CNNSI.com - 2000 College Football Preview - CNNSI.com's Clemson preview

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Clemson Tigers

Banking on a Tallahassee tussle come November

College Football: The New Century

'99: 6-6, 5-3 ACC

Coach

Tommy Bowden (second season, 6-6; 24-10 overall)

Key offensive players

Woodrow Dantzler, QB, Jr.
Part-time starter last year who won the starting position in the spring.

Rod Gardner, WR, Sr.
Became the first Tiger receiver to gain more than 1,000 receiving yards when he caught a school-record 78 passes for 1,009 yards as a junior. Bowden thought he should be making yards after the catch.

Travis Zachery, RB, Jr.
Bowden expects the tailback to gain 1,000 yards rushing. If Zachery doesn't do it, the coach vows to find someone who can.

Key defensive players

Keith Adams, LB, Jr.
Ferocious weakside linebacker who had more tackles than anyone in the nation last year (176), setting the ACC record with 33 tackles-for-loss and the school record with 16 sacks.

Ivan Maisel's Player of the Century: Terry Kinard, S, 1979-82
"Led the Tigers to a national championship -- and stayed for his senior year. Remember those days?"

Brightest Moment: In 1981, with a motley cast led by tobacco-spitting head coach Danny Ford, the Tigers beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to claim the ACC's first legit national championship.

Lowest Moment: After finishing the 1993 season 8-3, Clemson ran off head coach Ken Hatfield, who just didn't have enough tobacco stains on his shirt to remind the clamoring faithful of Ford.

Robert Carswell, FS, Sr.
A big-hitting safety, Carswell is also good with his hands: he tied for the ACC lead with six interceptions last year.

Key newcomer

Aaron Hunt, PK, Fr.
Bowden wants more out of his kicking game than seven field goals, so he will give this freshman a chance to earn immediate playing time.

Throwback player

Keith Adams has always been told that he is too small to do what he does. Adams never listens.

21st century player

If the Tigers are going to continue throwing the ball as much as they have so far in Tommy Bowden's tenure, they are going to need a few more athletic receivers like freshman Kevin Youngblood.

Fast fact

Four of Clemson's six losses last year were by four points or less.

Outlook

There are plenty of reasons for the Tigers to be optimistic in the second year of the Bowden regime, even if you don't take a glance at their schedule. Clemson replaces Virginia Tech and Marshall, both of which finished the regular season undefeated last year, with Missouri and Division I-AA The Citadel. A year after Bowden arrived with his crazy ideas about throwing the ball, the Tigers are ready to make some noise in the weakened ACC. Tigers fans hope Bowden takes a 9-0 team to Tallahassee for the second installment of the Bowden Bowl. That might be overly optimistic, but there is no doubt that the Tigers have one of the best defensive players in the nation in Adams and an exciting offense that could help them make a run at the top 10 before the season is over.

-- Tim Peeler