CLEMSON NOTES:
CLEMSON EMBARKS UPON SEVENTH CFP RUN SATURDAY AT TEXAS After three years away, Clemson will officially return to the College Football Playoff on Saturday, Dec. 21, when the 12th-seeded Tigers face the fifth-seeded Texas Longhorns in the first meeting in history between the two powerhouses. Kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT. This season, Clemson earned its seventh College Football Playoff berth since the format’s inception in 2014. Clemson’s seven berths trail only Alabama (eight) for the most in the nation. Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s seven CFP berths are the most of any active coach and one shy of Nick Saban (eight) for the most of any coach all-time. Clemson earned its berth after winning the 2024 ACC Championship Game and securing its 13th season with 10 or more wins in the last 14 years. The Tigers collected a dramatic 34-31 walk-off win in the ACC Championship Game to extend their FBS-record streak of consecutive years with a postseason win (conference championships and/or bowl/CFP games) to 14 seasons. After the first decade of the College Football Playoff featured every game being played at a neutral site, this year marks the first time that games will be played on campus sites. During the regular season, Clemson recorded a perfect record in true road games for the 10th time in program history (1900, 1917, 1948, 1981, 1995, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019). The Tigers are one of eight FBS teams with a perfect record in true road games this season, alongside Oregon, Notre Dame, Army, Penn State, SMU, Louisiana and Texas. Though the game features two high-profile quarterbacks, the matchup will also feature two of the game’s emerging young stars on defense. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons (12.5) and Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown (10.5) rank first and second in the nation, respectively, in tackles for loss by freshmen this season.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK – Clemson (seven) entering the game as one of only two teams ever to earn seven College Football Playoff berths since the institution of the postseason format in 2014 (Alabama, 8). – Head Coach Dabo Swinney (6-4) attempting to join Nick Saban (9-5) as the only coaches ever to win at least seven College Football Playoff games. – Clemson entering the game having won at least one postseason game (conference championship, bowl game and/or national championship game) in 14 consecutive seasons. Clemson’s current 14-year streak is the longest streak on record in major college football history. – Clemson attempting to win multiple postseason games (conference championship, bowl game and/or national championship game) in a single season for the fifth time in school history (two in 2015, three in 2016, three in 2018 and two in 2019). – Clemson attempting to produce its 12th 11-win season in program history, joining the 1948, 1978, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 seasons. It would be Clemson’s ninth season of 11-plus wins under Head Coach Dabo Swinney. – Clemson attempting to win an 11th game this season to tie for the seventh-most wins in a season in school history. – Clemson attempting to improve to 28-23 all-time in bowl/CFP play. – Clemson facing Texas for the first time in program history. – Clemson playing consecutive games in a single season against opponents it had never previously faced for the first time since 1952, a year in which the Tigers made their series debuts against Villanova and Maryland in consecutive weeks. – Clemson facing its 110th different opponent in program history. Clemson is 67-38-4 all-time in its first meeting with its 109 existing opponents, including an 18-1 mark in first meetings since 2003. Clemson has won 20 of its last 22 games when making its all-time debut against a new opponent. – Texas becoming the 22nd opponent Clemson faced for the first time in postseason play, joining Boston College (1939), Missouri (1948), Colorado (1956), LSU (1958), TCU (1959), Pitt (1977), Ohio State (1978), Baylor (1979), Nebraska (1981), Minnesota (1985), Stanford (1986), Penn State (1987), West Virginia (1989), Illinois (1990), Cal (1991), Syracuse (1995), Louisiana Tech (2001), Texas Tech (2002), South Florida (2010), Iowa State (2021) and SMU (2024). – Clemson playing multiple games against teams from Texas in a single season for the first time in school history. – Clemson attempting to improve to 8-6 all-time in games played in Texas. – Clemson attempting to improve to 4-0 all-time in postseason games in the state of Texas. Clemson previously won bowl games in Texas in the 1939 (Cotton Bowl vs. Boston College), 1959 (Bluebonnet Bowl vs. TCU) and 2018 (Cotton Bowl vs. Notre Dame) seasons. – Clemson attempting to earn its highest-ranked road win in school history. To date, Clemson’s 21 highest ranked wins in school history have come in 15 neutral site games and six home games. A win against AP No. 3 Texas would surpass Clemson’s wins against eighth ranked North Carolina in 1981 and eighth-ranked Miami (Fla.) in 2009 as the Tigers’ highest-ranked road win according to AP Poll rankings. – Clemson attempting to earn its 32nd all-time victory against an AP