The South Carolina football team (4-7) looks to end their 2025 season on a high note in the 122th match up between the Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers (6-5) on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers lead the series 73-44-4 dating back to 1896.
Both teams have fallen far short of preseason expectations, as last season's game was the first since 2013 in which both teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 entering the game. Clemson senior quarterback Cade Klubnik and Gamecock redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers both returned to their programs entering the season as Heisman hopefuls.
The Tigers have won their last three games, a stretch that includes taking down No. 20 Louisville on the road. They've climbed to a winning record for the first time this season following their most recent victory over Furman on Saturday. Saturday's Palmetto Bowl will be the first time since 2010 that Clemson was not ranked heading into the match up.
"It doesn't matter if you're in the playoff, in the ACC Championship game, whatever, it's all about this game," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "It doesn't change anything for me for the importance of this game."
Similarly, South Carolina's four wins this season would be the second-fewest by the program in ten seasons. In their 51-7 trouncing of Coastal Carolina this past Saturday, the team ended a five-game losing streak.
"Neither team is where they want to be right now," South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said. "This rivalry is going to be back here pretty quickly to being played Thanksgiving weekend with national implications like it was last year."
Beamer is 2-2 in his four games as a head coach against Swinney and the Tigers. He has yet to lead the Gamecocks to victory in Williams-Brice Stadium, but has an undefeated record in Memorial Stadium.
Both the Tigers' and Gamecocks' offenses have shown struggle in the 2025 season. Clemson's 28.7 offensive points per game comes in as the 59th most in the country, still a vast improvement over South Carolina's 98th ranked offense, averaging 23.5 points per game. Entering the season as potential NFL first-round draft choices, Klubnik sits at 59th while Sellers comes in at 54th in ESPN's QBR metric.
South Carolina's defense, however, has stood tall against tough competition, allowing the Gamecocks to stay competitive against some of the nation's best teams. While No. 3 Texas A&M had their way with the Gamecocks in the second half on Nov. 15, the unit held the Aggies to just 3 points in the first two quarters. No. 10 Alabama scored just 7 points on offense in the first half on Oct. 25 before a late offensive collapse cost the team the game.
A key contributor to the Gamecocks' demise this season has been the disparity in time of possession between them and their opponents. The offense is possessing the ball for 28:56 a game, a mark that sits as the 96th lowest in the nation. Quick three-and-outs, frequently ending with incomplete passes, have made for a near impossible job for South Carolina's defense to stop its opponents every drive. For comparison, Clemson averages a time of possession of 30:46 per game, sitting at the 42nd highest in the country.
Both teams are giving up 347 yards per game defensively, with Clemson having the edge at 347.1 to South Carolina's 347.4.
The Gamecocks' special teams and defense have stepped up this season in place of their lackluster offense. Their three-punt return touchdowns and four defensive touchdowns are tied for the most combined non-offensive touchdowns in all of college football.
The Tigers pass attack has succeeded despite inconsistent output as a unit. Their 274.5 pass yards per game sit as the 24th most in the country. Klubnik has thrown three touchdowns across the team's past three wins.
He is 1-1 as a starter against the Gamecocks in two years as the Tigers starter, having thrown an interception in both games, including one that sealed the win for the Gamecocks in 2024.
"It's definitely been something I have thought about everyday since," Klubnik said. "It was a really painful day."
Gamecock junior defensive back Jalon Kilgore leads the Gamecocks in pass deflections with eight. He will play in his third Palmetto Bowl this Sunday, all having come opposite of Klubnik.
"Just try to keep him in the pocket, don't let his confidence get too high," Kilgore said. "Just making sure we are locking down his receivers."
The Gamecocks' secondary had little trouble shutting down the pass game in their most recent win over the Chanticleers, with the team's leading receiver totaling just 33 receiving yards.
"What we need to focus on Saturday is not home, away, what color uniform we're wearing," Beamer said. "Just preparing to go play well and play clean, winning football."
What's next?
The Palmetto Bowl kicks off at noon on Saturday, Nov. 29, when the Gamecocks look to close out the season with a victory over the Tigers. Clemson has won five straight games at Williams-Brice Stadium dating back to 2013, a streak South Carolina hopes to put to rest in their final outing of the season. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.