Clemson and South Florida Accept Bids to 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl

Will Face Each Other in Charlotte on New Year’s Eve

Charlotte, N.C. – The Clemson Tigers, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, will face the South Florida Bulls from the Big East Conference in the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl, it was announced today by bowl officials. Clemson will be making their first appearance in the game, while South Florida returns for the second time, and first since 2005.

College football’s first bowl game to call the Carolinas home, the Meineke Car Care Bowl will take place on Friday, December 31st at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.

“We are tremendously excited to have Clemson University and the University of South Florida in the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl,” said Will Webb, Executive Director. “Both teams have played extremely hard this year with every game being very competitive. We feel that the Tigers and Bulls will be a very entertaining and compelling matchup on the field for everyone watching. We look forward to hosting everyone in Charlotte on New Year’s eve for this exciting game and all the surrounding events.”

Clemson finished the season with a 6-6 overall record (4-4 in the ACC, tied for third in the Atlantic Division. The Tigers defeated bowl-bound NC State, Maryland and Georgia Tech. Three of their four conference losses were by less than a touchdown. In addition, they lost to #1-ranked Auburn by just three points in overtime.

South Florida finished the regular season with a 7-5 record (3-4 in the Big East, tied for third place). Three of the Bulls four conference losses were by less than a touchdown, including a three-point loss to BCS-bound UConn. South Florida defeated bowl-eligible Louisville and in-state rival Miami.

Tickets for the Meineke Car Care Bowl are on sale now and only available through TicketMaster and the participating schools. Upper Level Seats begin at just $40. To purchase individual tickets, please visit any TicketMaster outlet in the southeast or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

To order from TicketMaster by phone, call 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Carolina Panthers Box Office, located at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The first college bowl game to call the Carolinas home, the Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged over 60,000 fans each year with three sellouts in its eight years. In addition, the game has reached over 22 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.

For more information, please visit www.MeinekeCarCareBowl.com.

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Statement from Clemson Athletic Director Dr. Terry Don Phillips:

“We are delighted for the opportunity to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl against South Florida. The great support our fans have shown through communication to the Meineke Car Care Bowl was very convincing and we appreciate the outstanding support of our fans. That strong support was significant in its decision. It is great exposure to play on New Year’s Eve and we are looking forward to playing a good, solid team in South Florida, who narrowly lost to Big East Champion Connecticut on Saturday.”

Statement from Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinny:

“We are excited about playing South Florida in Charlotte in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. It’s a great situation for our fans. One of the main reasons we were selected for this bowl is because of our great fan support and the passion of our fans.

“We’ve never played in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, so we look forward to representing our school and conference during the week and on gameday. We haven’t won bowl games in back-to-back seasons since 1989-90, so hopefully we can accomplish that feat and end the season on a positive note.

“South Florida presents us with an outstanding matchup. Skip Holtz has done a great job in his first year as head coach of the Bulls. They beat Miami (FL), who beat us, so it will be a great matchup and we look forward to playing them in the bowl game.”

Statement from USF Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug Woolard:

“It's a great honor to be selected by the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Executive Director Will Webb, Charlotte Collegiate Football and the wonderful volunteers associated with the bowl have established a terrific reputation for hosting a game and event that is truly first class. We had the opportunity to experience their hospitality firsthand, when we made our inaugural bowl trip to Charlotte in 2005. Our fans had a wonderful time and there is no doubt they will be very excited to return.”

“Currently, our program is riding a wave of momentum behind first-year head coach Skip Holtz. I think people around the country recognize that and it was reflected in our selection by the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Coach Holtz has done a magnificent job with this football team and program in just a short time. He has provided outstanding leadership from day one and built a very competitive product on the field. I am so proud of our football team. They have shown tremendous character throughout the year and the young men and their outstanding coaching staff are very, very deserving of this opportunity.”

