14/B4/LSU B4 AMERICAN PRESS MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020 CFP Championship Game LSU vs. Clemson • 7 p.m. • ESPN • New Orleans THE COACHES LSU-CLEMSON BY THE NUMBERS MEET THE SCHOOLS Feet below sea level of the real Death Valley in California. -282 Both LSU and Clemson claim the name Death Valley for their stadiums, but both will have to sink to new levels to own it. Baton Rouge is 56 feet above sea level, Clemson, S.C., is at 725 feet. Number of times the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff 0 (which LSU is) has gone on to win the national championship in the previous five years since the CFP began. Clemson is the No. 3 seed, which has also never won. The No. 2 seed has won three times, the No. 4 Ed Orgeron Dabo Swinney seed twice. Tillman Hall Memorial Tower Ed Orgeron Dabo Swinney National ranking of LSU’s offense both in points per game (47.6) Clemson LSU and yards per game (560.8). It’s also the national ranking of Clem- Age 58 50 1 Location Clemson, S.C. Baton Rouge son’s defense in points allowed (11.3 ppg). Clemson is second in yards (middle of nowhere) (middle of a traffic jam) allowed (264.7). Hometown Unknown swamp Mayberry Founded 1889 1860 Number of previous national championships won by both LSU and No, for real, where? LaRose Birmingham, Ala. Clemson. LSU’s came in the 1958, 2003 and 2007 seasons. Clem- 3 Founded by Endowment from The lowest bidder (same thing) son’s came in the 1981, 2016 and 2018 seasons. Thomas Green Clemson (probably gov’s nephew) Looks like Mean guard in Grown-up Clemson’s record against the SEC during its 29-game win- Southern prison Opie 5-0 ning streak. It includes two wins over South Carolina and Enrollment 25,822 30,987 movie Texas A&M, with one over Alabama (in last year’s national championship game). Overall, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is 18-9 vs. the SEC. Students expected 8 Cancelled classes Alma Mater Northwestern St. Alabama on Tuesday Number of wins over top 10 teams for LSU this season at the time Playing experience Played DL (1981-83) Lettered 1990-92 6 of the game. All but one finished the regular season in the top 10. Nickname Lil’ old Clemson Ol’ War Skul Clemson has played and beaten just one, Ohio State in the CFP semifinal. Schools coached at 11 (plus the Saints) Two Ed Orgeron has won 10 of his last 11 against top 10 teams and is 11-3 Original name Clemson Louisiana State Seminary overall at LSU. Agricultural College of Learning & Nickname BéBé Dabo is not enough? of South Carolina Military Academy Number of games this season where LSU scored 40 or more Accent Cajun gravel Deep South 11 points, breaking the school record of nine in 2011. It ties Ala- Oddest Major Center for Automotive English bama’s team last year for the most 40-point games in SEC history. Research (probably Mentor Pete Carroll Gene Stallings NASCAR-related) Seahwaks, ex-USC Ex-Alabama Times in the last 14 years that an SEC school has played for the 13 national championship spanning both the BCS and College Don’t talk about … School was modeled First school prez quit Got current job Went 6-2 as interim Went 4-3 as interim Football Playoff format. It includes two SEC vs. SEC matchups — LSU- after Miss. State to go burn down HC in 2016 after HC in 2008 after Alabama in the BCS after the 2011 season and Georgia-Alabama in the (minus cowbells) most of Georgia Les Miles fired Tommy Bowden fired CFP finals after the 2017 season. This will be LSU’s third appearance in the span (2007, 2011, 2019). The Tigers’ 2003 BCS championship was followed School logo Tiger Paw Tiger Bait Previous head coach 10-25 in three None by a two-year drought for the SEC. experience years at Ole Miss Started football 1896 1892 Number of LSU players who will be wearing the SEC graduate Reaction to his hiring What? Really? Who? 14 patch since they’ve already graduated — Joe Burrow, Connoe All-time record 738-452-44 781-402-47 (Chuckling) Culp, Lloyd Cushenberry, Derrick Dillon, Michael Divinity, Breiden Fehoko, Blake Ferguson Kristian Fulton, Rashard Lawrence, Adrian Magee, Ste- Bowl record 25-20 27-23-1 Who’s laughing now? Nobody Him phen Sullivan, Ray Thornton, Bradara Traore, Zach Von Rosenberg. Mascot Tigers Tigers Catch phrase “Ya ya ya ya ya “We get no Number of different states represented on LSU’s roster, includ- ... football” respect” 17 ing walk-ons. There are 57 from Louisiana, followed by Texas