By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Here is an inside look at the intangibles as the 10th-ranked Tigers visit No. 4 Florida State in a key ACC Atlantic Division matchup.
About the Seminoles: Florida State has outscored their opponents 176-3 so far this season, while averaging 58.7 points and 543.7 yards per game, which both lead the ACC.
The Seminoles offense: E.J. Manuel is completing 71.2 percent of his passes for 525 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception. Running back Chris Thompson rushed for 197 yards in last week’s win over Wake Forest.
The Seminoles defense: FSU leads the nation in total defense, scoring defense, passing defense and rushing defense. Defensive end Bjoern Werner leads the ACC in sacks with six and has nine tackles for a loss. The ‘Noles have 11 sacks overall.
The Seminoles Special Teams: Dustin Hopkins is one of the best kickers in the country and Rashad Greene has two punt returns for touchdowns this season.
Series record: Florida State leads 17-8
Last meeting: Clemson 35, Florida State 30 at Clemson, 2011
First meeting: 1970, Florida State 38, Clemson 13 at Tallahassee
Clemson’s biggest margin of victory: 21 points (35-14 in 2005)
Florida State’s biggest margin of victory: 57 points (57-0 in 1993)
Stat worth noting: Should Clemson knockoff No. 4 Florida State in Tallahassee Saturday, then Dabo Swinney will become the first coach in college football history to win his first four road games vs. top 10 teams.
Memorable game: In 1989, No. 10 Clemson used touchdowns of 73 yards from running back Terry Allen and late linebacker Wayne Simmons to open up a 27-7 halftime lead before cruising to a 34-23 victory over No. 16 Florida State. It was Clemson’s first win over the Seminoles and the only one they had in Tallahassee until 2006. This game is memorable because it came a year after the infamous “Puntrooskie” game in 1988. Then Clemson head coach Danny Ford used that play to inspire his team and convinced them they were the better team and that FSU needed trickery to beat them. He wanted to make sure there was no such trickery in Tallahassee as Clemson dominated the game on both sides of the ball. The loss sent FSU to a 0-2 start that season, which is the last time the Seminoles opened a year 0-2. They won their next 10 games.