Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Clemson
Tigers and Wolfpack Clash Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Oct. 11, 2005
NC STATE (2-2, 1-2) vs. CLEMSON (2-3, 1-3)
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 2005
TIME: Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (EDT) Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC (57,500)
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network: 6:30 p.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: ESPN
OPPONENT----Clemson has been involved in more close football games this season than any team in Division 1-A. All five contests have been decided by a touchdown or less within the last three minutes of play. Four games have come down to the final snap, including the last three. Clemson is the only school in the nation to have all five of its games decided by six points or less.
The Tiger's season opening 25-24 victory over Texas A&M was decided by Jad Dean's field goal with two seconds left. In week No. 2 against Maryland, the Tigers overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win 28-24.
Clemson's 36-30 triple overtime loss to Miami (FL) in Death Valley was the first of three consecutive heartbreakers for Tigers fans and preceded another overtime home loss to Boston College by a 16-13 score.
In the Tigers last outing on October 1st, Wake Forest scored with 33 seconds left to take a 31-27 lead. Clemson drove to the Deacons' three-yard line on the last play of the game before Curtis Baham was stopped shy of giving the Tigers a game-winning touchdown.
So, don't be deceived by Clemson's record. This is a good football team that's coming to Raleigh and it's hungry for a win. The Tigers are also an improved team from a year ago when they finished 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.
Clemson's offense has shown improvement in a number of categories. The Tigers have increased their total offense from 295.6 per game to 354.6, an increase of 20 percent in yards per game. That breaks down to 20 yards per game more on the ground and 38 yards per game improvement in the air.
Clemson is also protecting the ball better, leading to fewer points scored by opponents. Clemson has just three turnovers in five games, an average of 0.6 per game. The 2004 team had 24 turnovers in 11 games, an average of 2.18 per game.
Who leads the ACC in fewest penalties? You guessed it, Clemson. The Tigers have committed just 17 for 146 yards in the first five games and are gaining 51.4 yards per game on penalty differential. The opposition has committed 48 for 403 penalty yards, which is the most by any ACC team's opponent. Clemson's 17 penalties in a five-game stretch rank as the fewest in any five-game period in school history.
Clemson's improvement is also reflected in the play of quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who has bettered his completion percentage from 50.7 to 66.5 and his passing efficiency. He has also cut his interceptions drastically. Whitehurst threw 17 picks last season, but has just three in 166 passing attempts so far in 2005. Two of those three interceptions were tipped passes by his receivers.
When Whitehurst has time to throw and is playing well, he's as good as any of the nation's top quarterbacks. Plus, his top targets are solid receivers. Senior Curtis Baham (6-1, 190) has been Clemson's big play threat with 14 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns. The New Orleans native leads the ACC in yards per reception (22.3) and his 62.4 receiving yards per game ranks fourth best in the conference. Redshirt junior Chansi Stuckey (6-0, 185), a converted quarterback, is the team leader with 21 catches while 6-5 redshirt freshman Aaron Kelly has 19.
Depth in the receiver corps took a hit when veteran Kelvin Grant suffered a torn ACL in practice on October 6. The redshirt junior, who ranked fifth on the Clemson team with 10 catches, will miss the rest of the season.
Up front, Clemson is big. The starting offensive line averages 312 pounds and is led by redshirt junior guard Nathan Bennett (6-5, 300) and sophomore tackle Barry Richardson ( 6-7, 335), Bennett leads the team in knockdown blocks while Richardson was a 2004 Freshman All-American. Reserve guard, Chip Myrick is the only senior offensive lineman to get playing time this season.
Thursday's game will feature two of the top true freshman running backs in the nation. NC State's Toney Baker has rushed 46 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns this season to lead the Wolfpack. He also has eight receptions for 59 yards including one touchdown catch.
Clemson's James Davis (5-11, 210) has 72 carries for 290 yards and two scores this season. He is the top rusher among freshmen in the ACC this season. Davis burst on the scene with 101 yards in 19 carries against Texas A&M in his first college game.
