Clemson Tigers
| Clemson Tigers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 2013 |
| Head coach | 8 season, 73–26 (.737) |
| Stadium | Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 81,500) |
| Year built | 1942 |
| Location | Clemson, SC |
| League | NCAA |
| Division | Atlantic |
| All-time record | 80–39–0 (.672) |
| Bowl record | 5–1 (.833) |
| Playoff appearances | 1 |
| Playoff record | 2-1 |
| Conference titles | 1 |
| Division titles | 2 |
| Consensus All-Americans | 1 |
| Colors | Orange and Regalia |
| Fight song | "Tiger Rag" |
| Mascot | 8 Ball the Tiger |
| Rivals | South Carolina Boston College Auburn Florida State Georgia Tech |
The Clemson Tigers is a CFBHC team, playing in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, beginning in the 2013 season.
Contents
History
Radmanflex era (2013-2014)
2013 season
Clemson's inaugural season started poorly and immediately got worse. It features one of the team's only losses to archrival South Carolina, and the only bright spot was an upset win over Auburn. The Tigers went 4-8 and missed a bowl. Fans blamed coaching inconsistency and ineptitude as the reasoning behind the season.
2014 season
Clemson started somewhat better in 2014, with an intial surge to a 3-1 record and a #20 ranking before falling in 4 consecutive games. Following the 20-7 loss to Louisville, coach Radmanflex was fired and replaced by Coach Emperor_of_Orange. In his first game, Emperor made a QB change to CJ Logan and the Tigers won 42-14 against the Nick Hall-led Syracuse Orange. Emperor and Logan ended up leading the Tigers to a 3-1 finish with wins over Boston College and South Carolina to reach 6-6, but Clemson once again missed a bowl due to the number of eligible teams.
Emperor_of_Orange era (mid-2014-present)
2015 season
Clemson received its first preseason ranking entering the 2015 season, as much hype surrounded coach Emperor and emerging QB CJ Logan. The Tigers immediately found success, winning by a combined 109-14 in the first 3 games of the year. The Tigers would start 9-0 and reach #2 before falling on the road to coach Jumanji and Boston College. The Tigers would finish the year 11-2 with a win over Vanderbilt in the Weis Markets Bowl. This season was Clemson's first winning record, bowl win, and ranked finish in school history.
2016 season
Following the 2015 season, Clemson entered 2016 as #18 and facing a showdown with Aaron Shea and Missouri. The Clemson defense was torched by the future Heisman winner and #1 pick to the tune of 56 points. Clemson fell out of the rankings and would not re-enter them for the remainder of the season. The Tigers ended up going 9-4, extending their win streak over South Carolina to 3, and winning the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl 24-10 against Kansas State.
2017 season
2017 was a planned down year for Clemson from the beginning, a lot of players graduated or declared for the NFLHC following 2016 and the Tigers had to take their lumps while young players developed into starters. The season still featured wins over rivals FSU, Auburn, and South Carolina, but it also contained losses to Georgia Tech, Boston College, and a blowout bowl loss versus Utah in the Mile High Bowl.
2018 season
The 2018 season saw an improved Clemson as young players began to emerge. Most notably 2018 saw the origins of CFBHC's most prolific 2-way player, Marquise Reed. Many pundits were critical of coach Emperor deciding to start Reed at FS and WR as a true freshman, citing the Air Force CB that tried to do the same only to be injured in his first game. Reed did not have such issues, he became the Tigers' best offensive and defensive player within his first few games and essentially winning the game at #17 Michigan State. His stat line that game put him into the Heisman conversation for the remainder of the year, with 6 catches for 205 yards, 2 TD, 5 tackles, and 1 INT. The Tigers ended up going 10-3 with losses to #1 BC and FSU and Auburn on the road. Clemson extended its win streak over South Carolina to 5 straight and defeated LSU 31-10 in the Music City Bowl.
2019 season
The 2019 season saw a lot of expectations heaped on the Tigers. They received their first preseason top 10 ranking at #9 and would stay in the top 10 the entire year. In the 2nd game of the year, the Tigers edged out #18 Auburn 13-10, and from there Clemson went off. The Tigers went undefeated in the regular season, with wins over #13 Boston College in Chestnut Hill, #15 FSU at home, and yet another win over archrival South Carolina. Clemson finished the regular season ranked #1 and won the ACC Championship with ease over Jumbo and Pitt. Clemson's first playoff draw was upstart Nevada, and the Tigers once again cruised to a big win, this time 37-10. In the semifinals, Clemson edged out Alabama 20-16 to go to the National Championship game, where the Tigers were finally defeated by Penn State 28-17. Clemson finished the year going 15-1 and the #2 ranking in the final poll.
