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Clemson Football

It Just Means More: Clemson Dominating Palmetto State Rivalry (And Thriving Because Of It)

December 21, 2017
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Lost in the hubbub of the new early signing period was Clemson's win on the hardwood over South Carolina 64-48, the Tigers' second consecutive win in the series.

If you've watched an SEC game of any kind this year, there's no doubt you've seen the commercial. The one that starts with the with the Carolina student, sporting a Carolina shirt, and smiling wide. It goes on to feature the Gamecocks a few more times, including once during their women's basketball national championship parade. It finally comes to an end with that phrase; it just means more.

If the Gamecocks had any idea of what Clemson was going to do to this rivalry -not just in football, mind you- I have a feeling they would have asked to not be featured. 

After the Tigers dominated the Gamecocks Tuesday night, I became curious.

With Clemson football recently winning for a fourth straight year, and men's basketball winning two in a row, I wanted to see how the other major men's sports were faring against the Gamecocks.

I remembered that baseball has taken the past three series against South Carolina. Men's soccer was the only one I was unsure of, but it turns out they're doing pretty well too.

Looking back during the Gamecocks' run of five straight wins in football, South Carolina was also simultaneously having success in other sports.

They went 3-2 against the Tigers in basketball during those years and were having fantastic success in baseball winning two national titles. It almost felt like the success in other sports seemed to feed off of the success of the football team, especially when playing against the Tigers.

The more the Gamecocks won on the gridiron, the more confident they were that they could win in other sports areas. Essentially, beating Clemson in football led to success elsewhere. 

Fast forward to the 2014 football season. 

Before that year began, Clemson set up countdown clocks in the individual position meeting rooms. The Tigers were tired of losing to the Gamecocks and wanted to put some emphasis on breaking the streak. 

Clemson, led by a young quarterback named Deshaun Watson, on an injured knee, dismantled a South Carolina team looking for their sixth straight victory in the rivalry. 

Watson promised after that game, "As long as I'm the starting quarterback here, I’m not going to lose to South Carolina." Watson kept his promise leading Clemson to two more wins in the Palmetto Bowl including a 56-7 beatdown in 2016.

During Clemson's run of success, the Tigers have made three straight appearances in the College Football Playoff. They've played for the national title twice, winning it during the 2016 season.

This past season Kelly Bryant led Clemson to their fourth consecutive win, 34-10 in Columbia.

During Clemson's run of success, the Tigers have made three straight appearances in the College Football Playoff. They've played for the national title twice, winning it during the 2016 season.

Dabo Swinney's team heads into the playoff this year seeking back-to-back titles in the most difficult time to win a title given the format.

The soccer team, meanwhile, has had a good run of their own.

In 2014, the soccer team lost to the Gamecocks. In 2015, they knocked off South Carolina and made a run to the national title match. The following year, they beat South Carolina once in the regular season, and then another time in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers fell in the elite eight, but there's no doubting it was a great year. They beat the Gamecocks for a fourth straight time this season.

In baseball, Clemson stole a Ray Tanner protege in Monte Lee from the College of Charleston. Lee has beaten his old team in back-to-back seasons and has won at least 40 games each year, earning home regionals in the process. While the Tigers have yet to advance in the tournament, many feel it's just a matter of time. 

That brings us to hoops, where Clemson won its second straight over South Carolina and now sits at 10-1 on the season. The Tigers are red hot, and something just seems different about this group of players. 

Correlation does not equal causation, obviously. But when South Carolina had a great run of success in football, they were beating the Tigers fairly regularly in all sports.

Now that the Tigers have flipped the script, it seems as though all of Clemson's sports are improving. It all seemed to start with snapping that losing streak in football back in 2014.

Focusing on the Gamecocks, and making victories against them a priority, has seemed to spark other areas of athletics. 

Dabo Swinney has five goals he wants to see his teams check off throughout the season:

  • Win the Opener
  • Win the Division
  • Win the State
  • Win the ACC
  • Win the Closer

That goal in the middle is important. You could argue Clemson's success against South Carolina became something Tiger fans took for granted. Seeing the impact of winning in football, and the carryover it has to other sports, that middle goal is a big deal. 

After all, it just means more. And the Tigers are treating it that way. 

 
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