Keys to Victory: No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 15 South Carolina

Each week, we review the game’s history, three keys to success, and Swanny’s prediction.

The Match-Up:

No. 12 Clemson (9-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. No. 15 South Carolina (8-3, 5-3 SEC)

The No. 12/12 Clemson Tigers and the No. 16/14 South Carolina Gamecocks will renew their annual instate rivalry on Saturday, Nov. 30. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson is scheduled for noon ET.

Saturday's contest will mark the 121st meeting of the Palmetto State rivals, but with both teams harboring at-large hopes for the expanded College Football Playoff, the game will arguably be one of the series' largest.

With Clemson at 9-2 and South Carolina at 8-3, the teams' 17 combined wins are tied for the fifth-most entering the rivalry game in series history. It will mark only the fourth time the teams will meet with both squads ranked among the top 16 of the AP Poll (1987, 2012, and 2013)

Series History:

• OVERALL: Clemson leads series, 73-43-4
• HOME: Clemson leads series, 19-11-1
• ROAD: Clemson leads series, 54-32-3
• NEUTRAL: N/A
• LAST MEETING: Nov. 25, 2023 (16-7, W)
• STREAK: Clemson, Won 1

Roster:

Rosters will be released by Clemson two hours before kickoff.

Stat of the Week:

By kickoff time against South Carolina, Clemson will enter the game, having led the all-time series with the Gamecocks for 46,034 consecutive days (126 years, 13 days). South Carolina won the series opener in 1896 before Clemson evened the series in 1897. Clemson won the third game in the series on Nov. 17, 1898 to take a 2-1 series lead, a lead Clemson hasn’t relinquished.

Clemson also enters the game having won eight of the last nine games in the series. Clemson has outscored South Carolina by an average of 21.1 points per game in that span.

Chasing History:

Clemson cemented itself as one of the College Football Playoff's powerhouses of the tournament's inaugural decade. In the 10-year history of the four-team format, only 15 programs earned at least one College Football Playoff berth, and Clemson ranked second in CFP berths, CFP title game appearances, total CFP wins and CFP titles.

CFB Playoff Berths

1. Alabama 8
2. Clemson 6
3. Ohio State 5
4. Oklahoma 4
5. Georgia 3, Michigan 3
6. 7. Notre Dame
7. 2 Washington 2
8. 9. Seven teams tied 1

Memorable Moments: 

1948: Phil Prince blocked a punt and Oscar Thompson returned the ball for a touchdown with 4:15 remaining to give Clemson a 13-7 win in Columbia to help preserve an undefeated season.

1959: Harvey White connected with future Super Bowl champion Bill Mathis for a 26-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put Clemson up 19-0 in the final Big Thursday game in Columbia. White completed 9-of-10 passes on the day and led the Tigers to the 27-0 victory.

1962: Don Chuy and Billy Weaver combined to sack Dan Reeves for a 13-yard loss on fourth down with just 33 seconds left, preserving Clemson’s 20-17 victory. South Carolina had driven to the Clemson 25 for that last play.

1966: Harry Olszewski, an All-America offensive guard, picked off a fumbled snap in mid-air and ran 12 yards for a touchdown. The 35-10 victory allowed Clemson to win the ACC title.

1967: Buddy Gore’s 43-yard run in the third period led to a Tiger touchdown and was a momentum-swaying play in Clemson’s victory over the Gamecocks, a win that allowed Clemson to clinch a share of the ACC title. That was the key run on this day that saw Gore become the first Clemson back in history to go over 1,000 yards in a season and break Brian Piccolo’s ACC single-season rushing record.

1971: Eddie Seigler kicked a 52-yard field goal to lead Clemson to a 17-7 win over the Gamecocks. It was the first field goal of at least 50 yards in Clemson history.

1972: With Clemson leading 7-6 in the fourth period, Jimmy Williamson batted down a Dobby Grossman two-point conversion pass to preserve the victory for the Tigers.

1977: Jerry Butler caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Steve Fuller with 49 seconds left to give Clemson a 31-27 win in Columbia. “The Catch” clinched a Gator Bowl bid for the Tigers, Clemson’s first bowl bid in 18 years.

1980: Willie Underwood recorded a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown that clinched Clemson’s upset of South Carolina and Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers in 1980. Underwood was named Sports Illustrated Player of the Week for his performance in that game.

1981: Just as it had happened 33 years earlier, a blocked punt played a major role in a Clemson victory over South Carolina in an undefeated season. Rod McSwain blocked a South Carolina punt and Johnny Rembert recovered in the end zone for the touchdown. Just as it had been 33 years prior, the line of scrimmage was the South Carolina 28.

1988: Rodney Williams, a native of Columbia, led Clemson to a 29-10 victory in his final game at Death Valley. Setting the record as Clemson’s all-time winningest starting quarterback at the time with 32 wins, he threw for 192 yards, rushed for 38 more and scored a touchdown.

