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BY THE
NUMBERS
FINAL STANDINGS
ACC AU Top 25 PF PA
Florida State 7-1 10-2 1-1 405 201
Maryland 6-2 9-3 0-1 365 199
Clemson 5-3 8-4 2-1 338 236
N.C. State 4-4 7-5 0-2 433 365
Virginia 4-4 7-5 1-1 341 249
Georgia Tech 4-4 6-6 1-2 222 256
Wake Forest 3-5 5-7 1-1 335 347
Duke 2-6 4-8 0-3 211 343
North Caro Una 1-7 2-10 0-1 317 459
Records against Top 25 teams reflect rankings
for the week that the game was played.
TEAM LEADERS
Average per game
TOTAL OFFENSE
N.C. State 436.5
Clemson 422.3
Florida State 419.3
Maryland 413.3
North Caro Una 394.3
PASSING OFFENSE
N.C. State 341.6
Clemson 286.8
Florida State 284.1
Virginia 256.7
North Caro Una 243.9
RUSHING OFFENSE
Wake Forest 203.3
Maryland 195.5
Duke 172.1
North Caro Una 150.4,
Georgia Tech 142.9
TURNOVER MARGIN
Florida State +.58
Wake Forest +.58
Clemson +.33
Duke +.33
Virginia +.33
KICKOFF RETURNS
Clemson 27.7
North Caro Una 26.6
Florida State . 23.5
Maryland 23.0
Duke 23.0
TOTAL DEFENSE
Maryland 314.0
Florida State 328.8
Clemson 329.2
Georgia Tech 337.1
Duke 374.9
PASS DEFENSE
Maryland 186.7
Clemson 189.5
Duke 216.9
Florida State 217.6
Virginia 221.1
RUSHING DEFENSE
Florida State 111.2
Georgia Tech 113.6
Maryland 127.3
N.C. State 130.0
Clemson 139.7
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
PASSING YARDS
Philip Rivers, N.C. State 4,016
Charlie Whitehurst, Clemson 3,315
Chris Rix, Florida State . 3,011
Matt Schaub, Virginia 2,708
Darian Durant, North Caro Una 2,551
PASS EFFICIENCY
Philip Rivers, N.C. State 166.7
Matt Schaub, Virginia 141.6
Chris Rix, Florida State 140.9
CharUe Whitehurst, Clemson 138.8
Scott Mcßrien, Maryland 137.1
RUSHING YARDS
Chris Barclay, Wake Forest 1,192
P.J. Daniels, Georgia Tech 1,140
Chris Douglas, Duke 1,138
Josh Allen, Maryland 894
Wali Lundy, Virginia 839
RECEIVING YARDS
Jerricho Cotchery, N.C. State 1,198
Jonathan Smith, Georgia Tech 1,124
Craphonso Thorpe, Florida State 994
Derrick Hamilton, Clemson 957
Kevin Youngblood, Clemson 833
TOTAL OFFENSE
Philip Rivers, N.C. State 4,105
Charlie Whitehurst, Clemson 3,372
Chris Rix, Florida State 3,128
Darian Durant, North Caro Una 2,947
Matt Schaub, Virginia 2,692
SCORING
Xavier Beitia, Florida State 105
Nick Novak, Maryland 99
Connor Hughes, Virginia 98
Adam Kiker, N.C. State 84
Aaron Hunt, Clemson 83
INTERCEPTIONS
Almondo Curry, Virginia 6
James Butler, Georgia Tech 5
Jamaal Fudge, Clemson 4
Eric King, Wake Forest 3
TACKLES
Keyaron Fox, Georgia Tech 150
Terrell Smith, Duke 140
Ryan Fowler, Duke 136
Leroy Hill, Clemson 133
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PART TWO
Bowl Previews
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Illustration by Bruce Plante ® 2003
The ACC goes bowling
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Miami vs. Florida State (Miami)
The Orange Bowl doesn’t represent the end of the 2003 season
for Miami and Florida State, but signals the dawning of a
new era in Atlantic Coast Conference football.
The big story in college athletics before the whole Bowl
Championship Series controversy erupted was the issue of
conference expansion. Miami, along with Virginia Tech and
Boston College, bolted the Big East conference in favor of the
ACC this fall.
The Hurricanes won the Big East championship in their final
year of league play. However, consecutive losses to Virginia Tech
and Tennessee cost Miami any chance of playing in its third
consecutive national championship game. The consolation prize is
a rematch with Florida State, a team Miami beat 22-14 at Doak
Campbell Stadium on Oct. 11.
