2012 Clemson Tigers football team

2012 Clemson Tigers football
2012 Clemson Tigers football
ACC Atlantic Division co-champion; Chick-fil-A Bowl champion
Chick-fil-A Bowl, W 25–24 vs. LSU
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Atlantic Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 9
AP	No. 11
Record	11–2 (7–1 ACC)
Head coach	Dabo Swinney (4th full, 5th overall season);
Offensive coordinator	Chad Morris (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brent Venables (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Charlie Harbison (5th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his fourth full year and fifth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley". They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. On November 10, Clemson set a school record with their 12th straight home win at Death Valley. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in ACC play to be Atlantic Division co–champions with Florida State. Due to their loss to Florida State, they did not represent the division the ACC Championship Game. They were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl where they defeated LSU. The Tigers had their first 11-win season since 1981.

2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 10 Florida State xy$	7	–	1	12	–	2
No. 11 Clemson x	7	–	1	11	–	2
NC State	4	–	4	7	–	6
Wake Forest	3	–	5	5	–	7
Maryland	2	–	6	4	–	8
Boston College	1	–	7	2	–	10
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech xy	5	–	3	7	–	7
North Carolina†	5	–	3	8	–	4
Miami (FL)‡	5	–	3	7	–	5
Virginia Tech	4	–	4	7	–	6
Duke	3	–	5	6	–	7
Virginia	2	–	6	4	–	8
Championship: Florida State 21, Georgia Tech 15
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant † North Carolina ineligible for ACC title, championship game, and bowl game due to NCAA sanctions.^[1] ‡ Miami ineligible for ACC title, championship game, and bowl game due to self-imposed sanctions.^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

Personnel

2012 Clemson Tigers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`1`	Martavis Bryant	So
WR	`2`	Sammy Watkins	So
WR	`6`	DeAndre Hopkins	Jr
QB	`8`	Cole Stoudt	So
QB	`10`	Tajh Boyd	Jr
QB	`11`	Chad Kelly	Fr
WR	`16`	Adam Humphries	So
WR	`18`	Jaron Brown	GS
WR	`19`	Charone Peake	So
RB	`23`	Andre Ellington	Sr
RB	`24`	Zac Brooks	Fr
C	`55`	Dalton Freeman	GS
G	`62`	Tyler Shatley	Jr
OT	`63`	Brandon Thomas	Jr
OT	`79`	Isaiah Battle	Fr
TE	`80`	Brandon Ford	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DE	`3`	Vic Beasley	So
DT	`6`	Tavaris Barnes	So
LB	`12`	Stephone Anthony	So
CB	`17`	Bashaud Breeland	So
CB	`21`	Darius Robinson	Jr
DT	`48`	D.J. Reader	Fr
DT	`50`	Grady Jarrett	So
DE	`93`	Corey Crawford	So
DT	`94`	Carlos Watkins	Fr
DT	`97`	Malliciah Goodman	Sr
DE	`98`	Kevin Dodd	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`39`	Chandler Catanzaro	Jr
P	`92`	Bradley Pinion	Fr

