Tennessee vs. Clemson by the numbers: Orange Bowl
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) vs. No. 7 Clemson (11-2)
7 p.m. CST Friday (ESPN)
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
1 Start in the 2022 regular season for Tennessee QB Joe Milton III, who stepped in after Hendon Hooker sustained a torn ACL on Nov. 19 after throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 TDs this season. In the Volunteers’ 56-0 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 26, Milton completed 11-of-21 passes for 147 yards with one TD and no interceptions. Milton has thrown for seven TDs without an interception during the 2022 season.
2 Field goals are needed by K B.T. Potter to become Clemson’s career leader. Nelson Welch holds the record with 72 from 1991 through 1994. Potter enters the Orange Bowl having scored in 53 consecutive games, tied with Chandler Catanzaro for the school record. Potter also will tie the school record for games played at 69 if he gets on the field on Friday.
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4 Previous appearances in the Orange Bowl for Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated Oklahoma 17-0 on Jan. 2, 1939, in the Orange Bowl in Tennessee’s first bowl appearance. Since then, the Vols have lost in the Orange Bowl 8-0 to Rice on Jan. 1, 1947, 26-24 to Oklahoma on Jan. 1, 1968, and 42-17 to Nebraska on Jan. 2, 1998. Tennessee has a bowl record of 29-25.
4 Punts have been returned against Tennessee in 2022, the fewest in the nation. The Volunteers’ opponents have 29 punt-return yards. Clemson has averaged 7.1 yards on 27 punt returns this season.
4 Consecutive losses for Tennessee in bowl matchups with ACC opponents. The Volunteers lost to Maryland 30-3 on Dec. 31, 2002, and Clemson 27-14 on Jan. 2, 2004, in the Peach Bowl, Virginia Tech 37-14 on Dec. 31, 2009, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and North Carolina 30-27 on Dec. 30, 2010, in the Music City Bowl. Tennessee has a 4-5 record against ACC opponents, with a 23-16 victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl to win the BCS national championship on Jan. 4, 1999, the most recent victory. In regular-season games, Tennessee has a 34-11-1 record against ACC opponents.
6 Victories and nine losses for Clemson against SEC opponents in bowls, including four CFP national championship games. Clemson has an overall 57-101-5 record against SEC opponents.
6 Previous appearances for Clemson in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers defeated Miami (Fla.) 15-14 on Jan. 1, 1951, Nebraska 22-15 on Jan. 1, 1982, Ohio State 31-0 on Dec. 31, 2016, and Oklahoma 37-17 on Dec. 31, 2015, and lost to Colorado 27-21 on Jan. 1, 1957, and West Virginia 70-33 on Jan. 4, 2012. Clemson has a 26-22 bowl record.
6 Tennessee games in 2022 have featured at least 50 points for the Volunteers. Tennessee is the seventh SEC team to have six 50-point games in one season. The league record for 50-point games in one season is eight by Alabama in 2018.
16 Consecutive December games have been won by Clemson. The Tigers’ winning streak started after a 31-26 loss to South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Dec. 31, 2010. The winning streak includes eight ACC Championship games, seven bowls and one regular-season contest.
17 Victories without a loss for Tennessee under coach Josh Heupel when the Volunteers are ahead at halftime. Tennessee is 0-8 under Heupel when it hasn’t led at halftime.
19 Previous meetings between Tennessee and Clemson, but Friday’s game will be only their second since 1976. The Volunteers and Tigers played their only previous bowl matchup on Jan. 2, 2004, when Clemson took a 27-14 victory in the Peach Bowl. Tennessee leads the series 11-6-2.
21 Victories and 17 losses for SEC teams in the Orange Bowl. Georgia defeated Michigan 34-11 in last season’s Orange Bowl. SEC teams are 3-1 in the Orange Bowl against ACC opponents. Florida defeated Maryland 56-23 on Jan. 2, 2002, and Virginia 36-28 on Dec. 30, 2019, and Texas A&M defeated North Carolina 41-27 on Jan. 2, 2021, and Mississippi State lost to Georgia Tech 49-34 on Dec. 31, 2014. ACC members have a 11-16 record in the Orange Bowl.
22 Years since Tennessee coach Josh Heupel played quarterback for Oklahoma in the Sooners’ 13-2 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma’s victory in the Jan. 3, 2001, game lifted the Sooners to the BCS national championship.
22 TD passes and seven TD runs in 2022 by Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei, who won’t be available for the Orange Bowl. Cade Klubnik is expected to make his first start at quarterback for Clemson after earning the Most Valuable Player Award in relief of Uiagalelei in the Tigers’ 39-10 victory over North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3.
32 Points are needed by Tennessee to become the seventh team in SEC history to score 600 in one season. The Volunteers’ 568 points in 2022 are the most in one season in school history, breaking the record of 511 set last season.
32 Receiving yards were needed by WR Jalin Hyatt to break Tennessee’s single-season record. Hyatt had 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 TDs in 2022. He leads the SEC in each category and leads the nation in TD receptions. The Tennessee single-season record of 1,298 receiving yards was set by Robert Meachem in 2006 and will stand at least another season because Hyatt will not play in Friday’s game.
38 First downs have been posted by the Tennessee offense via opponents’ penalties in 2022, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Volunteers’ opponents have been penalized 107 times, the most in the nation.
39 Rushing TDs for Tennessee in 2022, the most in the nation entering the bowl season.
47.3 Points per game have been scored by Tennessee in 2022, the highest average in the nation entering the bowl season. The Volunteers’ offense also leads the nation with an average of 538.1 yards per game.
94 Third-down conversions for Clemson in 2022, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Tigers have turned 48.7 percent of their third-down snaps into first downs this season.
200 Games as Clemson’s head coach for Dabo Swinney when the Tigers take the field on Friday. A victory for Clemson would give Swinney the third-most wins in his first 200 games in major-college football history. Urban Meyer won 170 times in his first 200 games, and Gil Dobie had 163 victories in his first 200 games. Swinney enters Friday’s game with a 161-38 record. Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne won 162 of their first 200 games. Swinney is the second coach to reach 200 games at Clemson, joining Frank Howard, who had a 165-118-12 record with the Tigers from 1940 through 1969.
1,110 Yards and 15 TDs on 193 rushing attempts for Clemson RB Will Shipley this season. Shipley produced the 23rd 1,000-yard season in the Tigers’ history. With 90 rushing yards in the Orange Bowl, Shipley would have Clemson’s ninth 1,200-yard season.
6,457 Yards – 2,469 rushing and 3,988 passing – have been gained by the Tennessee offense in 2022, the 20th-most in one season in SEC history. If the Volunteers reach their average of 538 yards per game in the Orange Bowl, Tennessee would come up 5 yards short of becoming the seventh SEC team with 7,000 in one season.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.