With the addition of Miami, Florida State is no longer the sole
dominant ACC power. It’s no longer a given that the Seminoles,
who have lost four straight to the Hurricanes, will just waltz to the
conference title.
This is more than a rivalry or a second chance for the seniors to
earn their first victory over the hated Hurricanes. FSU has an
opportunity to show the new kid on the block that it will stand its
ground. Well, at least until the two teams meet in the 2004 season
opener on Labor Day.
■ Records: Miami 10-2 (6-1 Big East); Florida State 10-2 (7-1
ACC). ■ Series: Miami leads 27-20. ■ Coaches: Miami’s Larry
Coker (34-3); Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (342-98-4).
■ Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ■ TV: ABC.
Keys for Miami: Prevent FSU from running the ball. The
Seminoles managed only 61 yards on 37 carries in the earlier loss
to Miami.... Quarterback Brock Berlin, who threw three
interceptions against the Seminoles, must be efficient or Coker
will pull him in favor of Derrick Crudup.... Score points in the
red zone. In six chances inside the 20 during the October game,
the Hurricanes settled for three Jon Peattie field goals (27,22 and
19) and failed to score on two other possessions.
Keys for Florida State: Account for Kellen Winslow, who
won the 2003 John Mackey Award for the being the nation’s best
tight end. Winslow had seven catches for 106 yards in the first
matchup.... Keep the pressure off quarterback Chris Rix. Rix had
four turnovers and was sacked three times by the Hurricanes.
... Convert Miami’s mistakes into points.
Peach Bowl (Jan. 2)
Tennessee vs. Clemson (Atlanta)
If Clemson doesn’t bust out the purple jerseys for the third time
this season, the Georgia Dome will be awash in orange as the
Tigers take on Tennessee.
Besides proving who’s the best orange-clad team in the South,
conference bragging rights are also at stake with the ACC-SEC
season series tied at four.
Although the sixth-ranked Volunteers picked up big wins
against Florida and Miami, one play prevented them from playing
in the SEC Championship Game and getting a chance at a BCS
bid. With Georgia leading 13-7, quarterback Casey Clausen
fumbled and Georgia’s Sean Jones went 92 yards for a touchdown
with no time left in the first half. Fueled by Jones’ touchdown,
Georgia proceeded to thump the Vols 41-14.
No one expected the Tigers to be playing past New Year’s Day
after a devastating 45-14 loss to Wake Forest in early November,
but Clemson rebounded and closed the season with three straight
wins. Tommy Bowden’s squad looked nothing like a 5-4 team as
it blew out Florida State, Duke and South Carolina one after
another.
■ Records: Tennessee 10-2 (6-2 SEC East); Clemson 8-4 (5-3
ACC). ■ P .-lies: Tennessee leads 11-5-2. ■ Coaches:
Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer (113-27); Clemson’s Tommy Bowden
(55-28). ■ Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. EST. ■ TV: ESPN.
Keys for Tennessee: Consistency from quarterback Casey
Clausen, who’s been up and down all year.... Use punter Dustin
Colquitt and his 45.9 yards per kick average to win the field
position battle.... Continue to play well against the pass. In the
last three games, starting quarterbacks have thrown for a
combined 308 yards against Tennessee.
Keys for Clemson: Get off to a good start as it has done in the
past three games.... Stop the 1-2 punch of Tennessee running
backs Cedric Houston and Jabari Davis, who have combined for
1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.... Generate
something off the return game. Clemson finished second
nationally in kickoff return average (27.7 yards a return).
Humanitarian Bowl (Jan. 3)
Tulsa vs. Georgia Tech (Boise, Idaho)
Going to Boise, Idaho, in early January may not seem like a
major reward for a successful season, but it’s a major
accomplishment for these two schools.
First-year head coach Steve Kragthorpe has led a Tulsa
program, which had a record of 19-60 from 1996-2002, to an 8-4
season and the school’s first bowl bid since the 1991 Freedom
Bowl. The Golden Hurricane was picked by most to finish at the
bottom of the Western Athletic Conference, but has been
successful thanks to a ground game that ranked 16th nationally in
2003.
Georgia Tech is in a little bit of funk after dropping its final two
regular season games, but Chan Gailey has done a remarkable job
to get the program to its seventh consecutive bowl game after
losing 10 players to grades last spring.
■ Records: Tulsa 8-4 (6-2 WAC); Georgia Tech 6-6 (4-4
ACC). ■ Series: Tied 1-1. ■ Coaches: Tulsa’s Steve Kragthorpe
(8-4); Georgia Tech’s Chan Gailey (37-23). ■ Kickoff: Noon
EST. ■ TV: ESPN.
