My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Jul 13, 2022, 11:19 AM

There have been more momentous seasons, more significant years before and since; seasons that ended with walk-off TDs, crystal balls hoisted, index fingers pointed to the sky, but no football season epitomized the ups and downs, the heartbreak, and the glory of Clemson football to me, more than 2003.

For all intents and purposes, I had been a "Clemson Fan" my entire life. I had gone to games growing up, tailgating outside, sliding down the hill on cardboard boxes. But I had not really been invested in the games as a kid. I vaguely followed the 2000 team, I have memories of the Catch II, Woody Dantzler scrambling around, losing the 2001 Clemson-Carolina game, the bowl game at Boise St, but I wasn't really All In, so to speak.

The first in-person Clemson-Carolina game I went to was 2002, the 100th game! I remember Whitehurst scrambling for a TD and Kyle Browning (I think) falling in bounds to help keep the clock running as the Tigers held onto a late lead and the win. I remember sitting in the car and listening to the post-game Gamecock call-in show with my dad and both of us reveling in the schadenfreude of the furious #### fans.

So when the 2003 Season rolled around, I was fully into being a Tiger Fan.

We opened the season at home with a top 10 UGA squad. UGA was coming off of a breakthrough season in 2002, finishing 13-1 and #3. But there was reason for optimism: the Tigers had gone toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs in Athens the previous year, walking away with a 3-point loss. All that optimism evaporated on what was the hottest gameday I can remember as the Dawgs ran us out of the stadium 30-0. It looked like we were in for a long season.

Up next came two more home games against what should have been cupcakes. The Tigers came away with a closer-than-it-should've been win over Furman, and a more-comfortable-but-still-closer-than-it-should've-been win over Middle Tenn St.

The Tigers went on the road for the first time on September 20th to ATL to face the Yellow Jackets. Chan Gailey's squad was 1-2 but coming off a 2-TD upset of a top-20 Auburn team and a 1-point loss to #10 FSU the week before. The recent series between the Tigers and Yellow Jackets had been characterized by close games, including a 5-point Clemson win the season before, a walk-off TD in OT by Dantzler in '01, and a 3-point GT stunner over an undefeated #5 Clemson squad in 2000. Given the Tigers' lackluster performance to that point in the season and the recent history between two teams, it promised to be a close contest.

It was not. The Tiger D shut down the Yellow Jackets, keeping them out of the endzone completely, and the Tiger Offense came to life, scoring 39 points!

Next up was a 3-2 Maryland squad that had come into the season ranked off of an 11-win 2002 campaign but had fallen to NIU and FSU to start the year before rebounding against the Citadel, WVU, and E Mich. The Tigers put up another lackluster effort, going down 7-21 (a loss that would not look so bad at the end of the year as MD finished 10-3 and ranked in the top 20).

The roller coaster pulled back into Death Valley on October 11th for a showdown with Matt Schaub and the #25 UVA Cavs. In a classic game, the Tigers pulled off the upset in OT when Whitehurst hit Kevin Youngblood on a jump ball in the endzone for the walk-off TD!

It was a short turnaround as the resurgent 4-2 Tigers drove up to Raleigh for a Thursday night showdown with Chuckie the Chest and Perpetual Baby Daddy Phillip Rivers. The Wolfpack were coming off their (still to this day) best season ever in 2002, going 11-3. They had come into the year ranked in the top 20 but had lost in Triple OT to defending National Champ OSU and dropped head-scratchers to Wake (foreshadowing!) and the same GT squad the Tigers had dominated.

It was a low-scoring affair that saw the Tigers pull within 2 points late in the game on a Chad Jasmine TD. The 2-point conversion attempt to future OC and UVA HC Tony Elliott fell to the turf and the Wolfpack hung on for a 15-17 win.

The Tigers returned to Death Valley the next week and pulled out a close one against a 1-win UNC squad but surely would have no trouble with 4-4 Wake Forest the following week right? Right...?

The Tigers rolled into Winston-Salem on November 1st with a respectable 5-3 record, with no inkling that Groves Stadium was to become Tommy Bowden's personal House of Horrors for the next few years, starting this day and culminating in 2008 as the site of his ultimate demise as head coach. The Deacs put on a clinic, going up 45-0 until the Tigers put up 17 measly garbage points in the 4th Quarter.

Bowden was 34-24, in his 5th season at the helm. Clemson coaches weren't supposed to even lose to Wake, much less get blown out by the Demon Deacons. And up next were the #3 FSU Seminoles, of course coached by his father, Bobby.

He was officially on the hot seat. Many will remember his mid-week press conference when Tommy was asked if he was going to be fired and he got choked up while admitting his future at Clemson was uncertain. It was not an image that instilled optimism in the Tiger faithful. Surely the Seminoles were going to deliver another 30-0esque beatdown at 7:45 on Saturday night.

Funny thing about college football though, you still have to play the games, and you never truly know what's going to happen.

It's still one of my 5 favorite games I've ever been to. Every Clemson fan remembers what happened: the Tiger Defense harassed FSU QB Chris Rix all night but the Tigers could only muster a couple of FGs until they drove down to the goalline right before the half and Whitehurst scrambled into the endzone to give Clemson a 13-0 lead at halftime!

But this was the Noles, surely they were going to come back right? The teams traded FGs early in the third quarter and then Whitehurst hit Derrick Hamilton for a long TD as the quarter was winding down to put the Noles away for good! The Tigers tacked on an insurance FG and the Noles scored a garbage-time TD to keep from being shut out of the endzone but it didn't matter--the celebration was on! The goalpost in front of The Hill came down and Bowden had seemingly saved his job (for now).

