Chalking Up History

Seventeen. That’s the number of players left on USC’s squad that were members of the Garnet and Black the last time Carolina beat Clemson.

Six. That’s the number of players from that 17 that actually played in that game against Clemson.

Suffice it to say, beating the rival Clemson Tigers is a relatively unknown thing to many of those on South Carolina’s football team. After all, it’s been 1,132 days since the Gamecocks last topped Clemson in November of 2006.

When Carolina looks to the numbers to determine whether they have a chance on Saturday, the results aren’t very promising.

The Tigers hold a 65-37-4 advantage in the series, good for a 61 percent winning percentage. Under Spurrier, the Gamecocks are just 1-3 against their in-state rival, and Clemson has lost just once in Williams-Brice Stadium since 1987.

But none of those records matter now. In a rivalry game, the statistics are thrown out, and all that matters are the sweat and blood that pour from each teams’ respective players.

“The guys were saying in the locker room that we have to get ready for the second season, which is Clemson,” quarterback Stephen Garcia said. “It’s a season all its own.” 

According to Garcia, the Battle of the Palmetto State is a must-win this year for his Gamecocks, as Carolina has dropped three consecutive contests after a 6-2 start to the season.

“To be 7-5 as opposed to 6-6 will be huge for us,” Garcia said. “It should have been a little bit better record, but it didn’t work out that way. This is a huge game for us. In my opinion and just about everybody else on the team, it’s a must-win for us.”

The team enters Saturday’s contest in a far different position than it did a season ago. While the Gamecocks headed to Death Valley with a better record (7-4), the team seemed to lack the chemistry needed to win a crucial rivalry game, as several players had their eyes on the NFL Draft.

“If there was a problem, there ain’t a problem this year, I can guarantee you that,” senior wide receiver Moe Brown said. “We know we’ve got to beat these guys and it’s just a big game. You can make a very average season a good season by beating them.”

Making an average season a special one with a win is an understatement. The Tigers enter Saturday’s contest with the ACC Atlantic Division crown in hand and head to Tampa, Fla., a week from Saturday to compete for their first ACC Championship since 1991.

“We’ve been stressing it, saying it. Let’s go have fun, take a swing at these guys,” Brown said. “Finish this season the right way.”

The rivalry means something extra to Brown. A native of Anderson, S.C., Brown has deep ties with the Clemson Tigers. Several members of his family root for CU, and Brown was recruited heavily by the school from the upstate.

“We’ve got a few Clemson fans. Both of my uncles actually are Clemson fans. I actually grew up a Clemson fan,” Brown said. “But when it comes to me they’re Carolina fans.”

The same can be said of Associate Head Coach for Defense Ellis Johnson. A Winnsboro, S.C,, native, Johnson has been involved with the rivalry annually since his younger days.

In fact, Johnson served a Clemson’s defensive coordinator in 1995-1996.

“I understand it because I grew up with it,” Johnson said. “Although I wasn’t good enough, I was recruited by both. I followed both. I watched it as a young kid and then a young adult. I was a high school coach in this state. Obviously, I have a different perspective. I have a lot of pride in the football in the state of South Carolina.”

The game means a little something extra to Johnson than it might to other Gamecock coaches, as USC’s defensive coordinator carries a deep passion for the rivalry, now going into its 107th consecutive year.

“It means a lot to me. It’s part of my life,” Johnson said. “So, I have a different feeling about this game. It’s extremely special to me. I’ve been on both sides of it. I know what it means to the people of this state. It’s a unique thing.”

It doesn’t mean a lot to just Brown and Johnson, but to most of the team as a whole.

Freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore spurned the Tigers after he decommitted from CU only to sign with the Gamecocks.

“This is a big game that we’ll be playing in,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “Out of all the games we’ve played in, this is the game I really want to win.”

When the team bursts onto the field to the tune of ‘2001’ for the final time this season, the Gamecocks will carry an extra sense of motivation and urgency with them, as the team seems determined to end their traditional struggles against the Tigers.

“Everybody is going to get ready to play very hard against Clemson,” Garcia said. “It’s going to be the same as any other game, except it’s Clemson. Everyone will be a lot more juiced up, I believe.”

So in the end, it doesn’t matter that Clemson fans have spray-painted orange on the field and on the workout room windows over the last two years.

It doesn’t matter that Clemson has a trophy and enters the game nationally-ranked.
It doesn’t matter that Clemson has owned the series.

All that matters is beating Clemson, and finishing a once-promising season the right way.
“If we’re fortunate to win the last one we’ll have a very good year,” Coach Steve Spurrier said. “If we don’t we’ll have a very average year. Simple as that.”