Former Gamecocks share what Clemson rivalry means to them, favorite memories
The SEC’s slogan is, “It just means more.” If there was a slogan for how important the rivalry is between South Carolina and Clemson, those mere four words, or any words really, couldn’t do it justice.
How are you supposed to put into words how important a rivalry that first started in 1896 is in a state that doesn’t feature a professional football team? In a place where practically everyone in the state either loves/hates the color garnet/orange? You don’t. And instead, you let some of the men who were fortunate enough to play in this rivalry do that for you.
Over the past week, I talked to more than two dozen former South Carolina Gamecock football players to hear their perspectives on what the Clemson rivalry means to them. Ranging five decades, I hope this not only provides a better look into how former players once viewed this rivalry that they played in but how they’ve continued to look at it. I also hope hearing some of the stories from guys like Rick Sanford, D.J. Swearinger, Nate Adkins, and many more will bring back some good memories. I hope you enjoy this story as it gets you geared up for the 121st edition of this intense in-state rivalry.
Marcus Lattimore: RB (2010-12)
- Spirit. It’s been everything since I’ve been in middle school. Respect. I’m from the Upstate, so when we’re on top of the rivalry, I can walk around Spartanburg and Greenville when I come home (which is Tiger Country) with my head held high with that Gamecock smile.
- When D.J. Swearinger knocked the ball out of Tajh Boyd’s hand during warmups. Their coaches got mad, but there was nothing they could do.
Ryan Brewer: RB (1999-02)
- This rivalry has changed for me over the last twenty years. I came in knowing nothing about its history. I thought Ohio State-Michigan was the fiercest rivalry out there. Boy, was I wrong. This in-state rivalry has so much more on the line. As a player, I could hear and feel how much this meant to the fans. As a fan, I now really understand that this has yearly implications. Bragging rights with your neighbor, head held high with co-workers, and you’re able to talk junk to anyone wearing those horrible colors. The players need to realize this game carries more weight. This game goes off the field into your biggest fans’ everyday lives.
- We were only able to beat them once when I played. But, I was a part of the infamous “push off” game. That game should have gone down as the “Tommy Hill recovery” game (we need to workshop that name). But after they kicked the field goal, they kicked off to us. Derek Watson received the kick and tried to lateral it back to me. It didn’t go as planned. Time ran out, and so did their fans onto the field. I thought mayhem was about to happen, but the majority of them slapped my shoulders and said good game. Maybe they all aren’t that bad. Just kidding, I still hate them. At least for this week.
D.J. Swearinger: S (2009-12)
- It means a lot more than the other games. It’s for bragging rights and for the state. If you’re from South Carolina, you always have this one circled because you grew up watching this game.
- My favorite moment was, of course, my big hit against them (in 2012) and us beating them for the fourth time in a row.
Connor Shaw: QB (2010-13)
- It’s an opportunity to gain a lot of momentum going into post-season play and reward Gamecock fans for being the best in the world.
- Watching our defense suffocate them. +11 in turnovers and +70 point differential in my four years against them.
Stephen Garcia: QB (2007-11)
- Growing up in Tampa, Fla., I had no idea where the University of South Carolina or Clemson University was on the map… When coach (Steve) Spurrier recruited me, I took a visit to SC, and I found out quickly what the rivalry meant. I’ll never forget when fans would come up and say that season didn’t mean (anything). Just “Beat those taters from the Upstate.” I’m still not sure what or why they are called taters, but I thought that was hilarious. After seeing the rivalry in person my redshirt year and seeing how much bad blood there was and is, I knew I was on the right side. Now that I’m not playing anymore, I have actually made friends with former adversaries, and they are solid dudes. They just love that stupid color orange.
- My favorite memory is being 2-0 as a starting quarterback against them. There’s not many of us out there in that “unique fraternity” as Carolina QBs (shoutout to Connor Shaw, he knows what I’m saying). My absolute favorite memory was beating Clemson in fake Death Valley in 2010 and having my three-year-old son Memphys on the field on my shoulders and being around my family and friends. I thought it was really cool that Clemson allows fans and family to get on the field after games. Wish more schools did that because that was such a cool experience for not only me but for my son and my family.
Steve Taneyhill: QB (1992-95)
- Not being from SC the rivalry has grown on me over the years. As a player, you don’t really focus much on it until the week of the game. Being in the SEC, every game needs your full attention. But it is a fun week with just all the talk from fans from both sides. A win gives you the entire year to talk sh*t.
- It has to be the ‘92 game because that win put an exclamation point on an unbelievable turnaround for our team. We scored and danced on the field, I signed my name on the field, that great picture of me holding up my arms all came from that game. And our fans rushed THEIR field after that game. ‘94 is close because we blew them out, which opened the door to the CarQuest Bowl and by beating West Virginia to win the school’s first-ever bowl. It definitely wasn’t the ’93 game cause I think I threw three picks and we lost.
Pat DiMarco: FB (2007-10)
- As an out-of-state kid who came to play at USC, I did not know much about it before I committed. I soon came to learn that one game in the 12-game season just means more. Two great football teams in the great state of South Carolina. There’s nothing like competing with the girls from the Upstate!