Head coach

Dabo Swinney

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Chad Morris (OC/QB)
Brent Venables (DC/LB)
Tony Elliott (RB)
Jeff Scott (WR/RC)
Robbie Caldwell (OL)
Dan Brooks (DT)
Marion Hobby (DRGC/DE)
Charlie Harbison (DB)
Danny Pearman (STC/TE)
Zac Alley (Student Asst.)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Clemson	Alma mater
Dabo Swinney	Head coach	3	Alabama (1992)
Chad Morris	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	1	Texas A&M (1992)
Brent Venables	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	0	Kansas State (1992)
Tony Elliott	Running Backs	1	Clemson (2003)
Jeff Scott	Wide Receivers/recruiting coordinator	3	Clemson (2002)
Robbie Caldwell	Offensive line	1	Furman (1976)
Dan Brooks	Defensive tackles	2	Western Carolina (1976)
Marion Hobby	Defensive Running game coordinator/Defensive Ends	1	Tennessee (1989)
Charlie Harbison	Defensive Backs	0	Gardner–Webb (1981)
Danny Pearman	Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends	3	Clemson (1995)
Zac Alley	Student Assistant	2	Clemson (2014)
Reference:^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 p.m.	vs. No. 25 Auburn*	No. 14	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game / rivalry)	ESPN	W 26–19	75,211
September 8	12:30 p.m.	Ball State*	No. 12	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ACCN	W 52–27	79,557
September 15	3:00 p.m.	Furman*	No. 11	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	RSN	W 41–7	83,574
September 22	8:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Florida State	No. 10	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry) (College GameDay)	ABC	L 37–49	83,231
September 29	3:30 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 17	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy)	ESPN2	W 45–31	40,138
October 6	3:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 47–31	82,873
October 20	Noon	Virginia Tech	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ABC/ESPN2	W 38–17	83,338
October 25	7:30 p.m.	at Wake Forest	No. 14	BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ESPN	W 42–13	31,162
November 3	7:00 p.m.	at Duke	No. 10	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	ESPN2	W 56–20	31,894
November 10	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ESPNU	W 45–10	78,302
November 17	3:30 p.m.	NC State	No. 11	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (Textile Bowl)	ABC/ESPN2	W 62–48	77,831
November 24	7:00 p.m.	No. 13 South Carolina*	No. 12	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (Palmetto Bowl)	ESPN	L 17–27	84,513
December 31	7:30 p.m.	vs. No. 9 LSU*	No. 15	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Bowl)	ESPN	W 25–24	68,027
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[3]^[4]

Depth chart

Defense

FS
Xavier Brewer
Garry Peters

WLB	MLB	SLB
⋅	Stephone Anthony	⋅
Travis Blanks	Spencer Shuey	⋅

SS
Jonathan Meeks
Rashard Hall

CB
Bashaud Breeland
Cortez Davis

DE	DT	DT	DE
Corey Crawford (American Football)	Grady Jarrett	Deshawn Williams	Malliciah Goodman
Vic Beasley	Tavaris Barnes	Josh Watson	Roderick Byers

CB
Darius Robinson
Martin Jenkins

Offense

WR
DeAndre Hopkins
Martavis Bryant

WR
Jaron Brown
Charone Peake

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Brandon Thomas	Kalon Davis	Dalton Freeman	Tyler Shatley	Gifford Timothy
Isaiah Battle	David Beasley	Ryan Norton	Reid Webster	Joe Gore

TE
Brandon Ford
Sam Cooper

WR
Sammy Watkins
Adam Humphries

QB
Tajh Boyd
Cole Stoudt

Key reserves

Special teams
PK Chandler Catanzaro
P Spencer Benton
KR Sammy Watkins
PR DeAndre Hopkins
LS Michael Sobeski
H Dawson Zimmerman

RB
Andre Ellington
DJ Howard

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2012 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Carlos Watkins DT	Forest City, North Carolina	Chase High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-
Carlos Watkins DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Germone Hopper WR	Charlotte, North Carolina	Phillip O. Berry Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	—
Germone Hopper WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Travis Blanks S	Tallahassee, Florida	North Florida Christian High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	—
Travis Blanks S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Chad Kelly QB	Buffalo, New York	St. Joseph School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
Chad Kelly QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Zac Brooks RB	Jonesboro, Arkansas	Jonesboro H.S.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	—
Zac Brooks RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Ronald Geohaghan S	Fairfax, South Carolina	Allendale Fairfax High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	—
Ronald Geohaghan S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Martin Aiken DE	Bamberg, South Carolina	Bamberg Ehrhardt	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	-
Martin Aiken DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
D. J. Reader OL	Greensboro, North Carolina	Grimsley	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	—
D. J. Reader OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jay Guillermo C	Maryville, Tennessee	Maryville H.S.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	—
Jay Guillermo C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Patrick DeStefano OL	Roebuck, South Carolina	Dorman H.S.	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	—
Patrick DeStefano OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Isaiah Battle OL	Fork Union, Virginia	Fork Union Military Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	—
Isaiah Battle OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Oliver Jones OL	Ninety Six, South Carolina	Ninety Six H.S.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	—
Oliver Jones OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kevin Dodd DT	Chatham, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	—
Kevin Dodd DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
TJ Burrell LB	Goose Creek, South Carolina	Goose Creek H.S.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	—
TJ Burrell LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Cordrea Tankersley ATH	Aiken, South Carolina	Silver Bluff H.S.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	262 lb (119 kg)	—
Cordrea Tankersley ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Shaq Lawson DE	Central, South Carolina	D. W. Daniel	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	—
Shaq Lawson DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Marty Williams S	North Augusta, South Carolina	Fox Creek H.S.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	—
Marty Williams S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jay Jay McCullough ATH	Fort Mill, South Carolina	Foc Creek Charter	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	—
Jay Jay McCullough ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Bradley Pinion K	Concord, North Carolina	Northwest Cabarrus	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	—
Bradley Pinion K	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 17 Rivals: 14 247Sports: 15 ESPN: 10
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

