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Clemson looks to follow "Bowden Bowl" win vs. UNC

Sep 19, 2006 - 10:04 PM North Carolina (1-2) at No. 19 Clemson (2-1), 12:00 pm EDT

CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) - After going 1-1 on a difficult Atlantic Coast Conference road swing, No. 19 Clemson returns home Saturday to face league foe North Carolina.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-1 ACC Atlantic) bounced back from a 34-33 defeat in double overtime at Boston College with a 27-20 triumph at then-No. 9 Florida State in the eighth "Bowden Bowl" last weekend.

After the Seminoles tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion, James Davis broke off a 47-yard run to the 4, then punched into the end zone from one yard out with nine seconds left to give the Tigers their first victory in Tallahassee since 1989.

One area of weakness for Clemson continues to be its kicking game. After having an extra point blocked in double overtime against the Eagles, the Tigers had both an extra point and a field goal snuffed and returned for points by the Seminoles' Tony Carter, which had coach Tommy Bowden refusing to use the kicking game until the closing moments.

North Carolina (1-2, 0-1 Coastal) recorded its first victory of the season with a 45-42 triumph over Division I-AA Furman last weekend.

Ronnie McGill ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns and caught another score for the Tar Heels, who matched a school record for points allowed in a win. Making his first start, redshirt freshman Cam Sexton completed 14-of-20 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Under Bowden, Clemson is 4-1 against North Carolina. The teams have not met since 2003, when the Tigers posted a 36-28 home win.