- Beating them in 2009 and 2010 to start the five-peat. But I loved playing up there in Death Valley! Two games and two TDs. That’s not too bad for a fullback in Death Valley!
Nate Adkins: TE (2022)
- The SC-Clemson rivalry is electric. I only played in it once, but you could feel the demeanor in the facility change a little in the week leading up to the game. The guys were a little more focused and a little more hungry to go out and try to take out a great team in Clemson. The game means a lot to the Gamecock fanbase, and the players feel it. We just want to deliver for the team and the fans.
- My favorite memory in the (2022) game was obviously my one-handed catch. It was probably the play of my career. I really felt like it was a spark that turned the game in our favor, and it gave us some momentum to go out and get that win at their place. Knocking the ball out on the punt to solidify the game was also a massive play. But it was a team win that day. Everybody brought their A-game, and that’s what it takes to win that last game!
Preston Thorne: DL (2000-04)
- My last game was ‘04, THE FIGHT! Nuff said. IT MEANS A LOT.
- My favorite memory was winning in ‘01. It was a noon game, so we had the rest of the night to party with all the Clemson players (our friends) who were staying with us that night! Lots of sh*t talking and good times.
Pharoh Cooper: WR (2013-15)
- It’s the biggest game of the year. We can lose every other game, but if we just beat them, we’re good for the season!
- I gotta go with when I threw the game-winning touchdown to (Brandon) Wilds out of the Wildcat in 2013 for the six-peat.
John Strickland: OL (2000-03)
- What the rivalry means to me is it just means everything! The rivalry, in my opinion, is one of, if not the best, in all of college football. You’re playing for your family, the fans, and the right for bragging rights in the state. I have many friends and family that are Clemson fans and there is nothing better than being on the winning side for those 365 days.
- My favorite moment as a player was the 2001 game at home where we won 20-15. I was a redshirt freshman and our starting center Larrell Johnson went down with an injury in the first quarter. I ended up coming in and playing the whole game at center. We went on to win that game. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Corey Jenkins: QB (2001-02)
- This rivalry is everything to me. I’ve been a part of this rivalry since I was a kid selling sodas at the game. I always wanted the Gamecocks to win. This year means more than any other year in the history of both schools, which is what I like. Both teams still have a chance to get into the playoffs with a win, so I expect some serious efforts and actions from both teams
- My favorite memory is when I was put into the game on the 2-yard line and scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. That was a dream come true for a kid from Arthurtown, SC. In the next season, the only game I got to play linebacker was my last game of the year against them. I had a huge hit on Kevin Youngblood that caused a fumble that we recovered.
Dakereon Joyner: ATH (2018-23)
- It definitely means everything to me, just as much as it means to our fanbase. You try not to make these games personal, but it’s hard not to. It’s a very competitive and physical rivalry that we have circled on our calendar every year.
- My favorite memory was going up there two years ago and beating them. That was one of my biggest moments as a Gamecock. Being able to pull that off, I feel like our boys this year are capable of doing the same thing.
Marcellas Dial: CB (2021-23)
- The rivalry means a lot to me. It’s about who runs the state. Neither of us like each other. We’re right down the road from each other, and everyone is always looking forward to that matchup, no matter how the season is going. No matter what the records are, that’s the game you want to win more than anything else.
- My favorite memory was from the year that we beat them in 2022. It was the third quarter and I got a pick off of DJ (Uiagalelei). That play shifted the whole momentum of the game, and we ended up winning and storming their field in Death Valley.
Rick Sanford: S (1975-78)
- I think the rivalry lost some of its luster when SC and Clemson moved to different conferences. However, this year takes on more meaning with both teams having such successful seasons.
- Obviously, my freshman year in 1975 is unforgettable as we won 56-20 and never punted the whole game. I also had my first interception of my Gamecock career near the end of the game. I’ve been on the winning and losing side of this game and the feeling is either euphoria or bitterness, depending on the outcome.
Willie Offord: S (1998-01)
- The rivalry means a lot to me! It’s the one game that I look forward to every Gamecock football season. It doesn’t matter if we are having a good season or a bad season. This game is the season!
- My favorite memory was winning the 2001 matchup 20-15! The only win that we had vs. Clemson during my tenure as a Gamecock football player. It was a vindication for us because of the nature of how we lost the 2000 matchup on a controversial call known as “The Push Off” between Clemson’s Rod Gardner and my teammate Andre Goodman that put Clemson in position to win by a field goal.
Elliott Fry: K (2013-16)
- The rivalry means a lot, even though I didn’t grow up in the Carolinas or with the rivalry. Hate for Clemson naturally festered in me once I stepped on campus, and it still exists today. I’m still surrounded by Clemson fans in Charleston, and they’ve gotten way too cocky over the last decade.
- My favorite memories were playing in my first Carolina/Clemson game in 2013 and being a part of the five-peat that year. Honorable mention would be trolling Clemson fans on Twitter during my college career. I feel like I did a good job of getting them to hate me.