Top 10 opponent. – Clemson attempting to improve to 19-1 in December games since 2011. Among teams that have been at the FBS level in that entire time span, Clemson’s current .947 December winning percentage is the second highest in the nation behind Alabama (15-0, 1.000). – Clemson attempting to improve to 31-14 all-time in games played in the month of December. – Head Coach Dabo Swinney (180-46) entering the game as one of seven coaches in FBS history to win 180 games within the first 20 seasons of a head coaching career. In only his 17th season (and 16th full season), Swinney (180) trails only Tom Osborne (195), Nick Saban (191), Bob Stoops (191), Joe Paterno (187), Urban Meyer (187) and LaVell Edwards (183) in that category. (Note: Stoops and Meyer are not credited on the NCAA’s official list of most wins through 20 seasons since they did not coach 20 years.) – Swinney adding to his ACC record for most bowl/CFP games coached (21, including Saturday’s game). A win would push him to 13-8 in bowl/CFP play and add to his current record for the most bowl victories by an ACC head coach. – Clemson attempting to improve to 41-27 under Swinney against AP Top 25 teams. – Clemson attempting to improve to 35-19 under Swinney in games in which both teams rank in the AP Top 25. – Swinney attempting to improve to 20-13 against AP Top 10 teams. – Clemson attempting to improve to 170-74-3 alltime (and 53-8 since 2011) when facing a coach for the first time. – Clemson (462) needing 38 points to record the eighth 500-point season in school history. It would be Clemson’s first 500-point season since 2020 (522). – Clemson entering the game ranked in the Top 20 nationally in both total offense (12th, 454.9 yards per game) and scoring offense (tied for 16th, 35.5 points per game). – Clemson entering the game alongside Louisville as one of only two teams in the nation to average both 270 passing yards per game (274.1) and 180 rushing yards per game (180.9). – Clemson (5,914) needing 86 yards of offense to produce the 10th 6,000-yard season in school history. It would be Clemson’s first 6,000-yard season since.
2020 (6,028). – Clemson (3,563) sitting 437 passing yards shy of recording the eighth 4,000-yard passing season in team history. – Clemson (939) needing 61 offensive plays to reach 1,000 in a season for the 10th time in school history. – Clemson attempting to record a fourth 50-point performance in a season for the sixth time in school history (seven in 2019, five in 2013, four in 2016, four in 2006 and four in 2018). – Clemson attempting to produce a seventh 40-point game in a season for the eighth time in school history (10 in 2019, nine in 2018, eight in 2020, eight in 2013, eight in 2012, seven in 2015 and seven in 2016). – Clemson attempting to score 28 or more points in a quarter for the fourth time this season to match the school record set in 2012 (four). So far this season, Clemson has recorded a 35-point first quarter against Appalachian State, a 28-point first quarter against NC State and a 28-point second quarter against Wake Forest. – Clemson attempting to record a seventh 500-yard game in a single season for the first time since 2019 (10). – Clemson attempting to reach both 200 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a game for the seventh time this season. Clemson (six) is tied with Penn State and Tennessee for the national lead in this category in 2024. – Clemson attempting to record its first season with at least seven games with both 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards since 2019. It would be Clemson’s fourth such season in school history (10 in 2019, eight in 2015, seven in 2018). – Clemson (six) attempting to post seven 200-yard rushing games in a single season for the first time since 2019 (10). – Clemson (two) attempting to produce a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in three games in a single season for the first time in school history. – Clemson entering the game having scored at least one rushing touchdown in a national-best 87 of its 95 games since the start of the 2018 season. Clemson has also rushed for multiple touchdowns in a national-best 72 games in that span. – Clemson entering the game +16 in turnover margin, the eighth-best margin in school history. Clemson is tied for second nationally and one off the national lead (+17, James Madison). – Clemson attempting to win the turnover margin for a sixth straight game. It would be Clemson’s first time winning the turnover margin in six straight contests since a nine-game streak in 2019. – Clemson attempting to finish even or better in the turnover margin in a 13th straight game for the first time since a 17-game streak across the 1989-90 seasons. Dating to last season, Clemson has lost the turnover margin only once in its last 18 games. – Clemson attempting to record multiple takeaways in six straight games for the first time since the first six games of the 2013 season. – Clemson (nine) entering the game as one of only 14 teams with single-digit giveaways this season. – Clemson attempting to play back-to-back games without a giveaway for the second time this season (at Florida State and at Wake Forest). – Clemson attempting to play a sixth game without a giveaway in a single season for the first time since 2019 (six). – Clemson attempting to play back-to-back penalty-free games for the first time on record. – Safety Khalil Barnes attempting to record an
