Tigers, Hokies have a lot in common
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net October 19, 2012

By Heath Bradley

CLEMSON – When No. 13 Clemson takes on Virginia Tech Saturday in Memorial Stadium, Clemson will be facing one of its oldest opponents.

The Tigers (5-1, 2-1 ACC) and Virginia Tech first faced off on the gridiron in 1900, with Clemson beating the Hokies 17-5 in Charlotte, N.C., under first year head coach John Heisman.

The Tigers and Hokies have matched up 31 more times since 1900, with Clemson owning a 19-12-1 advantage, including two victories over the Hokies in the 2011 season. The 23-3 victory in Blacksburg ended a five-game losing streak to the Hokies, which dated back to 1989. The Tigers did not leave off there, defeating the Hokies again, 38-10, to win the ACC Championship for the first time in 20 years.

Outside of their history as opponents, the two schools also have commonalities in their coaching staffs. Current Clemson assistant head coach Danny Pearman, a Clemson graduate, spent eight seasons as an assistant under Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech. During his eight years in Blacksburg, the Hokies went to eight bowl games, won 10 games five times, and played for a National Championship in 1999.

While Pearman coached at Virginia Tech, Hokies quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain is also a Clemson graduate, who once coached for the Tigers. O’Cain was a member of the Clemson staff from 2001-2004, serving as quarterbacks coach from 2001-2003 and offensive coordinator in 2004.

In his first season at Clemson, O’Cain coached Woody Dantzler, who became the first quarterback in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

The game is also designated Military Appreciation Day, this is only fitting for two schools with such proud Military backgrounds. Clemson began as a military college in 1893 and served as one up until 1968. During that time Clemson was one of the top non-official military academies in terms of enrollment into the armed forces.

Virginia Tech also has a proud military heritage. Virginia Tech opened in 1872 as a land grant military institution, until 1932 every male student was obligated to serve four years in the Corps of Cadets, which lasted until 1964, when service became voluntary. Virginia Tech is one of the few public universities in the nation that hosts both an active corps of cadets and normal civilian students on one campus.