Game summaries

Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
#25 Auburn	7	3	6	3	19
#14 Clemson	3	10	3	10	26

Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	3	10	7	27
#12 Tigers	13	32	0	7	52

Furman

	1	2	3	4	Total
Paladins	0	7	0	0	7
#11 Tigers	7	13	14	7	41

Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Tigers	14	7	10	6	37
#4 Seminoles	7	7	21	14	49

Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
#17 Tigers	10	14	14	7	45
Eagles	7	14	7	3	31

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Yellow Jackets	14	7	7	3	31
#3 Tigers	10	17	3	17	47

Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hokies	7	3	0	7	17
#14 Tigers	3	14	14	7	38

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 Tigers	7	28	0	7	42
Demon Deacons	0	7	6	0	13

Duke

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Tigers	28	14	7	7	56
Blue Devils	10	7	3	0	20

Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	0	7	3	0	10
#110 Tigers	21	14	3	7	45

NC State

NC State Wolfpack (6–4) at #9 Clemson Tigers (9–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
NC State	21	3	14	10	48
Clemson	13	28	21	0	62

at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina

Date: November 17
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind E 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 76,000
Referee: J. Magallanes
Box Score

Game information

NC State

Mike Glennon
29/53, 493 Yds, 5 TD, INT
Shadrach Thornton
21 Rush, 114 Yds, TD
Tobais Palmer
7 Rec, 219 Yds, 3 TD

Clemson

Tajh Boyd
30/44, 426 Yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Andre Ellington
22 Rush, 124 Yds
Sammy Watkins
11 Rec, 110 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NCST	CLEM
1	12:56	9	46	2:04	Clemson	46-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro	0	3
1	9:54	9	66	2:21	Clemson	Tajh Boyd 4-yard touchdown run, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	0	10
1	7:31	6	25	1:35	Clemson	43-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro	0	13
1	7:13	1	77	0:13	NC State	Tobais Palmer 77-yard touchdown reception from Mike Glennon, Niklas Sade kick good	7	13
1	6:19	1	49	0:09	NC State	Tobais Palmer 49-yard touchdown reception from Mike Glennon, Niklas Sade kick good	14	13
1	1:36	9	81	2:49	NC State	Rashard Smith 18-yard touchdown reception from Mike Glennon, Niklas Sade kick good	21	13
2	14:17	5	19	1:24	NC State	32-yard field goal by Niklas Sade	24	13
2	12:52	8	78	1:21	Clemson	Brandon Ford 7-yard touchdown reception from Tajh Boyd, 2-point pass failed	24	19
2	10:28	4	59	0:33	Clemson	Sammy Watkins 27-yard touchdown reception from Tajh Boyd, 2-point pass good	24	27
2	2:22	5	80	1:23	Clemson	DeAndre Hopkins 62-yard touchdown reception from Tajh Boyd, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	24	34
2	1:14	4	32	0:53	Clemson	Tajh Boyd 9-yard touchdown run, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	24	41
3	11:00	4	68	1:02	Clemson	Martavis Bryant 40-yard touchdown reception from Tajh Boyd, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	24	48
3	4:13	10	74	2:58	Clemson	Tajh Boyd 9-yard touchdown run, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	24	55
3	3:55	1	16	0:06	NC State	Shadrach Thornton 16-yard touchdown run, Niklas Sade kick good	31	55
3	2:38	1	6	0:06	NC State	Mario Carter 6-yard touchdown reception from Mike Glennon, Niklas Sade kick good	38	55
3	1:39	3	75	0:59	Clemson	Brandon Ford 69-yard touchdown reception from Tajh Boyd, Chandler Catanzaro kick good	38	62
4	14:20	10	56	2:11	NC State	Tobais Palmer 29-yard touchdown reception from Mike Glennon, Niklas Sade kick good	45	62
4	7:35	13	63	3:22	NC State	40-yard field goal by Niklas Sade	48	62
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							48	62

vs No. 12 South Carolina (rivalry)

