 win over North Carolina on October 22. It was the most points in a quarter since the Tigers scored 35 points against Wake Forest in an 82-24 victory in 1981. Fittingly, the 1981 team was honored at halftime of the North Carolina game on the occasion of the team’s 30-year anniversary of winning the national title. Christopher “Kit” Southwick set a Tiger mascot pushup record when he did 225 pushups during the third quarter of the North Carolina game. The previous record was 210 by Dan Licata against Central Michigan in 2007. The 35 points in the third quarter tied the Tiger record for points in a quarter. The 1981 team scored 35 points in the second quarter of that 1981 Wake Forest game. Those are the only 35-point quarters in Clemson history. Academics & Athletics Clemson was one of five schools nationally to rank in the top 25 of the U.S. News & World Report Top Public Institutions and in the top 25 of the BCS standings in 2011. Clemson was #25 among public institutions and #15 in the final BCS standings. The other four schools in both were Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Only Michigan and Wisconsin were higher than Clemson in the BCS standings among schools ranked in the top 25 of the public institutions.
ClemsonTigers.com
Five First-Team All-ACC Tigers Five Tigers were named First-Team All-ACC in 2011, including four on offense. Clemson’s five first-team players were more than any other school. The Tigers had nine combined selections on the two teams, also more than any other school.
TIGHT END DWAYNE ALLEN WAS ONE OF FIVE FIRST-TEAM ALL-ACC TIGERS IN 2011.
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Tiger First-Team All-ACC Freshmen Player Pos. Year Terry Allen RB 1987 Robert O’Neal DB 1989 Ronald Williams RB 1990 Nelson Welch PK 1991 Anthony Simmons LB 1995 Sammy Watkins WR 2011
ANDRE BRANCH HAD FOUR SACKS AT #10 VIRGINIA TECH TO LEAD CLEMSON TO A 23-3 WIN. HIS ACC-HIGH 10.5 SACKS WERE A BIG REASON HE WAS NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-ACC.
The first-team selections on offense were tight end Dwayne Allen, quarterback Tajh Boyd, center Dalton Freeman, and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Defensive end Andre Branch was a first-team pick as well. It marked the first time since 2006 that Clemson had five first-team selections. Second-team selections were Andre Ellington (RB), Chandler Catanzaro (PK), Brandon Thompson (DT), and Watkins (SP). Clemson had three Honorable Mention AllACC selections in Phillip Price (OT), Landon Walker (OT), and Dawson Zimmerman. Clemson had four of the 11 players named First-Team All-ACC on offense, the most for the program since 2007, but it was the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers had four underclassmen earn first-team honors on offense. Boyd became the first Clemson sophomore quarterback to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since Woodrow Dantzler was named First-Team All-ACC as a senior in 2001. Boyd was the first Clemson underclassman to earn FirstTeam All-ACC honors since Homer Jordan was a first-team pick in 1981 as a junior. Boyd was the first Clemson sophomore to earn First-Team All-ACC honors at quarterback since Harvey White in 1957. Watkins was named First-Team All-ACC at wide receiver. He became the first Clemson first-year freshman to be named First-Team All-ACC since Anthony Simmons (LB) in 1995. The Fort Myers, FL native was Clemson’s first firstyear freshman offensive player named First-Team All-ACC since Ronald Williams (1990) did so as a running back. Williams’ son, DeShawn Williams, was a classmate and teammate of Watkins on the 2011 squad. Watkins also became the first Clemson freshman to earn First-Team All-ACC honors. Allen was named First-Team All-ACC after being named Second-Team All-ACC as a sophomore in 2010. Allen established Clemson records for receptions (50) and receiving yards (598) for a tight end. He also had eight receiving touchdowns, most in Clemson history by a tight end. Allen received the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. Freeman was the First-Team All-ACC center. He started every game in 2011 and was finalist for the Rimington Trophy. Freeman became the first Clemson center to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since 2000, when Kyle Young was named as a junior.
2012 Clemson Football
FY/RS RS FY FY RS FY FY
Clemson Players-of-the-Game After each game, Clemson coaches select players-ofthe-game on offense, defense, and special teams. Below is the game-by-game list for the 2011 season. 2011 Players-of-the-Game Opponent Offense Defense Troy Boyd Wright Wofford Ellington Moore Auburn Boyd/Watkins Branch Florida State Allen Moore Virginia Tech Freeman Branch Boston College Watkins Goodman/Thompson Maryland Ellington/Watkins ----- North Carolina Boyd/Hopkins Ko. Brown Georgia Tech Watkins Goodman/Wright Wake Forest Ja. Brown Hall N.C. State Hopkins Branch South Carolina Ellington Hall Virginia Tech Boyd/Ellington Defensive Line
Special Teams Catanzaro Zimmerman Fajgenbaum Benton Wright Catanzaro Shuey Sobeski Zimmerman Dar. Smith Zimmerman Traylor Zimmerman
Seven Tigers With a 50-Yard Play An indication of the amount of weapons on the Tiger offense was the number of players with a play of 50 yards or more in 2011. Clemson had seven different players who were involved in 13 scrimmage plays of 50 yards or more. The previous record for a season was also seven players, established in 2001. Sammy Watkins had five different receptions of at least 50 yards, including two 62-yard receptions and a 65-yard catch. Mike Bellamy had a 75-yard run, Andre Ellington had a 74-yard run, and 68-yard run, Dwayne Allen had a 54-yard reception, DeAndre Hopkins had a 50-yard catch, and Martavis Bryant had a 54-yard reception. Tight end Brandon Ford had a 50-yard reception at N.C. State to give Clemson seven different players with a 50-yard play from scrimmage in 2011. Four Sons of Former Tigers on 2011 Team Four sons of former Tiger football players were on the 2011 team. Starting offensive tackle Landon Walker is the son of Gary Walker, who was a letterman on Clemson’s 1981 National Championship team. The same goes for Shaq Anthony, a first-year freshman whose father, Vernie Anthony, also lettered on the 1981 team. Freshman defensive lineman DeShawn Williams is the son of running back Ronald Williams, who was the leading rusher (941 yards) on Clemson’s 1990 team as a first-year freshman, still the Clemson record for a first-year freshman. Ronald Williams played for the Tigers from 1990-92. Walk-on Taylor Watson is the son of Ronald Watson, who was a freshman on the 1981 team.