CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Final 2003 Clemson Football Notes

Final 2003 Clemson Football Notes


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2003 (9-4, 5-3 ACC)

Peach Bowl Champions

08/30 #9 Georgia 0-30L
09/06 Furman 28-17W
09/13 Mid Tenn 37-14W
09/20 @Ga Tech 39-3W
10/04 @Maryland 7-21L
10/11 #24 Uva 30-27W
10/16 @NC State 15-17L
10/25 N. Carolina 36-28W
11/01 @WFU 17-45L
11/08 #3 FSU 26-10W
11/15 Duke 40-7W
11/22 @S Carolina 63-17W
1/2 #6 Tenn 27-14W

ROSTERS

  Alphabetical

  Numerical

  By State

  Scholarship Breakdown

Team

*Finished the season ranked 22nd in the final Associated Press and

ESPN/USA Today Coach's polls, Clemson's 20th season in the final

rankings. The team also ranked 17th in the final Sagarin Computer

rankings.

*Defeated two top 10 teams during the season, a third-ranked Florida

State team on November 8, and a sixth-ranked Tennessee team on

January 2. This was the first time since the 1981 National

Championship team, and just the second season in school history that

Clemson defeated two top 10 teams in the same year.

*Defeated two teams (Florida State and Tennessee) that ended the

season with 10 wins. It marked the first time since 1989 that

Clemson had beaten two 10-win teams in the same season.

*Concluded the season with a 27-14 victory over sixth-ranked

Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It was the second highest

ranked team Clemson has defeated in a bowl game. The only school

with a higher ranking that Clemson defeated in a bowl game was

Nebraska (fourth) in the 1982 Orange Bowl.

*Defeated four teams that played in bowl games (Georgia Tech,

Virginia, Florida State and Tennessee).

*The win over the third-ranked Seminoles was Clemson's first win over

Florida State in 14 years and it is the highest ranked team Clemson

has ever beaten in football. Clemson was named National Team of

the Week by the Football Writers Association for its victory over

Florida State.

*Clemson defeated three top 25 teams overall, as Clemson also

defeated a top 25 Virginia team in overtime (30-27) on Clemson's

homecoming.

*Defeated rival South Carolina by a 63-17 score. The 63 points were

the most points a Clemson team has ever scored against South Carolina

and the 46-point victory margin was Clemson's greatest in the series

since 1900.

*Defeated league rival Georgia Tech by a 39-3 score. The 39 points

were the most Clemson has ever scored in Atlanta and the 36-point

victory margin was the Tigers greatest over the Yellow Jackets since

1903 when John Heisman was Clemson's head coach.

*Won each of its last four games by a combined 108-point margin.

Among the nine Division I teams that won their final four games, only

Associated Press National Champion Southern Cal had as great a

victory margin over the final four games.

*First Clemson team since 1990 to win its final four games of the season.

*Clemson offense set school season records for total offense (5467)

and first downs (303).

*Ranked 20th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 19.2 points per game.

*Ranked second in the nation and first in the ACC in kickoff returns.

Academic Accomplishments

*Ranked 11th overall and second among public institutions in

graduation rate among the 117 Division I schools in a study conducted

by the NCAA.

*Clemson had an 89 percent graduate rate for its African American

players in the study, seventh best among Division I schools in the

NCAA study.

*Wide receiver Tony Elliott, an engineering graduate student, was

named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Elliott was named

one of three captains of the Clemson team at the conclusion of the

season in a vote by his teammates.

*Starting tackle William Henry earned his master's degree by the end

of the regular season, the first Clemson football player to earn two

degrees before the completion of his playing career.

*Became the first Clemson team to defeat Tennessee since 1919.

Twelve players on the Clemson roster for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

already had their undergraduate degrees.

Player Accomplishments

*Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst concluded the season ranked 14th in

the nation in total offense. He set an ACC record for passing

yardage by a sophomore with 3561. He established 29 Clemson records

during the course of the season on a game, season and career basis.

*Whitehurst became just the second sophomore in ACC history to exceed

5,000 yards passing.

*Derrick Hamilton led the ACC and ranked 23rd in the nation in

all-purpose running. He became Clemson's career pass reception

leader with 167, breaking Rod Gardner's record by one reception.

Hamilton also became just the second Clemson receiver to reach 1000

yards in a season. He became Clemson's career leader in all-purpose

running yardage.

*Leroy Hill ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss and was

named first-team All-ACC.

*He was named the defensive player of the game and running back Chad

Jasmin was named the offensive player of the game in Clemson's

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory over Tennessee.

*Kicker Aaron Hunt became Clemson's career scoring leader with 329 points.

Head Coach Tommy Bowden

*Head Coach Tommy Bowden was named ACC Coach of the Year for 2003,

the second time in his five years that he has received that award.

*Defeated three of the top 11 winningest active coaches in Division I

college football over the last four games of the season. Started the

streak with a 26-10 win over Florida State and his father, Bobby

Bowden, the fourth winningest active coach, then continued with a

63-17 win over Lou Holtz and South Carolina, the 11th winningest

active coach. Finished with 27-14 win over Phil Fulmer and

Tennessee, second ranked among winningest active coaches.

*Became the first coach in college football history to defeat two

different coaches with at least 200 victories (Bobby Bowden and Lou

Holtz) within the same month (November, 2003).

*Moved into eighth place among the winningest active coaches in

Division I college football at the end of the 2003 season.

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