Game Twelve– No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-2) at No. 11 Clemson Tigers (10-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 South Carolina	7	3	10	7	27
No. 11 Clemson	14	0	3	0	17

at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina

Date: Saturday, November 24, 2012
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: • Wind: • Weather: Clear
Game attendance: 82,000
TV: ESPN

Game information

First quarter

(5:27) CLEM – Tajh Boyd 3-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) (Drive: 16 plays, 85 yards, 6:14; Clemson 7-0)
(1:46) SC – Bruce Ellington 13-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:41; Tied 7-7)
(1:22) CLEM – DeAndre Hopkins 43-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:24; Clemson 14-7)

Second quarter

(2:40) SC – Adam Yates 27-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:14; Clemson 14-10)

Third quarter

(11:48) SC – Ace Sanders 34-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 3:12; South Carolina 17-14)
(6:56) SC – Adam Yates 43-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 3:08; South Carolina 20-14)
(5:07) CLEM – Chandler Catanzaro 37-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 1:49; South Carolina 20-17)

Fourth quarter

(4:17) SC – Bruce Ellington 6-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 7:39; South Carolina 27-17)

Statistics	SC	CLEM
First downs	26	18
Total yards	86–444	59–328
Rushing yards	45–134	35–145
Passing yards	310	183
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–41–1	11–24–2
Time of possession	39:34	20:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina	Passing	Dylan Thompson	23/41, 310 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kenny Miles	16 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Ace Sanders	6 receptions, 119 yards, TD
Clemson	Passing	Tajh Boyd	11/24, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Andre Ellington	15 carries, 72 yards
	Receiving	Jaron Brown	3 receptions, 68 yards

LSU (Chick-Fil-A Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
#15 Clemson	7	6	0	12	25
#9 LSU	7	7	10	0	24

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	14	12	11	10	17	15	16	14	14	10	10	11	12	15	14	11
Coaches	14	12	11	9	16	15	13	13	13	9	8	9	9	14	13	9
Harris	Not released						14	13	13	9	9	9	9	14	13	Not released
BCS	Not released							19	18	13	13	11	11	14	14	Not released

2013 NFL draft

Clemson had four players selected in the 2013 NFL draft. DeAndre Hopkins went in the first round as the 27th overall pick.

Player	Team	Round	Pick #	Position
DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans	1st	27th	WR
Malliciah Goodman	Atlanta Falcons	4th	127th	DE
Jonathan Meeks	Buffalo Bills	4th	143th	DB
Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals	6th	187th	RB

References

^ ^a ^b "2018 ACC Media Guide" (PDF). theacc.com. ACC. p. 115. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
^ "Football - 2012 Coaches". Clemson University Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
^ "Atlantic Coast Conference Announces 2012 Football Championship Game Time and Early Season TV Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Retrieved May 17, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Clemson Football Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.

External links

2012 Clemson Tigers at ESPN

[ineligible-1] "2018 ACC Media Guide" (PDF). theacc.com. ACC. p. 115. Retrieved December 10, 2018.

[Coaches-2] "Football - 2012 Coaches". Clemson University Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

[3] "Atlantic Coast Conference Announces 2012 Football Championship Game Time and Early Season TV Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Retrieved May 17, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "Clemson Football Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.

[1]

2012 Clemson Tigers football

ACC Atlantic Division co-champion Chick-fil-A Bowl champion
Chick-fil-A Bowl, W 25–24 vs. LSU
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 9
AP	No. 11
Record	11–2 (7–1 ACC)
Head coach	Dabo Swinney (4th full, 5th overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Chad Morris (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brent Venables (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Charlie Harbison (5th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 2011 2013 →