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GAME NOTES: The 15th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs and Clemson Tigers meet for the first time in 44 years, as they clash in Death Valley this weekend.

These two teams have met three times previously on the gridiron, with Clemson winning two of those encounters. The clubs however, are clashing for the first time since the Tigers captured a 3-0 victory back in 1965 at Clemson.

The Tigers are hoping for a similar result this weekend, as they face their second Top 25 team of the season. Clemson dropped a heart-breaker to then nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (30-27) a few weeks, but that loss was sandwiched between a pair of wins. Most recently, the team continued its ACC slate and grinded out a 25-7 victory over Boston College in tough conditions this past weekend.

"It was a sloppy day, combined with sloppy weather, but we came out and showed resilience to get this win," said head coach Dabo Swinney.

Clemson is now 2-0 at home, where it has gone 7-11-1 all-time against non- conference Top 25 opponents. The last time the Tigers hosted a non-league ranked foe was in 2005, a 25-24 triumph of 17th-ranked Texas A&M.

As for TCU, it had a bye during the first week, so the team has only played two games thus far. Both games resulted in victory, including a 30-14 win over another ACC opponent in Virginia to kick off the season. Last weekend, the Frogs faced a much lesser opponent and handled Texas State, 56-21, in their home opener.

"As it is in college football, we are glad to get a win this week," said head coach Gary Patterson. "We have some growing pains, but honestly, I'm happy we won."

TCU is now 2-0 for the fifth time in the last seven years and the program is in search of its fourth 3-0 start during that stretch.

The Frogs were expected to dominate Texas State and they did so by racking up 508 yards of total offense, one week after posting 380 in a season opening win at Virginia. TCU went over 200 yards rushing for the second straight game, finishing with 286 yards and seven touchdowns last weekend. Joseph Turner led the charge with 129 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. It was a terrific performance by Turner and his first 100-yard effort since the end of the 2007 regular-season.

"Texas State is a good team, and I guess we thought we could come out calm and slow, but they came out and gave us a good game," said Turner, who also had 66 yards and a score in the opener. "We came out flat, but Coach Patterson did a great job in the second half of getting us going and thats when we really started playing well."

TCU has plenty of options to run the ball and quarterback Andy Dalton is one of them. Last weekend, Dalton toted eight times for 35 yards, while hitting on 18-of-24 pass attempts for 222 yards and a score. An established player, Dalton was also effective against Virginia, completing 15-of-21 pass attempts for 177 yards and a score.

Bart Johnson has been his top option with 10 catches through the first two games, while Jimmy Young has provided a deep threat with 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four receptions.

TCU has a defense that can match its offense and the unit did another terrific job this past weekend. The Frogs held Texas State to just 249 total yards, including only 30 rushing, while recording a pair of takeaways and three sacks. Getting to the quarterback wasn't a problem in the opener either, as TCU racked up eight sacks against Virginia.

"TCU has a proud tradition on defense to holding opponents to a certain amount of points," said star end Jerry Hughes. "Every week, we game plan and prepare to shut out opponents."

Hughes has only added to TCU's tradition on defense and he has 4.5 sacks, including three last weekend, on the season. Hughes is no stranger to bringing down quarterbacks, as he led the nation with 15 sacks in 2008.

It wasn't pretty, but Clemson got the job done courtesy of special teams and defense last weekend. The Tigers managed just 253 yards of total offense in messy conditions and used six field goals by Richard Jackson to defeat Boston College, 25-7.

"Great play by the defense and special teams," said coach Swinney. "The offense had its ups and downs, but they got the job done when they needed to."

C.J. Spiller continued to show he is one of the most dangerous players around, as he returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown early in the game. The speedy tailback, who had 77 rushing yards on 17 carries, returned a kickoff for a touchdown early this season and he is a big reason why Clemson's special teams have excelled. Spiller though, is nursing a foot injury and is listed as questionable for this weekend.

Due to the tough playing conditions, it was no big surprise to see quarterback Kyle Parker struggle in last weekend's game that was delayed twice because of rain. Parker threw for just 103 yards and two picks, but he is more capable than those numbers would indicate. On the season, Parker has thrown for 523 yards and five touchdowns and he should only continue to get better with more action.

Jacoby Ford is clearly his go-to-guy and he tops the roster with 14 catches for 215 yards and two scores. Ford, who also scored on a punt return this season, had six receptions for 36 yards last weekend.

The Tigers turned in a noteworthy performance on defense last weekend, as they held Boston College to a mere 54 yards on 49 plays.

"Hats off to the defense," said Swinney. "They gave up a total of 55 yards, which is the fewest ever to an ACC team. We've played three different styles of defense this season, and it has proven to be a great combination. Again, the defense played excellent the entire game."

The defense gave up just four first downs in the contest, while recording four takeaways and the same amount of sacks. The unit spent less than 23 minutes on the field, holding Boston College to only a 1-of-12 effort on third downs.

DeAndre McDaniel put forth a complete effort in the win, as he posted seven stops, an INT and a sack. He now has half of the club's eight interceptions on the season, to go with a team-high 29 stops.

Clemson has a big advantage hosting this game and its defense and special teams should once again play a hand in it pulling off the upset this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Clemson 27, TCU 24