I Love Football, but I Love Clemson-South Carolina Game More

Here are many reasons why the Clemson-Carolina game is one of the best rivalries in college football

Ken Ruinard / USA Today Sports

I love football.

I mean, I really love it.

And as much as I love football, there is one game I love more than any other, and it is not the Super Bowl.

Nope, my favorite game is the Clemson-South Carolina game. I love everything about it.

I love the history of it. I wish I lived during Big Thursday.

I love the hate between the two fan bases. Yes, hate.

A true Clemson fan and a true South Carolina fan do not like the other’s team. A great Saturday afternoon for a Clemson fan is when the Tigers win, and the Gamecocks lose. A great Saturday for a South Carolina fan is when the Gamecocks win, and the Tigers lose.

I love that the state of South Carolina embraces this game the way it does. When I talk to an outsider and try to explain what makes the Clemson-Carolina rivalry so great, I always say, “It’s because they do not like each other.”

You have to be born in the state of South Carolina to understand what this rivalry means to us South Carolinians.

Saturday’s noon kickoff at Memorial Stadium, will mark the 25th time I have witnessed the Clemson-Carolina game in person. This will the 18th time I have had the pleasure of covering the Palmetto State’s biggest game.

The Clemson-Carolina game has played a big role in my love for football.

The history and traditions surrounding this game is unlike any other, in my opinion. What makes the rivalry great is the fact it had nothing to do with football when it began.

It’s not all about football

The rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina goes way deeper than a game.

The bitterness between the two schools goes back before Clemson even existed.

It all started when Benjamin Tillman, a farmer from Edgefield, S.C., was not pleased with the way the University of South Carolina was handling the agriculture department and demanded the university take agriculture more seriously.

Tillman, who became the Governor of South Carolina in 1890, through the nastiness of politics, eventually got his way. He was aided by Thomas Green Clemson, who willed his Fort Hill estate to the state of South Carolina with the sole purpose of the establishment of a land-grant college called “The Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina.”

When Clemson opened its doors in 1893, it nearly forced South Carolina to close its doors. South Carolina lost its university status and went back to South Carolina College. Tillman threatened to close the school, but he succeeded to only make it a liberal arts college while in office.

Though it had nothing to do with football, Tillman’s feud with the University of South Carolina planted the seed of hatred these two rivals and their fan bases share today.

The disdain between Clemson and South Carolina has lived out on the football field several times during their 118 meetings and even carried into the streets on one occasion.

In 1902, there was a near war between the Clemson cadets and South Carolina students over a picture which showed a Gamecock crowing over a sad Tiger.

The cadets warned the USC students, following the Gamecocks’ 12-6 win, not to bring the picture to the Elks’ parade the following day. The South Carolina students did not listen, so more than 400 Clemson cadets marched on to USC’s campus, with guns keep in mind, demanding the USC hand over the picture.

Eventually, cooler heads prevailed after the police arrived. A joint committee of six students from both sides worked out a peaceful solution. The picture was burned between the two groups, which subsequently began the traditions of the “Gamecock Burial” and “Tiger Burn.”

Due to the seriousness of what happened in 1902, the rivalry was suspended and was not renewed again until 1909.

Big Thursday

The Clemson-Carolina game grew to be an important social and political event in the state. From the first time the two met in 1896 to the 1959 meeting, they played in Columbia during the week of the State Fair. The first 57 meetings were played on the third Thursday of every October.

The game became so big, it was known as “Big Thursday”. It was a holiday in the state, as students from both schools got out of class for what was known as the State Fair Holiday. There was no business by the state government, as all offices were closed.

Clemson would hold its annual Gamecock Burial the Tuesday night before the game, while South Carolina fans hosted their annual Tiger Burn at the steps of the State House.

On game day, men and women dressed in their Sunday’s Best, no matter the temperature. It became an attraction, a party, if you will. Drinking and socializing became the norm on Big Thursday.

However, the novelty of the game started to wear off by the 1950s, and though the people of South Carolina loved Big Thursday, interest for college football was not quite the same after the game was over each year.

