Clemson Football: The Top 5 Historical Moments for the Tigers vs. FSU

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CLEMSON, SC – NOVEMBER 25: Coach Tommy Bowden of the Clemson Tigers reacts as his team commits a turnover against the South Carolina Gamecocks during an NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium November 25, 2006 in Clemson, South Carolina. South Carolina won 31-28. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2003: The Upset that no one saw coming

After 1989, you have to go 14 years to find a Clemson football win over Florida State.

That’s right, not one time in the 1990s did the Tigers beat the Seminoles. So, fast-forward to 2003.

Clemson was coming off an embarrassing 45-17 loss to Wake Forest under coach Tommy Bowden. Florida State was coming into the game ranked No. 3 in the country with national title aspirations.

Not one person saw a Clemson win coming. Well, one person did.

I have to give my dad, Travis, credit for this one. I was just a kid at the time of this game and I remember people talking about the game leading into the week. Everyone was talking about “if Bowden would make it very much longer” and how bad Florida State was going to beat the Tigers.

My father, though, told all those people that Clemson wouldn’t just compete, but that they wouldn’t lose another game that season. I don’t know if it was blind fandom or just pure luck, but he was right.

Clemson upset that No. 3 FSU team 26-10 in Death Valley and then went undefeated through the rest of the season, including a 63-17 win over South Carolina and a win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.

What a game that was to watch and it completely changed the mentality of Clemson football during those young years of rebuilding from the detrimental Tommy West years.

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