Keys for Tulsa: Stop Georgia Tech receiver Jonathan Smith.
In Tulsa’s regular season finale, San Jose State’s Tuati Wooden
had 15 receptions for 179 yards.... Offensive line must be up for
the challenge presented by a defense that’s 21st nationally against
the run.... Force turnovers. The Golden Hurricane is 16th in the
nation in turnover margin, while Georgia Tech was eighth in the
ACC.
Keys for Georgia Tech: A big game from running back P.J.
Daniels, who had 1,140 yards this season.... Protect quarterback
Reggie Ball, who suffered a concussion against Georgia. The
Yellow Jackets gave up 27 sacks in 2003.... Sophomore
defensive end Eric Henderson, who was second in the ACC in
tackles for loss, has to get into the Tulsa backfield.
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Wednesday, December 17,2003 I
c 2003 Longwing Publications Inc.
11
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M&EMSDN Associate athletics
director and ticket
manager Van Hilderbrand said the
university has received orders for more
than 33,000 tickets for the Peach Bowl.
Clemson received an allotment of 20,000
tickets and will have to issue refunds for
only the second time in 20 years. "We are
delighted with the tremendous interest in
this game from our fans," Hilderbrand
said. "I haven't seen demand like this
since the 1982 Orange Bowl, when we were
playing Nebraska for the national
championship."
fWMIDAST. ® obb A ßow^ e k ndo ! sn ' t
think he will have to do
much to motivate the Seminoles in the
Orange Bowl. "There are a lot of positives
to playing Miami," Bowden said. "We
thought we would be heading out West. I
know our kids are excited. It brings
meaning to the game. When you aren't
playing for a national championship or a
conference championship, the next best
thing to motivate you is playing Miami or
Florida. That will motivate you." After
earning victories in five of six meetings
with the Hurricanes from 1993-'9B, the
Seminoles have lost four straight to the
Hurricanes.
TECH Th e honors continue to
roll in for quarterback
Reggie Ball. Ball was named a second
team Freshman All-America by the
Sporting News after setting Tech freshman
records for passing yards (1,980) and total
offense (2,372). Ball, who won the ACC's
Rookie of the Week award five times in the
2003 season, was the first Yellow Jacket
true freshman to start behind center in a
season opener and started all 12 games.
Starting defensive tackle Mansfield
Wrotto earned third-team Freshman All-
America honors from the magazine.
Wrotto was credited with three tackles for
a loss, one sack and a fumble recovery this
season.
TENNESSEE Captains Casey
clausen Michael
Munoz, Constantin Ritzmann and Scott
Wells, along with four teammates, were
among the 12 student athletes who
participated in graduation ceremonies on
Dec. 14. Linebacker and co-captain Kevin
Burnett earned his degree in sport
management last spring and is currently
working on his master's degree. "These
guys have been great leaders for us, both
on and off the field," said head coach
Phillip Fulmer, who joked that he missed
the eight players, who were excused from
practice for graduation. "They helped us
overcome a couple of tough early season
losses and led this team to a six-game
winning streak. I'm proud of them for that
and I'm equally proud of their performance
in the classroom. Tennessee captains have,
nearly to a man, gone on to accomplish
great things, serving their communities
well.”
Tin c; a Head coach steve
Kragthorpe was named the
Western Athletic Conference's Coach of the
Year and eight players were named either
first- or second-team all-conference.
Tulsa, which averages 408 yards a game
including 212 rushing, started the season
0-2 and was 3-5 before ending the season
with five straight victories. "Tulsa is a very
good football team that is playing very
well right now," said Georgia Tech head
coach Chan Gailey. "They are one of the
great stories in college football this season
with the turnaround they've had. They are
a very balanced offense, and they probably
run the ball as well as any team we've
faced this season."
MI AMT For the third time in its
history, the Orange Bowl
will feature a matchup between two teams
that played each other during the regular
season. LSU avenged a 28-13 loss to Texas
AB.M with a 19-14 victory in 1944 and
Oklahoma beat Nebraska by seven in the
1979 contest after falling to the
Comhuskers by three in the regular
season. The Orange Bowl, which will be
played at Pro Player Stadium, will mark
the first time that Miami and Florida State
have met for a game at a neutral site. "I
know our players and our coaching staff
relish the challenge to take on one of
college football's finest programs," Miami
head coach Larry Coker said. "This is a
rivalry that is always fierce, but also one in
which both programs have a tremendous
level of mutual respect."
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