However, Reggie Merriweather (5-8, 210) is slated to start for Clemson after gaining 92 yards in 17 carries at Wake Forest. The redshirt junior has 272 yards, a 5.0 average, and needs just two yards rushing Thursday night to reach the 1,000-yard mark for his career. Combined, Davis and Merriweather are averaging 112 rushing yards a game.
Defensively, Clemson has some room for improvement. The Tigers are allowing 26.2 points and 358 yards a game, including nearly 160 rushing yards. Anchoring the defensive front are ends, Charles Bennett (6-5, 250, Sr.) and Gaines Adams (6-5, 265, Jr.). They've accounted for more than half of Clemson's quarterback pressures this season. Bennett's interception sealed last year's 26-20 win over NC State.
Anthony Waters is Clemson's top tackler with 54 stops and ranks third in the ACC. The redshirt junior (6-3, 240) has taken over the middle linebacker position left vacant by Leroy Hill, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. On a per game basis, Waters is averaging nearly 11 tackles per game, above the 9.6 per game by Hill.
Free safety, Jamaal Fudge, who has never missed a game in his career (42), is a third-year starter and defensive leader. The redshirt senior is trying to become the first Clemson player in history to lead the team in interceptions three straight years. Redshirt freshman, Michael Hamlin (6-3, 195), is a first-year starter at strong safety.
Clemson cornerback Tye Hill, a third-year starter, is one of the best in the ACC. In his latest listing of top senior NFL Draft prospects, ESPN's Mel Kiper ranks Hill 14th overall, third among defensive backs. Hill is coming off a career high 11 tackles at Wake Forest, including three tackles for loss. He also has 2 interceptions this season. The other corner is junior, Sergio Gilliam, a first-year starter.
The Tigers kicking game has had some ups and downs. Stuckey is No. 2 in the ACC in punt returns (10.3), but Clemson is last in the league in net punting (29.8).Redshirt junior Cole Chason is not among the ACC's top-10 punters with his 35.7 average and has had two punts blocked.
Jad Dean is the leading active placekicker in the nation in terms of career field goal percentage. The junior has made 25-of-29 for his career, including 13-14 this season. That's a .862 field goal percentage. All of Dean's misses have been from 40 yards or more.
Through five games Clemson is a perfect 18-18 scoring in the red zone with 9 touchdowns. Obviously, Dean's kicking has had a lot to do with that success rate. He has booted 9 field goals to cap scoring drives inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Clemson is the only ACC team to bat 1.000 in red zone scoring so far, but to continue that efficiency the Tigers will have to do it against an NC State team that leads the league in red zone defense. NC State has allowed just nine scores in 17 trips to the red zone this year.
NOTES: The Pack is seeking its first ACC home win since beating Wake Forest on October 2, 2004, and its 150th victory at Carter-Finley Stadium...Wolfpack quarterback, Jay Davis, who leads the ACC in passing yards per game (258) and is No.2 in passing efficiency (145.4), has thrown for 200 or more yards in 11 of his last 12 games totaling of 2,805 yards and 15 touchdowns during that span... After holding six straight opponents to less than 300 yards, the Wolfpack has surrendered more than 300 yards in each of its last two games. The defense gave up 321 yards in its loss to North Carolina and 443 yards in its victory at Georgia Tech...The Pack's Darrell Blackman leads the ACC and is No. 4 nationally in yards per kickoff return (35.5)...Seven of the last eight NC State-Clemson games have been decided by eight points or less... In 66 games under Chuck Amato, the Wolfpack has entered the fourth quarter with the score differing by seven points or less 33 times...Pack linebacker Stephen Tulloch is averaging 13.3 tackles per game (No. 2 ACC and No.6 NCAA) and has 9 tackles for loss and 2 sacks...Clemson is No. 3 in the ACC in turnover margin (+6) while NC State is tied for ninth (-2)...In last season's 26-20 win over NC State, Clemson converted six Wolfpack turnovers into 16 points.
INJURIES--NC State: FS Miguel Scott (ankle sprain)-doubtful; DB Jeremy Gray (foot)-questionable.Clemson:OT Christian Capote (sprained foot)-doubtful; WR Kelvin Grant (torn ACL)-out; TE Cole Downer (ruptured spleen)-out.