2020 season
Following the 2019 season, Clemson once again began to rebuild, this time with hopes of staying a dangerous team. Marquise Reed had been drafted #8 overall in the 2020 draft and many assumed Clemson would have a sharp decline because of the loss of Reed. Clemson struggled with their OOC slate, but once ACC play began the Tigers had figured it out. Going 7-1 in-conference and 10-3 overall, Clemson vastly outperformed expectations and may have made the playoffs had they not lost their first game against South Carolina in 6 years. This loss demoralized the Tiger offense, which could not score against UVA in the ACCCG the following week, falling 14-7. Clemson still earned an Orange Bowl berth and won 26-20 over Notre Dame.
2021 season
The 2021 season was the deeper part of Clemson's 2-year rebuild plan, and it showed. The Tigers immediately struggled with losses to SMU and Auburn to open the year. Clemson recovered with a big win over Louisville, but the whole year it seemed every game was up for grabs. A late surge propelled the Tigers to an 8-5 record and an upset win over #18 South Carolina, as well as a thrilling 31-30 comeback win over Oklahoma in the Orlando Bowl. The Tigers had a prolific recruiting year, at least in terms of big-name players, signing #1 WR Theo Chamberlain, 5.0 CB Darius Banjo, and 5/5 JuCo QB Akiem Williams III.
History
2018 Season
| Week | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at #23 BYU | - | LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT | 20-17 | 1-0 | |
| 2 | at Auburn | 25 | Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL | 23-26 | 1-1 | |
| 3 | Bye | |||||
| 4 | at Cincinnati | - | Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 17-6 | 2-1 | |
| 5 | at #17 Michigan State | - | Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI | 27-21 | 3-1 | |
| 6 | NC State | - | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 24-3 | 4-1 | |
| 7 | Bye | |||||
| 8 | Syracuse | 23 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 14-7 | 5-1 | |
| 9 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | #1 Boston College | 19 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 17-28 | 5-2 | |
| 11 | at Wake Forest | 23 | BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC | 37-17 | 6-2 | |
| 12 | at Louisville | 23 | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY | 31-6 | 7-2 | |
| 13 | Bye | |||||
| 14 | at #13 Florida State | 24 | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL | 7-24 | 7-3 | |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | 24 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 35-20 | 8-3 | |
| 16 | South Carolina | 23 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 17-13 | 9-3 | |
| Bowl | LSU | 17 | Music City Bowl, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN | 31-10 | 10-3 | |
2017 Season
| Week | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Georgia Tech | NR | Bobby-Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | 17-28 | 0-1 |
| 3 | at Missouri | NR | Faurot Field, Columbia, MO | 21-31 | 0-2 |
| 3 | Michigan State | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 27-31 | 0-3 |
| 4 | Auburn | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 14-13 | 1-3 |
| 5 | Bye | ||||
| 6 | at Syracuse | NR | Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY | 21-10 | 2-3 |
| 7 | Florida State | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 27-24 (OT) | 3-3 |
| 8 | Bye | ||||
| 9 | BYU | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 24-23 | 4-3 |
| 10 | at Boston College | NR | Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA | 0-30 | 4-4 |
| 11 | Wake Forest | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 24-37 | 4-5 |
| 12 | Louisville | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 30-21 | 5-5 |
| 13 | at NC State | NR | Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC | 38-14 | 6-5 |
| 14 | Bye | ||||
| 15 | at South Carolina | NR | Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC | 21-10 | 7-5 |
| Bowl | Utah | NR | Mile High Stadium, Mile High Bowl, Denver, CO | 17-42 | 7-6 |
2016 Season
| Week | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mizzouri | 18 | LP Field, Nashville, TN | 24-56 | 0-1 |
| 2 | Bye | ||||
| 3 | Northwestern | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 16-9 | 1-1 |
| 4 | Minnesota | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 24-20 | 2-1 |
| 5 | Syracuse | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 38-31 | 3-1 |
| 6 | at ECU | NR | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC | 23-7 | 4-1 |
| 7 | NC State | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 7-14 | 4-2 |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 17-20 | 4-3 |
| 9 | at Florida State | NR | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL | 17-23 | 4-4 |
| 10 | Bye | ||||
| 11 | at Wake Forest | NR | BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC | 28-14 | 5-4 |
| 12 | at Louisville | NR | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY | 17-7 | 6-4 |
| 13 | Boston College | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 17-14 | 7-4 |
| 14 | South Carolina | NR | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 28-17 | 8-4 |
| Bowl | Kansas State | NR | Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dallas, TX | 24-10 | 9-4 |
2015 Season
| Week | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice | 19 | Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA | 42-0 | 1-0 |