The game was also wearing on the Tigers. Clemson head coach Frank Howard and college officials were not having as much fun as South Carolina, though Clemson owned a 33-21-3 advantage in those first 57 meetings.

Clemson wanted the game to be moved to a home-and-home series.

The last Big Thursday Game was played on October 22, 1959. Clemson, on its way to another ACC Championship, beat the Gamecocks, 27-0. At the end of the game, a State Newspaper photographer asked Howard if he would be willing to look out over Carolina Stadium and blow a kiss, symbolizing Clemson and Howard finally kissing Big Thursday goodbye. The picture is one of the more iconic images in the history of the rivalry.

The Games

There have been some epic moments on the gridiron between these two rivals – “The Catch,” “The Orange Pants,” Mike Hold dropping the ball at William Perry’s feet after the 1984 game, the “Rodney Game,” “63-17” and so many more.

In 1976, instead of warning up on Frank Howard Field prior to the game, Clemson warmed up in an adjacent field to Memorial Stadium that was used as a practice field for the soccer team. The lot is now known as Lot 2 for game day parking and is used as an intramural field the rest of the year by the university.

Clemson held the Gamecocks’ powerful offense to 124 rushing yards and forced five turnovers, including three interceptions. The Tigers rushed for 280 yards and got 127 from Warren Ratchford and 98 from fullback Tracy Perry in a 28-9 thumping, ending Carolina’s hopes of a Peach Bowl bid.

The most famous game, and the most famous play in the series, was Jerry Butler’s “The Catch,” which lifted the Tigers’ to a 31-27 victory over the Gamecocks in 1977.

Clemson took a 24-0 lead early in the third quarter and seemed ready to run away with things, but the Gamecocks rallied for 27 unanswered points to take the lead with just under two minutes to play.

As USC players and fans were celebrating what would have been the school’s largest come-from-behind win, Steve Fuller was leading the Tigers on one last drive. After he moved the ball down to the USC 20-yard line, thanks to a long pass to Dwight Clark, Fuller tried to throw away the next pass, but Butler made a leaping, twisting 20-yard touchdown catch in the final seconds to beat the Gamecocks.

It was such a great catch, no one in the series has made a catch like it since.

It has been a long time since Clemson and South Carolina have played in a game like the 1977 classic. In fact, the two rivals have not played a game decided in the final few minutes or seconds since Mark Buchholz’s game-winning field goal in 2007.

The Coaches

The Clemson-Carolina game has had its fair share of characters over the years.

Frank Howard was perhaps the most colorful. He coached in more of them than anyone in the game, though his Clemson teams were just 14-15-1 against the Gamecocks in his 30 years walking the sidelines at Death Valley.

Legendary college football coach John Heisman coached in this game, as well, going 1-1 in the series as Clemson’s head coach, the one loss coming in the infamous 1902 game.

Steve Spurrier coached at South Carolina from 2005-’15. His feud, through the media, with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney became legendary and brought a lot of interest to the rivalry from a national standpoint.

Spurrier was without a doubt one of the all-time greatest characters in the game. He also was South Carolina’s most successful. His USC teams won five in a row over Clemson from 2009-’13. The Gamecocks were 6-4 against the Tigers under Spurrier’s leadership.

Before Spurrier, Rex Enright was the only Carolina coach to have any consistent success against the Tigers, going 8-6-1 in his 15 years in Columbia. The Gamecocks were also coached by Hall of Famers Paul Dietzel, Jim Carlen, Joe Morrison, and Lou Holtz through the years.

Clemson’s Danny Ford was definitely a character. The tobacco chewing farm boy from Alabama went 7-3-1 against the Gamecocks in his 11 years there. Charlie Pell, Ken Hatfield, and Tommy West were other coaches who wore the Orange and White.

Ford, though, introduced the Orange Pants, showing the Clemson faithful how important it was to them that they beat the Gamecocks each year. Ford hated USC so much, he refused to come friends with any of its head coaches during his 11 years at Clemson.

He once told me it was not until he and Carlen had long been retired before they became friends.

