UConn at Clemson: Game Notes

Following seven consecutive conference games since mid-September, Clemson will return home this week for a non-conference contest against UConn on Saturday, Nov. 13. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium for the game designated as Clemson’s annual Military Appreciation Day is scheduled for noon.

• Clemson and UConn meeting in football for the first time in history.
• Clemson facing an opponent for the first time in school history for the fourth time in the last five years, including series-opening wins against Kent State (2017), Georgia Southern (2018) and Charlotte (2019).
• Clemson facing its 106th different opponent in program history. Clemson is 63-38-4 all-time in its first meeting with its 105 existing opponents, including a 14-1 mark in first meetings since 2003. Clemson has won 16 of its last 18 games when making its all-time debut against a new opponent.
• Clemson attempting to win its 33rd consecutive home game to extend its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak). Of the 132 players on Clemson’s 2021 roster, 127 have never experienced a home loss in their Clemson careers. Five sixth-year “super seniors” on Clemson’s 2021 roster were on the 2016 team that recovered from a home loss to Pitt by winning the national championship that season.
• Clemson (32) attempting to tie 1900-03 Harvard, 1901-06 Nebraska and 1995-2000 Marshall (33 each) for the 15th-longest home winning streak in FBS history.
• Clemson attempting to win a 24th consecutive non-conference home game. Clemson’s active 23-game non-conference winning streak at home is the longest
  such winning streak in program history. Clemson’s last home loss in non-conference play was in 2012.
• Clemson attempting to stay undefeated on ACC Network broadcasts since appearing in the channel’s first live game broadcast in the 2019 season opener. Clemson went 4-0 on ACCN in 2019, 3-0 on ACCN in 2020 and is 3-0 on the network this season.
• Clemson attempting to throw multiple touchdown passes in consecutive games for the first time all season.
• Clemson entering the game having surrendered only 14 offensive touchdowns this season, tied for the fourth-fewest in the country. Clemson has surrendered only 12 offensive touchdowns in regulation in nine games this season.
• Clemson (three) entering the game as one of four teams in the country not to allow an offensive touchdown in at least three games this season.
• Clemson attempting to hold a third consecutive opponent below 200 passing yards for the first time since the Miami (Fla.), Georgia Tech and Syracuse games last season.
• Tight end Davis Allen attempting to catch a touchdown pass in three straight games to tie a careerlong streak set last year against Miami (Fla.), Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
• Wide receiver Beaux Collins attempting to record back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career.
• Collins attempting to become the first Clemson receiver with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Cornell Powell against Notre Dame and Pittsburgh in November 2020.
• Collins attempting to become the first Clemson true freshman with consecutive 100-yard receiving games since Justyn Ross in two games against Notre Dame and Alabama in the College Football Playoff to end the 2018 season.
• Placekicker B.T. Potter (299 career points) needing one point to become the eighth player in school history with 300 career points.
• Potter (43) needing four field goals to tie David Treadwell (47 from 1985-87) for eighth-most career field goals in Clemson history.
• Wide receiver Justyn Ross (20) needing one receiving touchdown to tie or two receiving touchdowns to pass Mike Williams (21 from 2013-16) for fourth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career receiving touchdowns.
• Ross (155) needing seven receptions to tie or eight receptions to pass Terry Smith (162) for 10th on Clemson’s leaderboard for career receptions.
• Ross attempting to extend his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 37 to pass Jerry Butler (36 consecutive games from 1975-78) for sole possession of the third-longest streak in school history.
• Running back Will Shipley (seven) chasing No. 4 Ronald Williams (eight in 1990), No. 3 James Davis (nine in 2005) and No. 2 C.J. Spiller (10 in 2006) on Clemson’s leaderboard for rushing touchdowns by a true freshman since 1972.
• Shipley (three) attempting to rush for multiple touchdowns in a fourth game this season to tie Travis Etienne (four in 2017) for the most games with multiple rushing touchdowns by a Clemson true freshman since 2000.
• Shipley attempting to become the first Clemson true freshman with multiple 100-yard rushing games in a true freshman season since 2018 (Lyn-J Dixon, two).
• Linebacker Trenton Simpson, who had 2.0 sacks last week, attempting to become the first Clemson player with 1.5 or more sacks in consecutive games since Clelin Ferrell against Texas A&M and Georgia Southern in 2018.
• Simpson attempting to record at least a half-sack in four consecutive games for the first time in his career.
• Simpson attempting to become the first Clemson player with at least half a sack in four straight games since Clelin Ferrell in 2018.
• Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (four) needing one more rushing touchdown to surpass his single-season career high (four in both 2020 and 2021).
• Uiagalelei attempting to rush for a touchdown in consecutive games for the second time in his career (vs. Boston College and at Notre Dame in 2020).

Military Appreciation Day

Clemson, formally founded as Clemson Agricultural College in November 1889, was originally a military school, reflecting a belief at the time that a military atmosphere produced the highest academic excellence. Beginning with the first graduating class of 1896, more than 10,000 Clemson men and women have served in the armed forces. Throughout the decades, Clemson’s military heritage has remained, even as the university transitioned to a coeducational civilian institution in 1955.

Saturday’s game against UConn will be Clemson’s 28th Military Appreciation Day. The history of the special day dates to 1994 when Clemson had a special flyover for the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game on Nov. 12, just one day after Veterans Day. The flyover of four F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base during pregame was the highlight of the celebration that day.

Clemson has celebrated its military history every year since during games held in November or when Clemson plays host to a school with its own military heritage. Clemson has a 23-4 record in the previous 27 Military Appreciation Day games. The Tigers have won 13 such games in a row, with the last loss coming against Virginia Tech in 2007.