Clemson Tries to Avoid Being Latest Ranked Team to be Upset by FCS

During Tuesday’s press conference, Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden said “the parity is here (in college football), whether you like it or not.” That statement has never ringed as true as it is during the 2007 college football season. Appalachian State’s upset of No. 5 Michigan in the Big House was followed up during week two with South Florida’s 26-23 win over No. 17 Auburn, at Auburn.

The Tigers themselves stumbled out of the gate against Louisiana-Monroe before going on to win 49-26. Tomorrow, No. 20 Clemson (2-0, 1-0), will look to prove that parity does not apply to them when the Furman Paladins (1-1) make the short trip to Death Valley.

Furman is ranked 15th in the FCS and is coming off of a 32-17 road loss to Hofstra. The Paladins play in the Southern Conference along with Appalachian State and will play host to the Mountaineers on October 27. Furman has fallen just short of pulling off their own upset in the past few years, falling to North Carolina last year 45-42 and dropping a 41-38 overtime contest to Pittsburgh in 2004.

The Paladins’ rushing attack is led by Jerome Felton (42 yards per game) and Cedrick Gipson (38 ypg). Leading Furman’s passing attack is quarter back Renaldo Gray. He is tied for seventh nationally in passing efficiency at 174.89 and is averaging over 215 yards of total offense per game.

The top receivers at Gray’s disposal are split-ends Patrick Sprague and RJ Webb. Sprague is a senior that is averaging seven catches a game, a figure good enough for 14th in the FCS. Webb, a graduate of nearby Pickens High School is second on the team with over five catches per game.

Defensively, the Paladins are led by free safety Thomas Twitty. Twitty is averaging 9.5 tackles per game and finished the Hofstra contest with 14 tackles, eight solo. Also tackling well for Furman is linebacker Andrew Jones with seven tackles per game.

The men in orange are led offensively by a host of players, highlighted by junior quarter back Cullen Harper. Last week, Harper set a school record by passing for five touchdowns in the Tigers’ victory over the Warhawks. Harper currently ranks eighth in the country with a passer rating of 186.44. Look for Harper to have a big game, as the Paladins are giving up 296.5 yards passing per game.

On the receiving end of Harper’s passes has been the trio of Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham and CJ Spiller. Kelly leads the way, averaging four catches and 57.5 yards receiving per game. A pleasant surprise to the Clemson passing game has been true freshman Brian Linthicum who has two touchdown catches in as many games this year.

The Tiger rushing attack has been led thus far by junior running back James Davis. Davis is averaging 85 yards per game and is second on the team in scoring with six points per game.

Spiller’s talents have effectively been utilized by the Clemson coaching staff as he currently leads the team in all-purpose yards with 148 yards per game. Spiller is averaging three catches per game for 45 yards and 43 rushing yards per game. He has also been actively involved in the Tigers’ return game.

Bowden and company seem to have found a proven kicker in two-sport star Mark Buchholz. A scholarship soccer player on Trevor Adair’s nationally ranked soccer team; Buchholz won the starting place kicker role on the football team and never looked back. He is perfect on the year on field goals and extra points and leads the team in scoring with 6.5 points per game.

Despite a less than stellar performance last weekend, Clemson’s defense is the fastest and most talented that Death Valley has seen in years. Led by a huge, quick athletic line, the Tigers swarmed to the ball against Florida State and should do the same against a talented Furman offense.

New Orleans native Nick Watkins leads the team in tackles with 10.5 and is tied for the team lead in sacks with one half sacks per game. Defensive end Phillip Merling is tied for tenth in the nation in tackles for loss with two per game. Opposite of Merling is Ricky Sapp, who has made his presence known and eased the loss of Gaines Adams.

The Tigers and Paladins have met on the gridiron 55 times, dating back to 1896, Clemson’s first year of football. The Tigers lead the series 40-10-4 overall and 22-2 in games played at home. Clemson has never lost to Furman in Death Valley (17-0). Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1 p.m., and it is family weekend at Clemson.