# 2012 Clemson Tigers football team

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.

## Personnel
### 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: ||||

## Schedule

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

## 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

College recruiting information (2012) :
| 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) | - |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | - |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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) | — |
| 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

| 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
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards
* 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 | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | 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. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 48 | 62 |

### vs No. 12 South Carolina (rivalry)

| 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 announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen, Shannon Spake
| 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 |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Kenny Miles | 16 carries, 45 yards |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Ace Sanders | 6 receptions, 119 yards, TD |
| Clemson | Passing | Tajh Boyd | 11/24, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Clemson | Rushing | Andre Ellington | 15 carries, 72 yards |
| Clemson | 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 | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 13 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 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 |