It is the second installment of rivalry week in the Southeastern Conference.
Today we are taking a look at the Palmetto State Showdown as South Carolina travels to Clemson for a road game in a hostile environment to face a pretty good Atlantic Coast Conference team.
The teams have met every year since 1909, making the Carolina-Clemson series the second-longest running consecutively played rivalry in college football at 104 straight meetings, behind only Minnesota vs.Wisconsin (106). This is the seventh time in the last eight years with at least one of the teams ranked among the nation’s top 25. This is the second-straight year that both teams enter the game ranked and just the fifth time overall.
The series has been marked by unusual events as well as strong play on the field. In 1946, a counterfeit ticket scam led to a near riot by scammed ticket buyers. In 1961, members of the South Carolina Sigma Nu fraternity dressed like Clemson players sprinted onto the field and proceeded to “warm up” for the game causing the Clemson band to strike up the Tigers’ fight song.
On November 19, 1977, Clemson wide receiver Jerry Butler made a diving, backwards, 20-yard touchdown reception on a pass from QB Steve Fuller with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Clemson a 31-27 victory in Columbia. It is known as “The Catch” and it’s one of the most memorable plays in the rivalry.
With both teams entering the 1994 game at 5-5 and trying to become bowl-eligible, Carolina led 14-7 at the half in Clemson. South Carolina’s Brandon Bennett received the kick to start the third quarter, took a few steps, then turned and threw a backward pass to the other side of the field which was caught by defensive back Reggie Richardson, who returned the ball 85 yards to the Tigers’ 6-yard line. Bennett scored on the next play to give Carolina a 21-7 lead, and the Gamecocks won 33-7 to clinch a bid to the Carquest Bowl.
South Carolina will put its 9-2 record on the line against the Clemson Tigers and their 10-1 record. Both teams are in line for good bowl games and a possible BCS bowl bid, but a loss would probably end that dream for either team.
The rivalry has been one-sided recently with South Carolina winning the last three games. The Gamecocks are hoping to make it four in row for the first time since 1951-1954. With a win Saturday, it would give South Carolinaback-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time in its history. A win would also make Steve Spurrier the winningest coach in South Carolina history. It would be his 65th win at the school.
“I haven’t thought much about that really,” Spurrier said. “Us against them is big enough to talk about. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. The big deal of this game is who wins between us and them.”
Spurrier was asked how the rivalry with Clemson has changed since becoming the Gamecocks coach eight years ago.
“I don’t have the exact answer. We lost some close ones early. We won one close one there early. Obviously, better players help and maybe better coaches, all that kind of stuff,” he said. “Every year you try your best to beat everybody you play. It’s worked out that we’ve played well the last three years. If you ask those guys, I’m sure they’d say we didn’t play our best game. We’ve played pretty good games.
“I think [the rivalry] is one of the best. We’re in different conferences, so that makes it a little different. But Georgia-Georgia Tech,Florida-FloridaStateare very similar. It’s bragging rights for the year. We’ve been pretty fortunate lately. Our guys haven’t lost to them, our seniors. I think Akeem Auguste lost four years ago and he got redshirted in between. We’ve had some good fortune. Hopefully it will keep up, we’ve got to wait and see,” he said.
Spurrier knows the Gamecocks’ defense, led by Jadeveon Clowney, Devin Taylor, D.J. Swearinger and Shaq Wilson, will have its hands full with the Tigers’ offense, and in particular quarterback Tajh Boyd.
“He’s a candidate [for the Heisman Trophy], he should be. I don’t know why they aren’t talking about him,” Spurrier said of Boyd.
“Clemson is close to being in the national championship hunt. If they could have held on at Florida State, we’d be talking about these guys playing for the national championship if they won their conference championship and then beat us.”
South Carolina counters with a standout of its own at quarterback in Connor Shaw, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound junior from Flowery Branch, Ga.
Shaw, who is 16-3 as a starting quarterback, has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,732 yards and 15 touchdowns with just seven interceptions this season. He is third in the SEC and 16th in the country in pass efficiency rating (156.9) and is just the second player (Jeff Grantz) in South Carolina history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a career and rush for over 1,000 yards. He went over both plateaus against Tennessee and now has 3,403 yards passing and 1,029 yards rushing.
Shaw’s backup is redshirt sophomore Dylan Thompson, who has stepped in for Shaw when the starting quarterback has been fighting injuries. He made his first start against East Carolina and was 21 of 37 passing for 330 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He came off the bench against UAB after Shaw was re-injured and produced again, hitting 5 of 10 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Thompson is 36 of 76 for 600 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.
Spurrier has a 4-3 record against Clemson but the Tigers lead the overall series 65-40-4.
This season Clemson brings a seven-game winning streak into the game while South Carolina brings in a three-game winning streak.