Statement from USF Head Football Coach Skip Holtz:

“I’m extremely excited for this coaching staff, these players and our fan base about having the opportunity to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. This group has worked extremely hard throughout the year, so a trip to Charlotte is the perfect way to finish off the season. I’ve been fortunate enough to have many great bowl experiences during my career and I hear that the Meineke Car Care Bowl is as good as any bowl in the country. It is a first-class operation and we’re really excited to have the opportunity to represent the BIG EAST conference. We’re looking forward to a great week and a great game in Charlotte.”

Its state championship weekend and 16 teams are hoping for the state’s biggest prize at stadiums in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Winston-Salem. This is the 97th annual NCHSAA state championship in football. Each of the teams involved are to be commended for their efforts and achievements this season. Although only 8 will be crowned state champions, every team playing this week is a winner.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

Voting for the Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week resulted in one game receiving 33% of the votes cast. The Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 17 – Championship Weekend – is the battle for the 4A Championship between Davie County and Durham Hillside.

Western Regional Champ Davie County comes into the game with a 9-6 record and is appearing in their first title game. The War Eagles started the season 0-3 and are averaging 20 points on offense using a multiple spread formation. Quarterback Carson Herndon leads the offense with over 2300 yards passing and 19 touchdowns. Running backs Stephon Smoot and Jacob Barber have combined for almost 1300 yards rushing while wide receiver Joe Watson has scored 12 times while amassing over 1000 receiving yards. On defense, defensive back Alex Newman and linebacker Jared Barber lead a War Eagle defense giving up 22 points a game. Although Davie only had a 5-6 record at the beginning of the playoffs, their strength of schedule was the second toughest in the state. The War Eagles played traditional powers West Rowan, Greenville Rose, Thomasville, and Salisbury in their nonconference schedule. Davie played tough teams Winston-Salem Mount Tabor and North Davidson in conference, losing both games. Davie had the last laugh by returning the favor and beating both teams in the first two rounds of the playoffs.



Coaches Corner – Davie coach Doug Illing had the following to say about his team, “it has been full circle…started off 0-3 then 1-4… after overcoming injuries and moving people around on the OL we began to mess and play together at the right time…” Coach Illing speaks so highly of his team and “their belief in eachother and this team is the reason we are playing on Saturday…they never gave up or gave in to a losing season of 5-6 going into the playoffs.” Illing also went on to talk about the season. “After finishing the season 5-6 and getting beat 52-28 in the last game against North Davidson, we had to play ND in the first round and we are down 10-0 at half and come back and beat them 35-10… then have to play Mt tabor who beat us 34-0 three weeks prior and we beat them in OT 30-29…. so that got us going in the playoffs playing with a lot of confidence….” Thanks Coach Illing for providing this information.

Coming into the game with a perfect 15-0 record are the Eastern Regional Champions, the Hillside Hornets from Durham. Coach Antonio King has led Hillside to their first championship game appearance in his first season as head coach of the Hornets. The Hornets were regional runners-up two years ago losing to Fayetteville Byrd in a defensive struggle 9-7. The Hornets utilize a West Coast style offense that has dominated many defenses while scoring 40 points a game. Quarterback Vad Lee is the key to the Hornet’s offense throwing for almost 3000 yards this season and 23 touchdowns. Other key players on offense include running back Jamaal Williams (1177 yards, 10 TD) and receiver Shawn Malloy (26 receptions, 9 TD). The Hornets’ defense has shut down opposing offenses allowing only 10 points a game. Defensive tackle Anthony Talley, safety Meyer Krah, linebacker Lee Williams and defensive ends Jamal Marcus and Treshawn Council (ECU recruit) anchor a defense that has registered three shutouts this season, including one in the playoffs.



Coaches Corner – No information received from the Hillside coaching staff yet.


This has the makings of a really good game, matching the undefeated Hornets versus the never say quit War Eagles. With both teams making their first appearance in the state title game, I’m sure the fans will be out in droves at Wake Forest’s BB&T Field. Follow the game action on our Twitter, @NCGridiron.


The official CGI prediction: Hillside 27 Davie County 17

(Helmets courtesy of mghelmets.com and are not the property of Carolina Gridiron)