Next up was a visit by the perennial cellar-dweller Blue Devils. This had all the makings of a Classic Bowden Trap Game after the big upset the previous week and the looming Rivalry game (perhaps foreshadowing what would happen in Durham in 2004...), but the Tigers kept the momentum rolling and put away Duke with little problem 40-7.

Of course, the last game of the regular season was the annual showdown with the Gamecocks in Columbia. The Gamecocks came limping into the game having lost 3-in-a-row and 5 of their last 7. Despite this, and the Tigers' sudden confidence, it was expected to be a close game.

That happened to be my birthday that year and the Tigers gave me a fantastic present. Everyone remembers this game as well, it's one of the probably top 3 wins over the Gamecocks in the Rivalry. Whitehurst threw 3 TDs on the first 3 possessions and never looked back. I can still hear Todd Ellis's dejected voice saying "Touchdown Clemson... Touchdown Chad Jasmine" as the Tigers poured it on in Williams Brice. It was beautiful.

So with the Rivalry win under our belt once more, an 8-4 regular season record, and a lot of swagger all of a sudden, we sat back to see where we'd end up in a bowl game. Despite the head-to-head victory, the Noles had still won the ACC with a 7-1 record; Maryland had finished 2nd at 6-2 and Tigers 3rd in the League. Most will recall there was a pretty strict bowl pecking order in those days so naturally FSU went to the Orange Bowl (for a rematch with pre-ACC Rival Miami), the Terps got the Gator Bowl, and the Tigers drew the Peach Bowl.

I seem to recall everyone was pleased with the landing spot given how bleak the season had looked in early November and were ecstatic when we found out our opponent: The 10-2, #6 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

It's hard to remember now but, at the time, Tennessee was one of the absolute premier programs in the country and a compelling measuring stick for the Tigers' program. The Vols had of course won the Natty in 1998 and split the SEC East title with UGA that season. They had also ended Miami's massive home-winning streak the same day the Tigers had beaten the Noles.

Clemson RB (and future CB) Duane Coleman had done some jawing and shoving during the pre-game warmups but backed it up on the field, scoring a TD on the first drive of the game. The Tigers tacked on a FG before UT responded with a TD to make it 10-7 going into the 2nd Quarter. Chad Jasmine continued his bruising play scoring a 15-yard TD, which UT answered shortly after.

The Tigers got the ball back with a chance to build on their 3 point lead going into the half. They got down into the redzone when Bowden dug a trick play out of the playbook--Kyle Browning, who was listed at 5'8'', crouched behind the offensive line as the Tigers broke the huddle. Whitehurst took the snap, placed the ball under Browning's legs, then faked an option run to the right. Browning waited a beat and then ran to the left, darting into the endzone before the Vols could figure out what had happened, and giving the Tigers a commanding 24-14 lead going into the half.

The Tiger D clamped down after halftime, shutting the Vols out the rest of the game and Aaron Hunt tacked on a FG at the end of the 4th to ice the win for Clemson.

Clemson finished the season 9-4 on a dominating 4-game win streak, with wins over the (then) #25, #3, and #6 teams in the country, and made an appearance at #22 in both final AP and Coaches' Polls. It was the first top 25 finish since 2000 and only 2nd since 1993.

There was no Division Title, no ACC Championship, no BCS berth, just a State Championship and a Peach Bowl Trophy. In the Annals of Clemson Football, 2003 will likely never be much more than a footnote, but it was the year I finally became a die-hard Tiger Fan! It had been a frustrating season, a disappointing season, an exhilarating season, an encouraging season. It had been a Clemson Football Season.

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I remember I had some elective-type class with Duane Coleman… I can’t remember what the class was. Group projects were “the thing” to do for almost all my classes and I was placed in a group with Duane. I don’t think he contributed to the group project whatsoever. But he was a cool dude. A very down to earth type guy. I also remember seeing Charlie Whitehurst walking by himself, late, to class at Hunter Hall (that was the chemistry building’s name right?). That always struck me as odd - seeing the BMOC walking to class, hurriedly, and alone.

The UGA game was incredibly hot. I had been to Athens the year before when we should’ve won that game so I was excited about the rematch at home. Ouch.

Pretty sure I went to Charlottesville that year as well. I remember thinking Charlottesville was incredibly pretty but the game made for a long, LONG trip home. I still love that area though.

Florida State. I have a picture of my, still to this day, best friend Brian straddling the crossbar of the goalpost before it fell. I couldn’t get close enough to help bring it down.

That was my 2nd time going to cootlumbia. 63-17. Man, we took over the roach and heckled all the loser coot fans as they left their home stadium in embarrassing fashion. I kept that Sunday edition of The State newspaper for years. I think it ended up in my younger brother’s possession somehow.

And the Peach Bowl vs UT in Atlanta. I still have my souvenir cup from that game. That stood alone as my most favorite bowl game ever attended, until I witnessed us defeat LSU on New Year’s Eve, also in the old Georgia Dome.

Don’t get me wrong, our recent success has been unfathomable with the playoffs and the nattys… but man, I wouldn’t trade those Bowden years for anything. The highs and the lows made winning and the “upsets” so much more fun. The good old days. You never knew what you were going to get.

I really do think, now looking back, that was my favorite season as well. Thanks for bringing back those memories!!

My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Man, you should have saved this one to respond to OJ's

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

I was at Clemson for that season (JR year)

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Gotta love how the movie Blind Side changed the score

I was working with 3 huge Vols fans at that time.

That's the most I've read in one sitting in years...

Re: That's the most I've read in one sitting in years...

Re: That's the most I've read in one sitting in years...

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

Re: My Favorite Clemson Football Season: 2003

I went to the Peach Bowl without a ticket

My choice for POTD!! Enjoyed reading your post!

Goosebumps. That was my sophomore year.

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