Stadium Memorial Stadium Tiger Stadium with 14 and Alabama with 7. Clemson is represented by 18 states, plus 81,500 102,321 Backup phrase “Hold that Ti-gah!” “We get no one foreign country as linebacker Ruke Orhorhoro is from Lagos, Nigeria. respect” Stadium Nickname Death Valley Death Valley Number of touchdown receptions for both LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase Overall record 55-36 130-30 18 and Justin Jefferson. The two currently share the SEC and Claim to First to claim it September temps school season record after Jefferson had four in the win against Okla- “Death Valley” (or so they claim) rival real Death Valley LSU/Clemson record 39-9 Same homa. Florida’s Reidel Anthony also had 18 in the 1996 season. Entrance tradition Touch Howard’s Rock Touch “Win” bar National championships “We coming!” Two Number of previous times LSU has played in the Mercedes- of the team (It came from the (It came from old 19 Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Tigers are 14-5 in their real Death Valley) Tiger Stadium goal posts) Dome away from home, most recently a 27-0 win over BYU to open the May never live down Lost to Troy Lost to S. Carolina 2017 season. That game that was scheduled for Houston but moved due 2017 5 straight years National 3 3 to heavy flooding. The Tigers have won 10 of their last 11 in the Superdo- championships 1981, 2016, 2018 1958, 2003, 2007 me. Clemson has played in the Superdome only once, losing to Alabama Scooter Hobbs 24-6 in the 2017 Sugar Bowl CFP semifinals. Heisman Trophies Zero Two But namesake John Billy Cannon, 1959 Consecutive years that LSU has been to a bowl game, the fourth-longest streak in the country, trailing Virginia Tech (27), Heisman coached Joe Burrow, 2019 ‘People that made 20 there from 1900-1903 LSU Georgia (24) and Oklahoma (21). Continued from B1 fun of my accent Number of different LSU players who have caught a pass this Defining moment Ohio State coach Billy Cannon season, including Joe Burrow, who caught one he threw that Woody Hayes punched ran back heritage are essential pieces before, I thank them. 20 Clemson LB; got him fired a punt of Orgeron’s soul. To lead was batted back at him before he snagged it and gained 16 yards in the SEC championship game. LSU to the pinnacle of the That gave me inter- Locker room bling A sliding board down Individual, futuristic sport right here in New Or- nal motivation to do Consecutive quarters in which LSU has not trailed. It dates back to the putting green fold-down beds leans is the kind of storybook 25 to the third quarter of the Auburn game on Oct. 26. The Tigers (yes, a putting green) for each player script that Orgeron couldn’t better ... .’ have trailed only five times all season and each time scored on their next have dreamt up during his possession to retake the lead. Fundraising arm IPTAY TAF year off from coaching in I Pay Ten A Year Take All Funds 2014. Ed Orgeron Quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s record as a starter at Orgeron has turned his LSU head coach 25-0 Clemson since he took over the job in the fifth game of Biggest Fan The Fridge The Shaq Daddy career around by staying in the 2018 season. Lawrence was 52-2 as a four-year starter at Lawrencev- the moment and never mak- both its 30th consecutive ille (Ga.) High School. Best golfer Lucas Glover David Toms ing it about himself, but what victory and its third national Season record 14-0 (8-0 ACC) 14-0 (8-0 SEC) an oh-so-sweet moment that championship in four years Consecutive wins by Clemson, which dates back to the CFP would be for the 58-year-old under Swinney. With a win, 29 semifinals after the 2017 season, a 24-6 loss to Alabama. It marks the second consecutive season that LSU has finished against the Wins over top 10 teams 1 (Ohio State) 6 (if you count Texas) football lifer. Clemson would become the team with the nation’s longest winning streak. Last year it was Central “I’m excited to be at LSU at first team this century to go Florida’s 25-game winning streak, which the Tigers broke. 2019 Double-digit wins 12 11 home where we’re proud of undefeated while winning our Cajun heritage,” Orgeron back-to-back titles. said. “We’re proud to be from Number of previous LSU games where ESPN’s Game Day was Common opponent Clemson 24 LSU 50 That’s a dynasty any on site, as it will be today. LSU is 20-12 in previous games with Texas A&M 10 Texas A&M 7 Louisiana.