CLEMSON, SC -
Clemson (10-2, 7-1 ACC) will face LSU (10-2, 6-2 SEC) in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia
Dome in Atlanta on December 31 at 7:30 PM.
Both teams are ranked in the top 14 in the nation in both polls, as
Clemson is 14 in AP and 13 in USA Today, while LSU is seventh in USA Today and
ninth in AP.
This
will be the highest ranked team Clemson has faced in a bowl game since the 2003
season when the Tigers upset sixth ranked Tennessee at the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
This
will be the first meeting between the two schools who call their home stadium "Death Valley" since the 1996
Chick-fil-A Bowl, a game also played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. LSU won that game 10-7. Overall, it will be just the third
meeting. The first meeting was played in
New Orleans on Jan. 1, 1959 when number-one ranked LSU defeated Clemson 7-0 to
win the National Championship.
"That
is awesome," said Clemson first-team All-America center Dalton Freeman, who
will make his 49th and final career start in this game. " I know the team will be very excited to
play LSU.
"If you want to be a consistently
outstanding program you have to play national championship contenders like
LSU. They have won the national
championship in recent years and always seem to be in the mix for the
championship. They have outstanding
players and it will be a great challenge, but a great opportunity for us.
"I
know they have a top 10 defense that will really be a challenge.
This
will be Clemson's eighth appearance at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, its first since a
23-20 overtime loss to Auburn in 2007.
Clemson's last victory took place in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl took place in
January of 2004 when the Tigers upset sixth ranked Tennessee, 27-14. The Tigers are 2-5 overall in their previous
Chick-fil-A Bowl appearances.
"Our
coaches, our players and our fans always look forward to playing against the
best programs in the nation and LSU certainly fits that description," said
Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney. "We
are going to have the opportunity to compete against a top 10 team that played
for it all last year.
"I
know our players will be excited to compete against LSU because they are among
the best programs in the nation on a yearly basis.
"Les
Miles is one of the top coaches in the nation.
He has consistently competed for the national championship, including
this year. They barely lost to Alabama,
who is in the National Championship game this year.
‘We
started the year in Atlanta on national television against an SEC Tiger team
and we will finish the year in the same stadium on national television against
an SEC Tiger team. It is a great
opportunity for our program.
"I
have been to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl many times before and it is one of the best
bowls in the nation. Gary Stokan and
his staff do a first class job every year and we look forward to representing
the ACC in this outstanding game."
Clemson
Athletic Director Dan Radakovich also commented on the matchup. "We look forward to competing
against a program that has won the National championship and competed for many
others in recent years. LSU is just a
year removed from playing for the National Championship.
"The
Chick-Fil-A Bowl is one of the top bowls in the nation year in and year out and
it will be great for our fans to return to Atlanta, one of the top college
football cities in this country. This will be a game that will excite Clemson
Nation."
The
Clemson vs. LSU game will feature one of the top offenses in the nation against
one of the top defenses. Clemson ranks
sixth in the nation in scoring (42.33), ninth in total offense (518.3) and 13th
in passing (319.6). Those are all record
rates for the Clemson program.
LSU
counters with a defense that ranks 11th in scoring defense (16.92),
eighth in total defense (296.2), ninth in pass efficiency defense (101.43
points) and ninth in rushing defense (101.8).
Clemson
has scored at least 37 points in 10 of the 12 games this year, while LSU has
allowed over 22 points just once, a 41-35 win over Mississippi.
Clemson's
offense features six first-team All-ACC performers. The group is led by quarterback Tajh Boyd, a
first-team All-American (AFCA) and ACC Player of the Year, who ranks fourth in
the nation in passing efficiency. He has
already set the ACC record for touchdown responsibility in a season with 43,
and has tied the league mark for touchdown passes with 34. He ranks fourth in the nation in passing
efficiency (168.5).
His
offensive line features two first-team All-ACC players in center Dalton Freeman
and starting left tackle Brandon Thomas.
Freeman has started 48 consecutive games at center and was named the
first-team All-America center by the American Football Coaches
Association.
Andre
Ellington is a first-team All-ACC running back who has 1031 yards rushing and
197 more yards receiving. He is fifth in
Clemson history in career rushing and touchdowns scored.
DeAndre
Hopkins was a first-team All-ACC player this year with 16 touchdown catches,
second most in the nation. He has 69
catches for 1214 yards and a 17.6 average.
He needs just six reception yards to set the all-time single season
Clemson record. The record he will break
belongs to sophomore receiver Sammy Watkins, who was a first-team All-American
as a freshman last year. He has 57
catches for 708 yards this year.
Tight
end Brandon Ford is a sixth first-team All-ACC player on the Clemson offense
(most by an ACC team since Florida State in 1995). Ford has eight touchdown catches, second in
the nation among tight ends and has 31 catches for 411 yards overall.
Clemson's
defense is led by second-team All-ACC safety Rashard Hall, who has four
interceptions and 75 total tackles. The
Clemson senior is third in school history in forcing turnovers in a career with
17.
Linebackers
Tig Willard and Spencer Shuey are tied for the team lead in tackles with 88
apiece. Shuey has started each of the
last six games and has 57 of his 88 tackles in those six games.
Chandler
Catanzaro is a second-team All-ACC kicker who has attempted 74 placekicks this
year and 72 have gone through the uprights.
The junior from Greenville, SC is 16-17 on field goals and 56-57 on
extra points.
The
Chick-fil-A Bowl is annually one of the most competitive bowl games. Over the 20 years this has been an ACC vs.
SEC matchup, teams from each league have won 10 times. Ten of the last 20 games have been decided by
a touchdown or less.
