The year 1994 seems like a long way away for the football team.
When Duke (2-6, 0-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) played Clemson (5-3, 3-3) three years ago in Durham, Ray Farmer blocked a punt with just over one minute left in the fourth quarter, and then recovered the ball for a touchdown. Duke went on to win the game 19-13 and to play in the Hall of Fame Bowl, and Farmer went on to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now, to say the least, the tables have turned.
While Duke has only won one ACC game since the 1994 season, Clemson is now seeking a bowl game, which looks like a possibility if the Tigers beat the Blue Devils on Saturday.
The game in 1994 marked the first start for a freshman Clemson quarterback named Nealon Greene. As a senior, Greene now stands as Clemson's leader, and in the Tiger's 33-16 victory over Wake Forest last weekend, he threw for 286 yards, breaking six school records in the process.
The most impressive mark for Greene was his ascension to No. 1 in career total offense for the Tigers. He also set single season records for completions, passing yardage and career pass attempts.
Also looking to reach statistical landmarks are Clemson running-back Raymond Priester and wide-receiver Tony Horne, who are both close to 1,000 yards rushing and receiving, respectively.
Priester, the Tigers' all-time leader in single game, season and career rushing, has 744 yards so far this season. Although he sprained his ankle in the second quarter against Wake Forest, it is likely that he will play on Saturday.
"I expect to see Raymond Priester," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said. "Either way, we have to be prepared for someone so talented."
Complementing Priester offensively, Horne leads the ACC with 732 yards receiving this season and 91.5 average per game. He needs just two more receptions to set the Clemson single season record.
Defensively, the Tigers are sixth in the nation in stopping the rush, giving up only 79.5 rushing yards per game.
Against Wake Forest last week, the Tigers found their rhythm on offense, rolling up 33 points, far above the 20 points per game they had been averaging the previous three weeks.
"We made big plays on both sides of the ball and on special teams," coach Tommy West said, "and it was really the most complete game we have had all year."
Duke had an off week last week, giving the team a much needed opportunity to rest and heal. After their loss to the Demon Deacons two weeks ago, many Blue Devils, including Bobby Campbell, Darius Clark, Scottie Montgomery and Dawud Rasheed were banged up.
"There's no team I've ever been associated with that needed an off week at a point in the season as much as this one," Goldsmith said.
With both Campbell and Spencer Romine now healthy, Goldsmith has a true decision to make at the quarterback spot. As of Wednesday afternoon, he would not reveal who he had chosen to start, but look for Campbell to get the nod.
During the two weeks off, the Blue Devils focused on fixing the mistakes they made against the Demon Deacons.
"We got back to a lot of fundamentals, defensively at least," inside linebacker Chike Egbuniwe said. "We tried to correct some of the things that went wrong in the Wake Forest game."
With just three games remaining on Duke's schedule, Clemson is one of Duke's few chances for another win this season.
"We're right on the verge all year," Goldsmith said. "We are facing three of our toughest teams, but we've shown we can play with anybody. So I think our players go into the end of the season expecting to win some football games."
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