South Carolina looks to defeat Clemson, their in-state rival, at home after losing 16-7 last time the teams played at Williams-Brice Stadium. Although the Gamecocks lost their last home matchup, South Carolina has won two of the last three matchups against its rival.
The Daily Gamecock spoke to The Tiger Sports Editor Griffin Barfield about the upcoming matchup. The game will kick off at noon and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
The Daily Gamecock: Clemson started off as #4 in the AP preseason poll and even though they haven’t quite lived up to those expectations, how are you feeling about the team following the win against Louisville?
Barfield: “I feel pretty good. The team has been playing a lot of, they're playing better complementary football, I would say, and that was kind of one of the bigger issues that they had at the beginning of the season, but I think that Cade (Klubnik) has really settled in pretty well and the defense is getting stops when they need, so I'm feeling a little bit better, especially after a big win, because we've struggled to get those, especially in ACC play, but I'm feeling a lot better than I did before the game, if that makes sense."
Sophomore quarterback Ricardo Jones is tied for ninth in the nation with nine interceptions? What are your thoughts on the impact he’s had on the defense this year?
“He's done a really good job of turning the ball over, and that's been a point of emphasis for defensive coordinator Tom Allen. He has an objective of getting three turnovers a game, and although Clemson hasn't got that each game, it's been really important with turning the tides of the games, and that's where Jones has really been a big impact in, so again, I think that if he's able to force a turnover, force a fumble, which I believe that he does have a forced fumble as well, I think that he'd be able to turn the tide of the game, and he has a very exciting future.”
Who are some other players that you think could play an impact in Saturday’s game?
“I think someone that can play a really big impact is (graduate) running back Adam Randall. He was a wide receiver last year, and then he kind of turned to running back, thought that playing with the ball in his hands was his best thing, and he's gotten better with each game, and that comes just with the experience, so I think that he's going to be a really big point of emphasis. I'm looking at (sophomore) linebacker Sammy Brown, numbers-wise, he's just everywhere on the field. He's kind of been the heart of kind of a lot of that linebacker group in the defense as a whole, and I think that he'll be an interesting player to watch for sure.”
“In terms of cornerbacks, I'm looking at (sophomore) Ashton Hampton and (redshirt freshman) Corian Gipson. Um, obviously, with (junior) Avieon Terrell, we know that what he's been able to do, he'll probably be an NFL draft pick in the offseason, but those two cornerbacks are kind of looking for something to prove and are trying to kind of state their voice going into next season as being those starting two guys, so I'd say those four players.”
What does Clemson have to do to win this game?
"I think Clemson, in this game, they're gonna, I think number one, they're gonna have to get to the quarterback. That was their biggest issue last year, and I'm sure every fan knows what happened there. So getting to the quarterback is gonna be number one, making sure that they're able to limit (redshirt sophomore) LaNorris Sellers, but they've kind of struggled with doing that against mobile quarterbacks. (Junior) Kevin Jennings with SMU, (senior) Haynes King at Georgia Tech, (sophomore) Darian Mensah was able to do a lot of damage with his legs as well, so it's just been a matter of getting the quarterback and making sure those plays don't get extended, and I'd say on the offensive side have a balanced attack.”
“Make sure that Cade isn't doing everything. I mean, he can, but adding the run game, Adam Randall and (freshman) Gideon Davidson have been a really good combo as of late, so I'd say getting to the quarterback defensively and then offensively, making sure that you're having that balanced attack so that the South Carolina defense can't read them, just knowing that they're gonna pass every play.”
Is there anything else you’d like to note about the game?
“'I’m excited for it despite how both teams entered the season, but I think it's gonna be a fun one. Obviously, with the Palmetto Bowl, I think that it's one of the more underrated rivalries in college football, and I'm excited to see how it plays out.”
What’s your score prediction for the game?
“I have Clemson winning this game. I believe the score was 23-9 ... very similar game to how it was in Williams-Brice two years ago.”