2012 Orange Bowl

College football game

2012 Discover Orange Bowl

78th Orange Bowl
BCS Bowl Game
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Clemson Tigers

|

(9–3) | (10–3)
Big East | ACC
70 | 33
Head coach:
Dana Holgorsen | Head coach:
Dabo Swinney
| AP| Coaches| BCS

|
|

23| 22| 23
| AP| Coaches| BCS

|
|

14| 14| 15
|  | 1| 2| 3| 4 | Total

|
|
|
|
|

West Virginia | 14| 35| 14| 7 | 70
Clemson | 17| 3| 6| 7 | 33
Date| January 4, 2012
Season| 2011
Stadium| Sun Life Stadium
Location| Miami Gardens, Florida
MVP| Geno Smith (QB, West Virginia)
Favorite| Clemson by 3 (64)[1]
National anthem| Javier Colon
Referee| David Witvoet (Big Ten Conference)
Halftime show| Train, Metuchen High School Marching Band[2]
Attendance| 67,563
Payout| US$17,000,000 per team[3]
United States TV coverage
Network| ESPN
Announcers| Mike Tirico (Play-by-Play)
Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden (Analysts)
Lisa Salters (Sidelines)
Nielsen ratings| 4.5 rating
|  Orange Bowl

< 2011 |  2013 >

The 2012 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Clemson Tigers by a score of 70–33. West Virginia tied or broke eight separate team and individual bowl game records, while the combined 69 points West Virginia and Clemson scored in the first half set another new record.[4] The game was part of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams.

## Teams

[edit]

The two schools were meeting for the second time. Coming into the game, Clemson had a 1–0 record over WVU, with a 27–7 victory in the 1989 Gator Bowl.[5] This was Clemson's fourth appearance in the Orange Bowl, while it marked the first time WVU had been invited. Both teams averaged at least 33 points and over 440 yards per game.

### West Virginia

[edit]

See also: 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

West Virginia finished the season in a three-way tie for the Big East Conference title, but earned the conference's BCS bid since it was the highest-ranked team in the final BCS rankings. The team scored 419 points (34.9 per game) this season, fourth highest average in school history. The Mountaineers scored 30 or more points in eight games, 40 or more points in four games and 50 or more points in two games during 2011. This year's team set a new school mark in the passing game (4,102 yards) with receiver Stedman Bailey accounting for 1,197 yards (a school record) and scoring 11 touchdowns.

### Clemson

[edit]

See also: 2011 Clemson Tigers football team

Clemson won its first ACC championship in twenty years and appeared in its first major bowl since the 1982 Orange Bowl, when they won the national championship. The Tigers were 21st in the nation in passing with 285 yards per game. The team was led by quarterback Tajh Boyd, who was 18th in total offense, and by wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who was fourth in the nation with 173 yards per game. Watkins was also rated top-25 in receptions per game and kickoff returns.

## Records

[edit]

West Virginia and Clemson together set or tied nine separate bowl records at the Orange Bowl:[4]

1. Team touchdowns: West Virginia's ten touchdowns tied the record.
2. Combined points in a half: The 69 points between West Virginia and Clemson at halftime set a new record.
3. Total points: West Virginia's 70 points broke the record set one week earlier by Baylor in the 2011 Alamo Bowl. This particular record would be tied by Army in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl.[6]
4. Points in a quarter: West Virginia's 35 points in the second quarter set a new record.
5. Points in a half: West Virginia's 49 points in the first half set a new record. The previous record was 45, held by Colorado at the 1999 Insight.com Bowl and Oklahoma State at the 1988 Holiday Bowl. This record stood until the 2018 Music City Bowl, when Auburn led Purdue 56–7 at halftime, going on to win 63–14.[7]
6. Individual passing touchdowns: Geno Smith's six touchdowns tied Chuck Long's record in the 1984 Freedom Bowl.
7. Individual total touchdowns: Smith also rushed for a touchdown, giving him seven overall which tied another record.
8. Individual total points: Smith's seven touchdowns scored 42 points, also tying a record.
9. Individual receiving touchdowns: Tavon Austin's four touchdown receptions, becoming the fourth player to do so in a bowl game.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense lined up against Clemson's defense.

* West Virginia lined up to kick off to Clemson.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Orange Bowl Odds: College football". Vegasinsider. January 1, 2003. p. C10. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
2. ^ Staff Report (September 16, 2011). "Metuchen H.S. band to play at Orange Bowl". MyCentralJersey.com. p. 2. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
3. ^ "College Football Poll.com". www.collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
4. ^ a b "West Virginia routs Clemson in record-setting Orange Bowl". ESPN.com. January 4, 2012. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
5. ^ "WVU Series Record vs. Clemson". Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
6. ^ "Army caps 11-win season with record-tying blowout vs. Houston". ESPN.com. December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
7. ^ "Jarrett Stidham, Auburn throttle Purdue 63-14 at Music City Bowl". ESPN.com. December 27, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.

