Clemson-Alabama first half notes

by CU Athletic Communications - Mon Jan 07 22:25:09 GMT-04:00 2019

First-half notes via Clemson:

- Clemson scored 31 points in the opening two quarters to set a school bowl record for points in a first half, surpassing the 27 first-half points scored by the Tigers in the 1986 Gator Bowl and 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl.

- Clemson’s 31 first-half points represented the first time Alabama had allowed 31 points in a single half since the 2014 Sugar Bowl (Oklahoma, 31 first-half points in a 45-31 win).

- Clemson has already tied a College Football Playoff National Championship record with two interceptions.

- Clemson has already recorded 90 return yards on interceptions, breaking a school bowl record previously set in the 2009 Gator Bowl against Nebraska (63).

During the first half, Clemson (651) became the second team in ACC history to score 650 points in a single season (Florida State, 723 in 2013).

- Clemson added to its existing school record by reaching 27 points in a 15th straight game.

- Quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 12-21 passes for 197 yards with one touchdown in first half.

Lawrence entered the game having thrown a career-long 137 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, with his most recent interception coming on his final pass attempt at Boston College on Nov. 10. On his eighth attempt of the game, a 26-yard pass to Tavien Feaster, Lawrence broke Cullen Harper’s single-season school record of 143 consecutive interception-free attempts in 2007.

- On a 62-yard pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter, Lawrence reached 3,000 passing yards on the season to record only the seventh individual 3,000-yard passing season in school history.

- Clemson reached the 4,000-yard passing mark as a team on the season, representing the program’s fifth 4,000-yard passing season in school history. The 2018 season joins the 2015 campaign as the only seasons in school history featuring 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.

- Clemson opened the scoring on a 44-yard interception return by cornerback A.J. Terrell, his first career touchdown.

- The 44-yard return for touchdown by Terrell set a College Football Playoff record for the longest interception return for touchdown in College Football Playoff history, breaking the 41-yard mark held by Ohio State’s Steve Miller from the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015.

- The interception was Terrell’s career-high and team-leading third of the season.

Terrell was the 22nd different player to score a touchdown for Clemson this season, as the 2018 Tigers surpassed the 2013 Tigers (21) for the most in a single season in school history.

- Running back Travis Etienne has already tied the Clemson bowl record for total touchdowns in a bowl game, matching the three touchdowns (all rushing) set by fullback Tracy Johnson against Penn State in the 1988 Citrus Bowl.

- Etienne scored on a 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

- Etienne’s second rushing touchdown of the game was Clemson’s 49th rushing touchdown of the season, breaking the ACC record for rushing touchdowns in a single season, held previously by the 2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (48).

- Etienne added his second receiving touchdown of the season on a five-yard reception in the second quarter.

- Running back Tavien Feaster recorded a season-long 26-yard reception in the second quarter.

- Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow added to his school records for career starts by a wide receiver (47) and consecutive games with a reception (43).

- Defensive end Clelin Ferrell made his 44th career start to break Levon Kirkland's school record for starts by a defensive end/outside linebacker (43 from 1988-91).

- Cornerback Trayvon Mullen recorded his first interception of the season -- the fourth of his career -- in the second quarter.

- The interception was Mullen’s first since Nov. 25, 2017, against South Carolina.

- Mullen later added his second sack of the season in the second quarter, notching his first career forced fumble on the play.

- With his first PAT, his 72nd of the season, kicker Greg Huegel broke his own single-season team record of 71 PATs from 2016. Huegel has accounted for three of the top five seasons in PATs in school history.