interception in three straight games for the first time in his career. The last time a Clemson player recorded a pick in three straight contests was 2009, when both DeAndre McDaniel (first three games of the season) and Rashard Hall (four straight contests across games 5-8) accomplished the feat. – Barnes (four) attempting to add to his single-season career high in interceptions. – Barnes (four) attempting to produce the first fiveinterception season by a Clemson player since Jadar Johnson picked off five passes in 2016. – Barnes (seven from 2023-24) attempting to become the first Clemson player with eight or more interceptions across freshman and sophomore seasons since Rashard Hall recorded eight in his first two years across the 2009- 10 seasons. – Tight end Jake Briningstool (123) entering the game as the Clemson record holder for career receptions by a tight end. – Briningstool (123) needing two more receptions to become the ninth tight end in ACC history to record 125 career receptions. – Briningstool (45) needing five receptions to match his single-season career high set last year (50). His 50 receptions a year ago tied Dwayne Allen’s 50 catches in 2011 for the Clemson record for receptions by a tight end in a single season. – Briningstool (461) needing 38 receiving yards to break his single-season career high of 498, set in 2023. – Briningstool (461) needing 39 receiving yards to post the sixth 500-yard receiving season by a tight end in Clemson history. – Briningstool (17) needing one touchdown catch to tie or two touchdown catches to break Jordan Leggett’s school record for career receiving touchdowns by a tight end (18 from 2013-16). – Briningstool (17) needing one touchdown catch to tie or two touchdown catches to pass Clemson’s Jordan Leggett (18 from 2013-16) and Louisville’s Marshon Ford (2018-22) for the fourth-most career receiving touchdowns by a tight end in ACC history. – Briningstool (seven) needing one touchdown to tie or two touchdowns to break the Clemson single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end. The record of eight is shared presently by Jordan Leggett (2015), Brandon Ford (2012) and Dwayne Allen (2011). – Briningstool seeking to add to his school records for 100-yard receiving games by a tight end in a season (two) and career (three). – Briningstool (two touchdowns vs. both Appalachian State and SMU) attempting to become the first Clemson tight end to catch multiple touchdowns in three games in a single season. – Linebacker Sammy Brown (10.5) entering bowl season ranked second nationally in tackles for loss among freshmen. – Brown (10.5) chasing the school record for tackles for loss by a true freshman. He presently trails T.J. Parker (12.5 in 2023), Myles Murphy (12.0 in 2020) and Anthony Simmons (11.0 in 1995). – Brown (5.0) chasing Dexter Lawrence (7.0 in 2016), Tyler Davis (6.5 in 2019) and T.J. Parker (5.5 in 2023) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for sacks by a true freshman. – Cornerback Ashton Hampton (one) and defensive tackle Payton Page (one) each attempting to join Arlington Nunn (three in 1990) and Dorian O’Daniel (two in 2017) as the only Clemson players since 1950 to record multiple interception returns for touchdowns in a season. – Kicker Nolan Hauser (17-of-23) needing two more field goals to tie or three more field goals to break Chris Gardocki’s school record for field goals made by a true freshman (19 in 1988). – Hauser (107), who already owns the Clemson record for points by a true freshman, needing four more points to enter the Top 10 in school history in points scored in a single season by a player of any classification. – Hauser (107) entering the game ranked tied for 10th in school history in kicking points scored in a single season. He needs eight points to become the fourth player in school history to reach 115 points via kick in a single season, joining Greg Huegel (137 in 2015), Chandler Catanzaro (118 in 2011) and B.T. Potter (118 in 2019 and 115 in 2020). – Quarterback Cade Klubnik (19-8) attempting to become the 11th Clemson player to win 20 games as a starting quarterback since World War II, joining Trevor Lawrence (34-2), Deshaun Watson (32-3), Tajh Boyd (32- 8), Rodney Williams (32-10-2), Charlie Whitehurst (25- 15), Nealon Greene (24-16), Homer Jordan (22-6-1), DJ Uiagalelei (22-6), Mike Eppley (21-5-1) and Steve Fuller (21-11-3). – Klubnik attempting to become the first Clemson quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in consecutive games since Deshaun Watson accomplished the feat against Louisville and Boston College in 2016. – Klubnik (three) attempting to tie Tajh Boyd’s team record for most four-touchdown passing games in a season (four in 2013). – Klubnik (33) entering the game third in the nation in passing touchdowns. – Klubnik (33) entering the game tied for sixth in team history in passing touchdowns in a single season. He is within three touchdowns of second place, trailing a 34-touchdown season by Tajh Boyd (2014) for fifth, a 35-touchdown season by Deshaun Watson (2015) for fourth, and 36-touchdown