1990: Chris Gardocki made his final punt in Death Valley memorable when he had a 78-yard boot in the fourth quarter to give South Carolina bad field position and clinch Clemson’s 24-15 victory over the Gamecocks. It remains the third-longest punt in Clemson history.

1995: Emory Smith carried South Carolina tacklers 20 yards on the way to a 54-yard run that led to the game-clinching touchdown in Columbia. Smith ended the game with 101 rushing yards.

2000: Rod Gardner’s 50-yard reception — “The Catch II” — from Woody Dantzler with 10 seconds left led to Aaron Hunt’s game-winning 25-yard field goal with three seconds left. Former Clemson Co-Offensive Coordinator Jeff Scott served as the holder on the game-winning field goal.

2007: Mark Buchholz kicked a 35-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give Clemson a 23-21 victory in Columbia.

2016: Mike Williams caught three touchdown passes in the first half, including one in which he carried a South Carolina defensive back the final nine yards into the end zone. It led to a 56-7 Clemson victory, the Tigers’ largest victory margin over the Gamecocks since 1900 (51-0). Deshaun Watson finished his three-game Palmetto Bowl career with a three-game total of 61-of-79 passing (77.2 percent) for 895 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception, while also rushing 31 times for 146 yards and five scores in those three contests. Watson accounted for 110 plays of total offense for 941 yards and 14 touchdowns in the three games, helping the team average of 43 points per game.

2023: On the game’s second play from scrimmage, freshman safety Khalil Barnes scooped up a dropped lateral and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. On the next play from scrimmage, Barnes picked off quarterback Spencer Rattler, becoming the first Clemson player to record a takeaway on consecutive plays from scrimmage by an opponent since Brian Dawkins against Duke in 1995. Clemson would go on to win the game 16-7 on the strength of the Barnes scoop-and-score and three Jonathan Weitz field goals

Key 1: Stay Healthy

Get healthy would be the operative word if the Tigers still had a week before their matchup with South Carolina, but they don’t, and as we saw when Elyjah Thurmon went down on the first play of the Pitt game, whatever roster arrives isn’t even guaranteed past the first snap.

The Tigers need Tristan Leigh and Marcus Tate, assuming they can play, to be out there for the long-haul. There just isn’t enough depth, especially after losing Trent Howard to a knee injury earlier this week. 

If the Clemson offensive line can stay healthy and hold up against the talented South Carolina defensive line, I like the Tigers’ odds at home.

Key 2: Deep Assault

Clemson’s Antonio Williams has proven to be a real asset in the passing game after being injured most of the 2023 season. Back in the saddle, Williams has a chance to atone for a freshman mistake he made, fumbling a punt return late in the Tigers’ loss to South Carolina in 2022.

Williams has 58 receptions for 689 yards and ten touchdowns this season. Mix in the emerging true freshman of Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore, and the Tigers have quite the talent base at wideout. If I’m Garrett Riley, I press the ball early and often, attempting to take the wind out of South Carolina’s sails.

If you let the Gamecocks hang around, their confidence will grow—but punch them in the mouth a few times, and perhaps a staggered defense will lose its footing on the road. 

Key 3: No Sellers Market

Watching South Carolina in their opener, many people, including myself, couldn’t help but chuckle at the Gamecocks characterizing freshman LaNorris Sellers as a Deshaun Watson-type player. The Sumter native struggled, and if it weren’t for two fumbles inside the 10-yard line by Old Dominion, the Gamecocks’ season would have a totally different feel right now. 

Credit Sellers and the coaching staff for getting the most out of a young player—and a young man who appears to be a rising star.

If you ask me what I’d do, I’m playing a lot of zone in this game, attempting to keep an eye on Sellers. I think forcing him to beat you with is arm is still the way to go, but there is no doubt that he’s improved as a passer. 

Sellers has taken 28 sacks this year, so he is susceptible to those mistakes, and the Tigers need to take advantage of them if possible. To me, the winning formula defensively is to play zone coverage, contain Sellers, and pressure him into making mistakes.

Prediction:

These are trying times for some Clemson faithful as a decade of dominance feels like it is teetering on the brink. South Carolina is clearly a program on the rise, and Shane Beamer presents a familiar vibe for Tiger fans as his passion resembles that of Dabo Swinney during the Tigers’ rise to the top of college football.

To me, however, the Gamecocks have spent too much time defending their team by pointing to the success and difficulty of their league. That’s not what makes this team good. The bunch from Columbia stands on their own merit, and that’s worth worrying about. But in the end, I think Clemson’s environment and fans will have an impact—and it will be enough to help the Tigers to a narrow win. 

Clemson 27, South Carolina 24

Swanny’s Record: 10-1

Swanny’s Predictions: 

✅ = Correct Prediction

Shop at Alumni Hall: Clemson Champion Alumni Tee