| 2 | ECU | 20 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 29-7 | 2-0 |
| 3 | at Northwestern | 14 | Ryan Field, Chicago, IL | 38-7 | 3-0 |
| 4 | at Stanford | 15 | Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA | 28-27 | 4-0 |
| 5 | Bye | ||||
| 6 | at NC State | 11 | Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC | 30-27 OT | 5-0 |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 11 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 28-13 | 6-0 |
| 8 | at Georgia Tech | 4 | Bobby-Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA | 42-24 | 7-0 |
| 9 | at Syracuse | 2 | Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY | 38-31 | 8-0 |
| 10 | Louisville | 3 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 52-7 | 9-0 |
| 11 | at Boston College | 3 | Alumni Stadium, Chesnut Hill, MA | 24-17 | 9-1 |
| 12 | Florida State | 11 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 23-7 | 9-2 |
| 13 | at South Carolina | 15 | Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC | 23-7 | 10-2 |
| Bowl | Vanderbilt | 16 | Weis Markets Bowl, Charlotte, NC | 27-7 | 11-2 |
2014 Season
| Week | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #19 Auburn | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 7-24 | 1-0 | |
| 2 | Bye | ||||
| 3 | Houston | 25 | Houston Football Stadium, Houston, TX | 35-10 | 2-0 |
| 4 | #8 Alabama | 20 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 28-16 | 2-1 |
| 5 | Illinois | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 7-17 | 3-1 | |
| 6 | Wake Forest | BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC | 0-14 | 3-2 | |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 18-0 | 3-3 | |
| 8 | NC State | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 21-17 | 3-4 | |
| 9 | Louisville | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY | 7-20 | 3-5 | |
| 10 | Syracuse | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 42-14 | 4-5 | |
| 11 | #3 Florida State | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL | 49-21 | 4-6 | |
| 12 | Boston College | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 31-28 | 5-6 | |
| 13 | South Carolina | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | 13-10 | 6-6 | |
2013 Season
The 2013 season is the first in which the Clemson Tigers played. The Tigers finished the regular season with a 4-8 record under the puny radmanflex.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Rank | Location | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 14th, 2013 | South Carolina | #19 | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | L 6-28 | 1-0 |
| 2 | December 21st, 2013 | Tennessee | - | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | W 14-3 | 1-1 |
| 3 | December 28th, 2013 | at Alabama | - | Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL | L 3-17 | 1-2 |
| 4 | January 4th, 2014 | at Auburn | - | Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL | W 27-14 | 2-2 |
| 5 | January 11th, 2014 | Nebraska | - | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | W 16-14 | 3-2 |
| 6 | January 18th, 2014 | Miami | #18 | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | L 31-7 | 3-3 |
| 7 | January 23rd, 2014 | at Boston College | - | Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hills, MA | L 10-17 | 3-4 |
| 8 | March 30th, 2014 | at Syracuse | - | Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY | L 9-31 | 3-5 |
| 9 | February 6th, 2014 | at NC State | - | Carter-Finley Stadium, Raliegh, NC | L 0-35 | 3-6 |
| 10 | February 13th, 2014 | North Carolina | - | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | L 28-17 | 3-7 |
| 11 | February 22nd, 2014 | Bye | - | Bye | 3-7 | |
| 12 | March 1st, 2014 | Florida State | - | Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC | L 7-45 | 3-8 |
| 13 | March 4th, 2014 | at Wake Forest | - | BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC | W 14-0 | 4-8 |
| 14 | March 7th, 2014 | Bye | - | Bye | 4-8 |
Season-by-Season Records
| Coach(es) | Year | Conference | Record | Bowl | Final CP Ranking | |
| Wins | Losses | |||||
| Clemson Tigers | ||||||
| radmanflex, Nelson Mandela Jr, et. al | 2013 | ACC | 4 | 8 | - | - |
| 2014 | 3 | 5 | - | - | ||
| Emperor of Orange | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2015 | 11 | 2 | Weis Markets Bowl vs Vanderbilt (W 27-7) | 14 | ||
| 2016 | 9 | 4 | Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl vs Kansas State (W 24-10) | - | ||
| 2017 | 7 | 6 | Mile High Bowl vs Utah (L 17-42) | - | ||
| 2018 | 10 | 3 | Music City Bowl vs LSU (W 31-10) | 17 | ||
| 2019 | 15 | 1 | Playoff Round 1 vs Nevada (W 37-10), Playoff Round 2 vs Alabama (W 20-16), Playoff Round 3 vs Penn State (L 17-28) | 2 | ||
| 2020 | 10 | 4 | Orange Bowl vs Notre Dame (W 26-20) | - | ||
| 2021 | 8 | 5 | Orlando Bowl vs Oklahoma (W 31-30) | - | ||
| Total | 80 | 39 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bowl History
Clemson went to it's first bowl in 2015. They went to the Weis Markets Bowl in Charlotte, NC to play #25 Vanderbilt. With excellent special teams and defensive play, and not making mistakes on offense, the Tigers walked away with a resounding 27-7 win.
|
By game
| Bowl | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Weis Markets Bowl | 1 | 1-0 |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | 1 | 1-0 |
| Mile High Bowl | 1 | 0-1 |
| Music City Bowl | 1 | 1-0 |
Individual Award Winners
2019 AP Player of the Year: Marquise Reed
2019 Paul Hornung Award: Marquise Reed
2019 All-American: DB Marquise Reed
External Links