seasons by Boyd (2012) and Trevor Lawrence (2019) for second. – Klubnik entering the game ranked third in the nation in touchdowns responsible for (40 — 33 passing, seven rushing). – Klubnik (67) needing two combined rushing or passing touchdowns to pass Woodrow Dantzler (68 from 1998-2001) for fifth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career touchdown responsibility. – Klubnik (40) chasing No. 6 Tajh Boyd (44 in 2011) and No. 4 Trevor Lawrence (45 in 2019) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for touchdown responsibility in a single season. – Klubnik (3,303) chasing No. 7 Charlie Whitehurst (3,561 in 2003) and No. 6 Trevor Lawrence (3,665 in 2019) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for passing yards in a single season. – Klubnik (3,761) needing 239 combined rushing and passing yards to post the seventh individual season with 4,000 yards of total offense in school history. That feat has only been accomplished by Tajh Boyd (three times), Deshaun Watson (twice) and Trevor Lawrence (once). – Klubnik (3,761) chasing No. 6 Tajh Boyd (4,046 in 2011) and No. 5 Trevor Lawrence (4,228 in 2019) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for total offense yards in a single season. He is also 490 yards shy of Boyd (4,251 in 2013) for fourth. – Klubnik (282) needing nine completions to set a new single-season career high and surpass his 290 in 2023. – Klubnik (seven) attempting to add to his career high in rushing touchdowns. – Klubnik (13) chasing No. 7 DJ Uiagalelei (15 from 2020-22) and No. 6 Kelly Bryant (16 from 2015-18) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. – Klubnik (seven) needing three rushing touchdowns to become the first Clemson quarterback to record double digit rushing touchdowns in a season since Kelly Bryan in 2017 (11). – Klubnik (two) attempting to become the first Clemson player with three touchdown runs of 50 or more yards in a single season since Travis Etienne (four) in 2018. – Running back Phil Mafah (career-high 1,106) entering the game having posted the 24th 1,000-yard rushing season in Clemson history. He has already become the 18th player in Clemson annals to record at least one 1,000-yard rushing season, joining Travis Etienne, Wayne Gallman, Raymond Priester, James Davis, Andre Ellington, Woodrow Dantzler, Terrence Flagler, C.J. Spiller, Kenny Flowers, Terry Allen, Will Shipley, Deshaun Watson, Cliff Austin, Buddy Gore, Travis Zachery, Roderick McDowell and Lester Brown. – Mafah (1,106) needing 81 rushing yards to enter the Top 10 in school history in rushing yards in a single season. – Mafah (1,106) needing 94 rushing yards to record the ninth 1,200-yard rushing season in school history. – Mafah (1,106) entering the game 106 rushing yards shy of his position coach C.J. Spiller’s career high (1,212 in 2009, seventh in school history). – Mafah (six) attempting to add to his single-season career high in 100-yard rushing games. – Mafah (six) attempting to tie Kenny Flowers (seven in 1985) and Raymond Priester (seven in 1996) for the fourth-most 100-yard rushing games in a season in Clemson history. – Mafah (2,878) needing 37 rushing yards to pass No. 8 Kenny Flowers (2,914 from 1987-89) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career rushing yards. – Mafah (2,878) needing 122 more rushing yards this season to become the eighth player in school history to record 3,000 career rushing yards. – Mafah (28) chasing Fred Cone (29, ninth), Lester Brown and Will Shipley (31 each, tied for seventh), and C.J. Spiller (32, sixth) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career rushing touchdowns. – Mafah (28) needing two rushing touchdowns to become the ninth player in school history to score 30 career rushing touchdowns. – Mafah (eight) needing two more rushing touchdowns this season to join Travis Etienne (four straight from 2017-20), James Davis (three straight from 2006-08), Will Shipley (2021-22), Wayne Gallman (2015-16), Tajh Boyd (2012-13), Andre Ellington (2010-11), Woodrow Dantzler (2000-01), Travis Zachery (1999-2000) and Terry Allen (1988-89) as the 10th Clemson player since 1960 to post back-to-back seasons with double-digit rushing touchdowns. – Mafah (eight) needing two rushing touchdowns to extend Clemson’s streak of consecutive years with at least one player with 10 or more rushing touchdowns to 10 straight years. Clemson’s current nine-year streak is the longest active streak in the nation. – Defensive end T.J. Parker (career-high 11.0) needing one sack to become the first Clemson player to record at least 12 sacks in a season since Shaq Lawson (12.5) and Kevin Dodd (12.0) in 2015. – Parker (11.0) entering the game ranked ninth in sacks in a single season in Clemson history. He needs 1.5 sacks to enter the Top 5 in school history, as Gaines Adams (12.5 in 2006) and Shaq Lawson (12.5 in 2015) are presently tied for fourth. – Parker (19.0) needing one tackle for loss to become the first Clemson player to reach 20.0 tackles for loss in a season since both Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd accomplished the feat in 2015. – Parker (six) entering the game holding the Clemson record for forced fumbles in a single season. He is tied for the national lead in that category in 2024.