Tori Gurley: WR (2008-10)
- That game was such a big deal. I even participated in the school’s pep rally with the Tiger Burn. I felt like that was great for me because it really entrenched me and into the rivalry… We want to go out and beat them and beat them bad. To be a part of that and to have that type of school spirit, I think that’s what really sparked that fire into wanting to go out and just handle Clemson every year. As a recruit, I didn’t understand it. But when I was a freshman in college and I was able to participate in the activities they had around campus, that’s all it took and I was hooked. My freshman year we were playing in Columbia. When I ran out of the tunnel and saw 80,000 people there leading up to the game, I felt like it was the most fans I’ve ever seen in my life. I was just blown away. There was one side wearing garnet and then it was divided with another side wearing that color orange.
- My favorite moment that stands out is leading up to the game that week, it was Thanksgiving. That’s around the time of my birthday. I got to celebrate with my team and I’ll never forget this. Coach Spurrier would have dinner for us in the Zone in the stadium up top… We were just wrapping up with dinner and we were trying to get home. I think it was me, Terrence Campbell, (Stephen) Garcia, Josh Dickerson — there was about about 14 or 15 of us. We got onto the elevator and the elevator got stuck. We sat in that elevator for like two to three hours. They had to call the fire department and EMTs to get us out. But we sat there in the elevator for hours. A few days later, we went on and beat Clemson.
Garrett Anderson: OL (2006-009)
- Been a tater hater my whole life! Wins mean way more when it shuts up the most obnoxious fan base in the nation.
- Senior year, I was playing guard. I recovered a fumble recovery and heard my name called over the loudspeaker for the first time. That was also during the last game I ever played at Williams-Brice Stadium. The other moment that stands out is when we ran counter counter behind me for a 93-yard drive for a touchdown against the taters. It felt good to smack a dude into submission for almost the entire length of the field.
Tyreek Johnson: EDGE (2018-23)
- The rivalry means everything. Every year, you hear fans from all over the state talking about how Clemson is so much better than Carolina and how it’s just gonna be another year of Clemson winning the state. To me, it’s always been about shutting up all the doubters and proving them wrong while showing them who really runs and represents the state.
- The best moment was when we went down to Clemson in 2022 and beat them boys in their own stadium while also ending their 40-game winning streak at home. There’s nothing like going into an environment where everyone there expects you to lose and just shattering their hearts.
Parker White: K (2017-2021)
- The rivalry is critical for bragging rights; always has been and always will be. I feel more excited to see them lose than the excitement from my team winning.
- My favorite memory as a player was probably watching Jake (Bentley) throw for 500 yards on them and really giving them a run for their money. The other great memory isn’t from me as a player but the year after I finished when they won in 2022. That day when we beat them, I proposed on a hike to my now wife. When I came back, I caught the end of the game and saw us win.
Perry Orth: QB (2013-16)
- It’s the two “pro teams” in the state, and it means EVERYTHING to the people of SC and alumni of both schools. They are my arch-rival now, so needless to say, I’m not a big Tiger fan.
- Winning in 2013 against those guys and then playing in the rivalry! The intensity of that game was just different! I wish we could have pulled it off in 2015.
Tim Frisby: WR (2004-05)
- What does the rivalry mean to me? I don’t go into Home Depot anymore because it’s orange. The rivalry is a hate/hate relationship.
- My favorite memory as a player – Clemson week preparation, travel, and playing special teams and receiver in the 2004 Fight Game. Living in SC and having had the opportunity to play in that rivalry is special. Teammates and moments you’ll never forget.
Mike Matulis: OL (2011-15)
- The rivalry was very fun to me. Growing up and not experiencing a true college rivalry, it was an electric time around the state. Even now, as I travel or go to different places, when I’m wearing Carolina gear, a Clemson fan will throw jabs, and I’ll throw some back. It’s good fun, but it runs deep.
- My favorite memory was from my true freshman year in 11’. It was an awesome way to experience the rivalry firsthand with a W.
Andrew Clifford: QB (2009-12)
- I grew up in a Clemson family with two uncles who played at Clemson. The year-round family group chat bragging rights were always important.
- Never losing to them. Beating them at Death Valley in years, they had loaded teams. Three-hour bus rides home, seeing the graveyard of crushed banquet beers under HBC and Jerri’s bus seats. Running out behind DJ Swearinger for warmups when he ran in front of the Clemson QBs warming up and picked off Tajh’s ball and launched it
Mason Zandi: OL (2012-16)
- It’s the equalizer, the icing on top, and all the bragging rights. If we have had a good year or a bad one it can all be reconciled against Clemson. And, ultimately, the season is often remembered by this game.
- Winning five straight against those guys. Not as a player, but in 2022, we ended the potential of a playoff berth for the Tigers in Death Valley. That was one helluva game. Let’s do it again!
Ahmarean Brown: WR (2021-23)
- This rivalry, to me, is the battle of South Carolina. Two teams who dislike each other and believe that this is their state. It’s the last game of the regular season, but no other game means more than this one! It’s a war. Put the ball down and go to work!
- My favorite memory was in 2022 when we went into Death Valley and pulled off the upset of Clemson, who were a top-ten team at the time. We also ended their home win streak! It was a great moment and one to remember.
