The 2016 season's largest margin: Clemson 59, South Carolina State 0. A 59-point win — the year's high-water mark.
2016 — The Top-10 Year
Clemson finished 2016 inside the final AP top-10. The top-10 is the tier the program calibrates annual expectation against.
The Shape — week-by-week · cumulative W–L below
Who carried it
- Deshaun WatsonQB4,593 passing yards
- Nick SchuesslerQB334 passing yards
- Wayne GallmanRB1,133 rushing yards
- Tavien FeasterRB221 rushing yards
- C.J. FullerRB211 rushing yards
- Mike WilliamsWR1,361 receiving yards
- Jordan LeggettTE736 receiving yards
- Deon CainWR724 receiving yards
- Ben BoulwareLB116 tackles
- Kendall JosephLB107 tackles
- Van SmithS96 tackles
- Carlos WatkinsDT10.5 sacks
- Dexter LawrenceDT7 sacks
- Clelin FerrellDE6 sacks
Season leaders, 2016.
The season's deepest loss: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 43. A 1-point margin the season is remembered by.
The season's last act: Clemson beat Alabama 35-31 in the postseason.
"All in"
2016 is a middle chapter for Clemson — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.