Michael Palmer News

If you asked Clemson fans this week to define their football team's season, most would probably shift between success and satisfaction.

Senior defensive end Ricky Sapp said that while he has experienced sporadic soreness in the knee, he was stunned by how quickly he returned to full speed after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL last December.

After dropping a 14-10 decision to nationally ranked TCU at home Sept. 26, Clemson traveled to College Park, Md., on Oct.

It's going to be a busy off-season for the Gamecocks and the Tigers as both teams have accepted bowl bids.

Representatives of the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl announced today the University of Kentucky will represent the Southeastern Conference in the 12th annual Bowl and face off against the Atlantic Coast Conferencea s Clemson University.

CLEMSON - Quarterback Kyle Parker is the one player the Clemson University football team can't afford to lose if the Tigers intend to win the ACC Championship Game and finish off the program's best season in nearly 20 years.

CLEMSON -- The low point of the Clemson University football team's season -- a 24-21 defeat at Maryland on Oct.

In their Sept. 10 meeting, Georgia Tech unveiled an option play Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele had not seen on any of the game tapes.

Clemson -- When Clemson senior left guard Thomas Austin got married a little more than a year ago, his wife said he laid down one law: Don't buy chicken breasts for more than $1.98 a pound.

C.J. Spiller, Michael Palmer and DeAndre McDaniel all made first-team All-ACC according to voting conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Atlantic Division champion Clemson has placed three Tiger stars to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference team.

The bad news for No. 15 Clemson's defense: It's next opponent is the ACC's preeminent rushing quarterback.

COLUMBIA - When Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney spelled out Saturday's 34-17 L-O-S-S to the University of South Carolina, it was all uppercased, as he pointed to the fact that the Gamecocks capitalized on all of the Tigers' early mistakes.

Kenny Miles ran for 114 yards and it was the ground game of South Carolina and a strong defensive effort against Clemson's C.J. Spiller that lifted the Gamecocks to a 34-17 victory over the 15th-ranked Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium.

In his last three games, Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker has thrown eight touchdowns against a lone interception, and showed his gunslinger side last week against Virginia with a bullet of a touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford with little more than a flick of his wrist.

There isn't a line of USC players and coaches waiting to exit. Nor is Clemson fighting for bowl eligibility as its coaching staff scratches to save its jobs.

The bitterness seethed from Clemson lineman Thomas Austin as he watched television that afternoon.

As a player and assistant coach at Alabama, Dabo Swinney was involved in five SEC championship games.

CONGRATULATIONS, NO. 15 Clemson, you've just won that elusive conference division title.

After holding Clemson running back C.J. Spiller to 18 yards on 14 carries last season, his season low for a per-carry average , Virginia's defense can find some hope in last year's 13-3 defeat.