TEXAS NOTES:
• No. 3 and fifth-seed Texas Football will be hosting No. 16 and 12th-seeded Clemson in the 2024 College Football Playoff first round at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 21, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast on TNT/Max with Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Taylor McGregor (reporter) and Laura Rutledge on the call. • Texas is making its second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years after earning the three seed in the 2023 College Football Playoff, making a semifinal appearance against the No. 2 Washington Huskies at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. • The Longhorns have 11-consecutive top-10 CFP rankings, dating back to Oct. 31, 2023. Texas debuted at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings on Nov. 5 this season – which doubled as the program’s highest-ever spot in the first week of CFP rankings. Texas has been in the top-25 in each of the last 15 rankings and has 27 overall appearances in the rankings with its highest being No. 2. UT checked in at No. 4 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls that were updated on Dec. 8. • The Longhorns are 12-1 at home over the last two seasons. • Dec. 21 will mark the first-ever matchup between Texas and Clemson. The first round winner will advance to the CFP Quarterfinal at the 57th Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and face the Big 12 Champion and No. 4 seed Arizona State at Noon C.T. on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will air on an ABC/ESPN platform. • The Longhorns are 12-2 overall coming off an SEC Championship game berth in their first season as conference members. • Head coach Steve Sarkisian has now led his programs to eight postseason appearances in his 11 seasons as a head coach. He led Washington to four-straight bowl games following the 2010-13 seasons and guided USC to the Holiday Bowl in 2014. His Washington team played in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, a game he did not coach in after taking over the Trojans’ program. Sarkisian was the head coach for the Huskies’ Alamo Bowl appearance against Baylor in 2011. • Texas finishes the 2024 regular season as the only SEC team with one loss. • Last time out, Texas lost 22-19 (OT) in the 2024 SEC Championship game versus Georgia on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. It was the first-ever OT forced in the SEC Championship game. • Of the six non-original members of the SEC (Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Texas A&M), Texas is the only program to clinch an SEC Championship game berth in its first season as a league member. • Texas is one of two teams in the nation with eight wins vs. bowl eligible opponents. Syracuse is the other. • Texas is among five teams that have at four wins vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of game. Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona State and Notre Dame are the other four teams. • In its first season as an SEC member, Texas has clinched conference championship game berths in backto-back seasons after winning the Big 12 Championship in 2023. • Texas’ 11-consecutive true road wins (not including neutral site contests) is the longest streak for the Horns since winning 15-straight road games from 2003-06. It also doubles as the longest active streak in the FBS. • The Longhorns have held 10 of 13 opponents to 17 points or less this season. • UT boasts the fourth-most wins (959) in NCAA history. Texas holds an all-time record of 959-394-33. The Longhorns’ 959 wins are the second most by an SEC program following Alabama’s 974 victories. • Texas has back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09 (2008: 12-1 overall, 2009: 13-1 overall). • Following Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA on Sept. 14, Texas moved to No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since Oct. at No. 1 and have have 49 overall appearances at No. 1 in the AP Poll. SERIES HISTORY • Texas and Clemson meet for the first time in history on Saturday. • Texas (959) and Clemson (808) have combined for 1,767 all-time victories, and both rank among the Top 13 in FBS history in victories. • Clemson is the first ACC team Texas has faced since the Horns defeated North Carolina, 52-21, on Sept. 14, 2002. • Texas and Clemson had one mutual opponent this season: Georgia. The Tigers opened the season with a 34-3 loss to the Bulldogs on Aug. 31. A TEXAS WIN WOULD … • Advance UT to the CFP Quarterfinal, the 57th annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Big 12 Champion Arizona State on Jan. 1, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. • The Horns are vying to be the fifth team in program history to compile 12 or more wins in a single season. • Clinch back-to-back 12-win seasons for the first time since 2008-2009. • Move