South Carolina at Clemson: 5 Things to Watch For

Five storylines to follow in the annual rivalry matchup between the Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Jason Priester All Clemson

It doesn't get much more intense than the rivalry between South Carolina and Clemson. These two fan bases just flat-out don't like one another.

While it might not get quite the same publicity the as some of the other rivalries around the country such as Auburn and Alabama or Ohio State and Michigan, but it's every bit as heated.

Eighth-ranked Clemson (10-1, 8-0) comes in looking for a rivalry record eighth consecutive win over the Gamecocks (7-4, 4-4), as the two teams get set to face off in Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2018.

Both teams are coming in on a high note, as Clemson beat Miami handily last weekend 40-10, while South Carolina just thoroughly dominated Tennessee 63-38, a Volunteers team that was ranked fifth at the time.

5 Things to Watch

1. Fumblitis: The Tigers have been turnover prone in recent weeks, having committed  12 in the past four games. Last week alone, Clemson put the ball on the ground five times, losing three of those, yet behind a stifling defense, was still able to dominate Miami. That can not happen this week. The Gamecocks are coming in extremely confident after the beating they gave Tennessee. The Tigers can not afford to give away any momentum by being sloppy with the ball, especially early. Protect the football, and Clemson likely wins rather easily, considering how well the defense is playing down the stretch.

2. Run the Football, Then Run It Some More: South Carolina is allowing 188 rushing yards per game, and Clemson's ground game has been pretty effective of late. The Tigers have rushed for more than 200 yards in each of the past two games. Will Shipley, Phil Mafah, and DJ Uiagalelei have been extremely productive over that stretch and with Kobe Pace now back, Clemson has one more weapon at its disposal. Establish the run early and keep Spencer Rattler and the rest of the Gamecocks' offense on the sidelines watching.

3. Touchdown Drought: The last time a South Carolina player scored a touchdown against Clemson was back in 2018. When Jake Bentley was still starting quarterback. Granted, the two teams did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the SEC playing a conference only schedule, but the fact remains that the last Gamecock to reach the end zone against the Tigers was WR Shi Smith, who is now in his second season in the NFL.

Clemson's defense held South Carolins to a lone field goal in a 30-3 win in 2019, and last season the Tigers blanked the Gamecocks 30-0, the teams first shutout in the series since 1989. Both of those games were played in Columbia.

4. Defensive Turnaround: For the first time this season, Clemson's defense resembled the unit most thought it would be heading into the season in the dominating 40-10 win over Miami. It took eleven games to get there, but Wes Goodwin finally got that four quarter performance he had been waiting on.

The Hurricanes could only manage 98 yards of offense and were limited to just 30 on the ground. Clemson's defense was in attack mode from the onset, registering five sacks on the day. 

Getting a similar performance would be helpful, as the Tigers can ill-afford to give Rattler the kind of time he had against Tennessee. Not letting him get into an early rythm will be key.

5. Two Former 5-Stars Go Head to Head: Uiagalelei and Rattler are two very different quarterbacks, but there are some similarities in how each players college career has played out. Both were highly-touted coming out of high school and both have battled their share of adversity. Uiagalelei had his less than stellar 2021 campaign, then after bouncing back early this season, has been benched on two separate occasions. 

Rattler was outstanding during his sophomore season, his first starting at Oklahoma. Last year played out a little differently, though, as he was benched in favor of freshman Caleb Williams. He would transfer to South Carolina over the offseason, looking to finish his career on a high note. 

However, things haven't gone smoothly in Columbia either. Going into last week, Rattler had thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes as South Carolina's offense had been wildly inconsistent. Then last week he lights up Tennessee like the Fouth of July, throwing for well over 400 yards and six touchdowns. It was the best game of his career.

Two former 5-stars, both who have experienced their share of ups and downs. Uiagalelei is looking to move to 2-0 against South Carolina, while Rattler is getting his first taste of the rivalry. Which one can lead his team to victory this week?

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