DALLAS (FWAA) Beating a ranked opponent for a second consecutive week and gaining a key win over a conference rival enabled the Clemson Tigers (4-0) to earn the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 24. Clemson beat Florida State, 35-30, on Saturday to notch its fifth consecutive win over the Seminoles at home. The Tigers defeated Auburn on Sept. 17.
The Clemson defense held Florida State to 29 rushing yards, helping the Tigers open the season at 4-0 for the first time since 2007. Quarterback Tajh Boyd threw for three touchdowns, ran for another and topped the 300-yard passing mark for a second straight week. Clemson has gained at least 455 yards in all four games.
"I'm super excited about how our players keep growing this offense and executing. And were only four games into this offense," Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. "It·s crazy."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 24 included:
LSU (4-0): The Tigers beat a third ranked opponent on the road, getting an early lead and holding on for a 47-21 win at West Virginia. LSU rolled up 533 total yards as Jarrett Lee threw three touchdown passes and Michael Ford ran for two more scores. The big win propelled LSU to the top spot in the Associated Press poll.
Temple (3-1): Bernard Pierce set a school record with five rushing touchdowns and Temple rolled up a 31-0 halftime lead at Maryland before earning its first win in the series, 38-7. Pierce finished with 149 rushing yards and had scoring runs of 1, 9, 4, 44 and 13 yards.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2011 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2012, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 30, 2011, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.