Tommy Bowden was also known as a Gamecock killer. He went 7-2 against the Gamecocks, all against Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier. Bowden’s .777-win percentage over South Carolina is the best by any coach in the series, who has coached in five or more games.

The Players

Though the years both teams have had great players, too. Steve Wadiak, Sterling Sharpe, Rick Sanford, Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney are some of the Gamecocks’ all-time greats, along with 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.

At Clemson, the Tigers have had great players like Bennie Cunningham, Jim Stuckey, Steve Fuller, Jerry Butler, Jeff Davis, Terry Kinard, William Perry, Levon Kirkland, Anthony Simmons, Gaines Adams, C.J. Spiller, Da’Quan Bowers, Dwayne Allen, Deshaun Watson, Christian Wilkins, Trevor Lawrence, and Travis Etienne to name a few.

For Gamecock fans, they will never forget Jeff Grantz’ five touchdown passes to beat the Tigers, 56-20, in 1975 or Brad Edwards’ 40-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the Gamecocks’ 20-7 win in 1987.

They also will never forget their 33-7 victory over the Tigers in 1994. With USC in front 14-7 to start the second half, running back Brandon Bennett received the kick to start the third quarter, took a few steps, then turned and threw a backward pass to the other side of the field to defensive back Reggie Richardson, who returned the ball 85 yards to the Tigers’ 6-yard line. Bennett ran it in for a touchdown on the next play, putting Carolina ahead 21-7, as the Gamecocks went on to rout the Tigers.

In 2010, USC beat Clemson for the first time in back-to-back years since the 1968-’71 era. Stephen Garcia threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Alshon Jeffery caught five passes for 141 yards and touchdown in a 29-7 rout.

Of course, the Tigers have had their fair share of heroic moments, too. I already described Butler’s amazing catch to beat the Gamecocks in 1977, sending Clemson to its first bowl appearance in 18 years at the time.

Running back Ken Callicutt rushed for 197 yards on 27 carries and added another 55 in receiving yards, as he led Clemson a 39-21 victory over the Gamecocks in 1974. The 197 yards rushing, and 252 yards of all-purpose running are still high marks for a Clemson player in the series. Willie Anderson dominated the defense, recording 21 tackles from his middle guard position, still a Clemson record for a lineman for one game.

In 1980, Clemson upset 14th-ranked South Carolina, 27-6, behind Willie Underwood’s two interceptions and 17 tackles. Underwood returned one interception for a touchdown and the other set up the go-ahead score. To make the story even better, they were the only two interceptions of Underwood’s 47-game career at Clemson.

Rodney Williams, playing in his final home game, led the Tigers to a 29-10 victory in Death Valley in 1988, avenging a 20-7 defeat the year before in which Williams, a native of Columbia, was taunted by the Gamecock faithful. Williams completed 13-of-26 passes for 192 yards and ran for 38 more and a touchdown.

Emory Smith gained 101 yards and scored two touchdowns in just 12 attempts from his fullback spot in the 1995 game, leading Clemson to a 38-17 victory and a berth in the Gator Bowl. Smith will always be remembered for one particular run in the fourth quarter when he dragged a South Carolina tackler nearly 20 yards at the end of a 54-yard romp.

Antwan Edwards had two interceptions in the third quarter alone in the 1997 game, one he returned 42 yards for a touchdown in leading the Tigers to a 47-21 victory.

Clemson posted its most points scored against the Gamecocks in 2003 and what was then the largest victory margin since 1900 in the series. Charlie Whitehurst, who went 4-0 in his four starts against the Gamecocks, threw four touchdown passes that night, while running back Chad Jasmin scored four times in the Tigers’ 63-17 victory in Columbia. Whitehurst is the only quarterback on either side of the rivalry to go 4-0.

Then there is Deshaun Watson’s unmatched performance of 2014. Despite having a torn ACL, the Clemson quarterback led the Tigers to a 35-17 victory, snapping the Gamecocks’ five-game win streak in the series. Watson accounted for four touchdowns that afternoon in Death Valley.

The win was the first of Clemson’s current seven in a row in the rivalry. What kind of history will the Clemson-Carolina game make on Saturday? I guess we will have to wait to find out.

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