Friday 11/25/2011
Nov. 25, 2011
Clemson vs. South Carolina Football Game Notes
Clemson and South Carolina Meet for 109th Time This will be meeting number-109 between Clemson and South Carolina and the 103rd consecutive year the two schools have met. That is the third longest streak of consecutive years played in a rivalry in the nation. The only rivalries longer are Kansas vs. Nebraska at 106 games and Minnesota vs. Wisconsin at 105 games. Those games have already been played this year. The series dates to 1896 and the first year of football at Clemson, the fourth season for South Carolina. Clemson holds the advantage 65-39-4 since that first meeting in Columbia, a game won by South Carolina 12-6. Clemson’s first win took place the following year, an 18-6 victory in Columbia. Clemson has won 62 percent of its games against South Carolina and has a .593 overall winning percentage in its history (656-444-45). Clemson has more wins over South Carolina than any other school and those victories represent over 10 percent of Clemson’s all-time victory total (656). When Clemson won in 2004 it was Clemson’s 600th all-time win. The two teams played in Columbia as part of Big Thursday every year until 1960. For the 57 Big Thursday games, Clemson had a 33-21-3 advantage. Since the teams have gone to a home and home schedule in 1960, Clemson has a 32-18-1 advantage. Clemson’s winning percentage is nearly identical home and away over that time. Clemson is 16-9-1 against South Carolina at home since 1960 and 16-9-0 in Columbia. South Carolina has beaten Clemson each of the last two years, the first time the Gamecocks have done that since the 1968-70 era when they won three straight. The Clemson and South Carolina seniors of 1965 experienced four consecutive games decided by four points or less and that is the only time it has happened in the history of the series. Clemson won in 1962 (20-17) and 1963 (24-20), then South Carolina won in 1964 (7-3) and 1965 (17-16). But, even those players did not play in all four games. In 1962 freshmen were not eligible, so those 1965 seniors didn’t even dress for the 1962 game. The Tigers have won six out of nine and 10 of 14. Clemson has won nine of the last 11 games played in Columbia. The visiting team won seven years in a row between 1991-97. Clemson classes who have beaten South Carolina four consecutive years were the seniors of 1900, 1919, 1930, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1983, 1991, 2000 and 2005. In 2005, Charlie Whitehurst became the only quarterback for either team in the series to start four victories. Clemson has an overall record of 49-30-3 in Columbia over the years, including a 30-18-2 mark in Williams-Brice Stadium. Clemson has been especially successful in Columbia since 1988. The Tigers are 9-2 in Columbia since then with the only losses coming in 2001 and 2009. This weekend’s game will be played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the sixth year in a row. Clemson has a 9-5 record against South Carolina when the game is played the Saturday after Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving Day. The only game played on Thanksgiving was the 1963 contest that was moved from the Saturday before Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving due to the death of President John F. Kennedy.
Clemson vs. South Carolina Series NotesTop 10 Unusual Facts about the Clemson vs. South Carolina Series10. Twenty-nine is an unusual number for a point total in football. Yet four times in the last 30 years the winner of the Clemson-South Carolina game has scored 29 points. That includes last year when South Carolina defeated Clemson 29-7. Clemson beat South Carolina by the same score in 2004. Clemson won 29-10 in 1988 and 29-13 in 1981.9. Charlie Whitehurst is the only starting quarterback to lead a team to four wins in the history of the series. He did that for the Tigers between 2002-05.8. Josh Cody had a 4-0 record for Clemson against South Carolina between 1927-30. He is the only coach in the series to have a perfect record, given a minimum of three games coached.7. Paul Williams is the last player to letter for both schools. He lettered for Clemson in 1978 and for South Carolina in 1980.6. A Clemson captain actually played for South Carolina. Cary Cox lettered for the Gamecocks in 1943. After the war, he enrolled at Clemson and served as captain for the Tigers in 1947. Cox died in 2008.5. Clemson had three touchdown plays of at least 76 yards against South Carolina in 2006, yet lost the game. C.J. Spiller on a 80-yard run and Jock McKissic on a 82-yard interception return. It is the only game in Clemson history in which Clemson has had three scoring plays of at least 75 yards….and Clemson lost the game.4. In 1948 and 1981 a blocked punt returned for a touchdown proved to be the pivotal play in a Clemson victory, victories that allowed Clemson to go on to an undefeated season. In both instances, the original line of scrimmage was the South Carolina 28-yard-line.3. Willie Underwood had two interceptions to lead Clemson to victory over South Carolina in 1980. A starter for four years, the strong safety never had recorded an interception in any of his first 46 games as a Tiger, then had two against the Gamecocks in his 47th and final game.2. In a placekicking career that spanned five years, Bob Paulling made 107 of 109 extra points. Both of his misses were at South Carolina, one in 1981 and one in 1983. He had a streak of 70 consecutive made extra points (second longest in Clemson history) in between the two miscues.1. In the 30 games that Frank Howard coached at Clemson against South Carolina, Clemson scored 411 points and South Carolina scored 411 points.
December 8, 2024