* v
* t
* e

2011–12 NCAA football bowl game season

* New Mexico (Dec. 17)
* Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 17)
* New Orleans (Dec. 17)
* Beef 'O' Brady's (Dec. 20)
* Poinsettia (Dec. 21)
* Maaco Las Vegas (Dec. 22)
* Hawaii (Dec. 24)
* Independence (Dec. 26)
* Little Caesars Pizza (Dec. 27)
* Belk (Dec. 27)
* Military (Dec. 28)
* Holiday (Dec. 28)
* Champs Sports (Dec. 29)
* Alamo (Dec. 29)
* Armed Forces (Dec. 30)
* Pinstripe (Dec. 30)
* Music City (Dec. 30)
* Insight (Dec. 30)
* Meineke Car Care of Texas (Dec. 31)
* Sun (Dec. 31)
* Liberty (Dec. 31)
* Kraft Fight Hunger (Dec. 31)
* Chick-fil-A (Dec. 31)
* TicketCity (Jan. 2)
* Outback (Jan. 2)
* Capital One (Jan. 2)
* Gator (Jan. 2)
* Cotton (Jan. 6)
* BBVA Compass (Jan. 7)
* GoDaddy.com (Jan. 8)

* Bowl Championship Series games: Rose (Jan. 2)
* Fiesta (Jan. 2)
* Sugar (Jan. 3)
* Orange (Jan. 4)
* BCS National Championship (Jan. 9)

* All-Star Games: Casino del Sol College All-Star Game (Jan. 16)
* East–West Shrine Game (Jan. 21)
* NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 21)
* Senior Bowl (Jan. 28)

* v
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Orange Bowl

History & conference tie-ins|

* History
* Miami Orange Bowl
* Hard Rock Stadium
* College Football Playoff
* Broadcasters
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Notes|

* The game was also the national title game (Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, or Bowl Championship Series) in 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2005.
* There was an Orange Bowl in January and December in 1996, 2014, and 2021.
* The 2015, 2018, and 2021 (December) editions were College Football Playoff semifinals.

* v
* t
* e

Clemson Tigers bowl games

* 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic
* 1949 Gator Bowl
* 1951 Orange Bowl
* 1952 Gator Bowl
* 1957 Orange Bowl
* 1959 Sugar Bowl
* 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl
* 1977 Gator Bowl
* 1978 Gator Bowl
* 1979 Peach Bowl
* 1982 Orange Bowl
* 1985 Independence Bowl
* 1986 Gator Bowl
* 1988 Florida Citrus Bowl
* 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl
* 1989 Gator Bowl
* 1991 Hall of Fame Bowl
* 1992 Florida Citrus Bowl
* 1993 Peach Bowl
* 1996 Gator Bowl
* 1996 Peach Bowl
* 1998 Peach Bowl
* 1999 Peach Bowl
* 2001 Gator Bowl
* 2001 Humanitarian Bowl
* 2002 Tangerine Bowl
* 2004 Peach Bowl
* 2005 Champs Sports Bowl
* 2006 Music City Bowl
* 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
* 2009 Gator Bowl
* 2009 Music City Bowl
* 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl
* 2012 Orange Bowl
* 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl
* 2014 Orange Bowl
* 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl
* 2015 Orange Bowl †
* 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship #
* 2016 Fiesta Bowl †
* 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship #
* 2018 Sugar Bowl †
* 2018 Cotton Bowl Classic †
* 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship #
* 2019 Fiesta Bowl †
* 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship #
* 2021 Sugar Bowl †
* 2021 Cheez-It Bowl
* 2022 Orange Bowl
* 2023 Gator Bowl

# denotes national championship game; † denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game

* v
* t
* e

West Virginia Mountaineers bowl games

* 1922 San Diego East-West Christmas Classic
* 1938 Sun Bowl
* 1949 Sun Bowl
* 1954 Sugar Bowl
* 1964 Liberty Bowl
* 1969 Peach Bowl
* 1972 Peach Bowl
* 1975 Peach Bowl
* 1981 Peach Bowl (December)
* 1982 Gator Bowl
* 1983 Hall of Fame Classic
* 1984 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
* 1987 Sun Bowl
* 1989 Fiesta Bowl #
* 1989 Gator Bowl (December)
* 1994 Sugar Bowl
* 1995 Carquest Bowl (January)
* 1997 Gator Bowl
* 1997 Carquest Bowl
* 1998 Insight.com Bowl
* 2000 Music City Bowl
* 2002 Continental Tire Bowl
* 2004 Gator Bowl
* 2005 Gator Bowl
* 2006 Sugar Bowl
* 2007 Gator Bowl
* 2008 Fiesta Bowl
* 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl
* 2010 Gator Bowl
* 2010 Champs Sports Bowl
* 2012 Orange Bowl
* 2012 Pinstripe Bowl
* 2014 Liberty Bowl
* 2016 Cactus Bowl (January)
* 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl
* 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl
* 2018 Camping World Bowl
* 2020 Liberty Bowl
* 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl
* 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl

# - denotes National Championship Game.
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