Shane Beamer's keys to come out of Clemson with a win on Saturday

There’s a lot on the line for South Carolina this week. The No. 18 Gamecocks will have a tough road test against No. 17 Clemson on Saturday in what could be one of the more important Palmetto Bowl matchups to date.

Not only will this be the first ranked on ranked matchup in the rivalry since 2013, but it’s also a game that could have major College Football Playoff implications for the winning team. This will be a very pressure-filled game, almost like a precursor playoff game, and will arguably be South Carolina’s toughest battle this season.

But if there’s one thing that can be said about this team, they’ve handled any noise and adversity well. They’ve gone into hostile environments and held their own. The Gamecocks are 3-1 in road games this year, with their only loss being a 27-25 defeat to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

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And while Clemson’s home field poses a challenge, Shane Beamer has already won as a head coach at Memorial Stadium. Two years ago, he and the Gamecocks went into Death Valley as massive underdogs and came away with a stunning 31-30 win over No. 8 Clemson to end the Tigers’ playoff hopes.

To do that again this week, Beamer’s philosophy is pretty simple: “Just go and play well.”

“We certainly dug ourselves a hole when we went up there two years ago. We went down 14-0,” Beamer said. “Threw an interception returned for a touchdown. I think we had a tackle or a safety in the end zone for an intentional grounding. We threw an interception and we hit Juju (McDowell) for a long ball on 4th and 1 and we throw an interception down there, as well.”

Even though South Carolina started slow that day, it clawed its way back and took the lead with under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Being able to hang in there and eventually finding a way to win was what propelled the Gamecocks. And that’s what needs to happen on Saturday, minus digging a deep hole.

“I think that’s one thing that you learn from it, just like any road game. But certainly, in a hostile environment like Saturday will be, you got to play well and you’ve got to hang in there and be tough and be resilient and stick together and have each other’s backs,” Beamer said.

“That game up there two years ago, I mean, it was back and forth in so many ways. There were offensive plays and there were defensive plays and there were special teams plays.”

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Unlike the last time these two teams met in Death Valley, the rosters, for the most part, will look vastly different. Both teams have different quarterbacks under center, especially at South Carolina, with LaNorris Sellers set to make his first Palmetto Bowl start. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik was a freshman in 2022 and didn’t make his first career start until the ACC Championship game a week later.

But while the quarterback play will be important in this matchup, Beamer knows it’s going to take much more than that to come out of there with a win. And if the Gamecocks can do so, they’ll finish the regular season at 9-3 and do what they needed to give themselves the best chance to have a shot at the CFP.

“Just understand that it’ll take a total team effort on Saturday and that winning on the road is hard, for sure, would be the biggest thing,” Beamer said. “After that, you’ve just got to handle the emotions of a rivalry game on the road without a doubt. It goes back to your prep during the week.”

South Carolina will face Clemson on Saturday at noon on ESPN.

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