UT to 1-0 all-time against Clemson. • The Horns will boast a 7-1 record when playing at DKRTexas Memorial Stadium this season. • Be Texas’ 960th all-time victory, the fourth-winningest program in college football history. • Give Steve Sarkisian his 84th victory as a head coach and 37th at Texas in his 134th career game as a head coach. YEAR FOUR OF THE SARKISIAN ERA • Texas Football Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is in his fourth season at the helm of the Longhorns and his 11th season as a head coach overall. • Texas is making its third-consecutive postseason appearance under fourth-year head coach Steve Sarkisian, including its second-straight CFP appearance. • Sarkisian was named to the Dodd Trophy Midseason watch list (Oct. 17) and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year watch list (Oct. 16). • Sarkisian and the Longhorns turned in a historic season in 2023 with a 12-2 record, a Big 12 Championship, No. 3 final ranking and College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. He has also compiled top-5 recruiting classes over the past three years. • Sarkisian was named a finalist for the Bear Bryant, George Munger and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year awards after leading Texas to its first Big 12 Championship since 2009, winning 12 games for the first time since that season and reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. • The 2023 Longhorns became just the fourth team in program history to amass 12 or more victories in a single season after going 12-2. • Last season, the Texas offense ranked 15th in the nation and third in the conference averaging 35.8 points per game, the fifth-straight top-25 scoring output for a Sarkisian-led offense. • The Longhorns were one of only five Power-5 programs that ranked among the top 15 in scoring offense (35.8 ppg) and scoring defense (18.9 ppg), finishing 15th nationally in both. • The offensive showing also marked the ninth top-25 scoring offense in Sarkisian’s career. • Last season marked the eighth time a Sarkisian offense averaged at least 34 points per game. • RB Jonathon Brooks rushed for 1,139 yards in 2023 marking the 12th consecutive year a Sarkisian offense has had a 1,000-yard rusher.
SARK’S STAMPEDE • Under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns are 25-5 in their last 30 games with their only five losses coming against top-12 teams. • Texas sports a +27.8 PPG at home over the last two seasons, the third-best rate in the FBS. • In Sarkisian’s first 22 games as head coach at Texas, UT went 11-11. • Since the start of the 2023 season UT is 23-4 with the only three losses against AP top-12 ranked foes. • Following the 31-14 win vs. Kentucky in UT’s home regular season finale on Nov. 23, Texas is 17-3 at home over the last three seasons with its only three losses to top-5 ranked foes (No. 5/4 Georgia on Oct. 19, No. 1/1 Alabama in 2022 and No. 4/4 TCU in 2022). • Texas has won 13 of its last 15 conference matchups. SEC NATION IN THE HOUSE • For the the second time this season, SEC Nation will be airing live on game day from Austin. • SEC Nation last aired live from the University of Texas campus on Nov. 23 when the Longhorns hosted Kentucky. • SEC Nation will air live from Hook ‘Em Hangout in Winship Circle from 9-11 a.m. CT (free admission). • Laura Rutledge hosts SEC Nation, her eighth season in the host’s chair and her ninth on the show overall, joined by Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers and Tim Tebow for a weekly breakdown of the SEC football in the College Football Playoff. HORNS STREAKS • Texas has forced at least one turnover in 21-consecutive games. UT has forced multiple turnovers in eight-straight games entering Saturday vs. Clemson. • Texas has won 11+ games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09. The Horns had nine consecutive 10-win seasons from 2001-09. • 2024 marked the second-straight season in which UT played in a conference championship game. • The Texas defense has given up just four passing touchdowns through 13 games this season – the fewest in program history since giving up four in 1972 (10 games). It also doubles as the fewest by an FBS team this season (tied with Ohio State). • Texas led Texas A&M 17-0 at halftime on Nov. 30 and has posted first-half shutouts in three of its last four games. • Texas has recorded 11-straight road wins – the most since 2003-2006. • The Longhorns started the season 6-0 for the first time since 2009. • Texas’ point differential (+221) through six games was its best since 1915 (+288). • Texas’ 259 points through six games were its most since 2005 (274). • The Longhorns are 17-3 at home over the last three seasons with their only three losses being to No. 1 Alabama (20-19) in 2021, No. 4/4 TCU in 2022 and No. 5/4 Georgia on Oct. 12. • The Horns have earned a Top-10 ranking for 30 weeks in a row.