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NewslettersClemson-USC game brings back intense memories
coachb@hargray.com
I look forward to the Clemson-South Carolina game each season -- especially since moving back to the state in 1998 -- because the game causes me to recall coaching in my first Tiger-Gamecock game in1968.
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I was 25 and only had coached three seasons of small-college football before coming to Clemson. Frank Howard, the Tigers' legendary head coach, brainwashed me all week about the awful 'Chickins.' I was vehemently questioned over and over by neighbors and friends about the Tigers' chances to beat the Gamecocks. I quickly realized the game wasn't only for the Palmetto State championship. It was more like the championship of the universe, for Tiger coaches and fans.
Coach Howard told me, "Boy, it's a hundred-yard war!" It was a 100-yard war that we lost, 7-3, and I felt like a wounded soldier after the game.
Besides the Clemson-USC rivalry, I coached in three other big-time rivalry games. At Minnesota, the rivals were neighbors Iowa and Wisconsin, while at Ole Miss, the rival was Mississippi State.
From those experiences, I learned that in-state rivalries are far more intense than interstate rivalries. Why? Because many in-state rivalry fans are neighbors, which provides them a chance to harass, tease and irritate each other all week prior to the game. Interstate rivalry fans living hundreds of miles apart can only do that on game day.
Sadly, the Tiger-Gamecock rivalry lacks something that defines many of the nation'sfootball rivalries: a symbolic trophy awarded to the winner on the field after the game and proudly displayed in the athletics department for a year.
When Minnesota played Iowa, the prize was "Floyd of Rosedale," a huge bronze pig created in 1935. Since 1907, Minnesota and Wisconsin have played for the "Paul Bunyan Axe." The Ole Miss Rebels battle with Mississippi State for the Golden Egg.
I wish the Tigers and Gamecocks played for a symbolic trophy -- maybe a 7- or 8-foot metallic, golden palmetto tree for the winners to carry off the field.
The 106th meeting on Saturday will mean a great deal for both programs, but especially for the Tigers, who want interim coach Dabo Swinney to be their head coach in the future. A win could solidify their hope.
Of course, I want the Tigers to win, so I won't be mocked by a few friends who are fanatical 'Chickin' fans.
A win could secure the Gamecocks a more prestigious bowl game. More importantly, coach Steve Spurrier needs to personally rebound from the Gamecocks' devastating 56-6 loss to Florida and three other Southeastern Conference losses.
A USC win could help convince boosters, players and recruits that the Old Ball Coach still has the ability to win a SEC championship -- and possibly a national championship. That's the reason he was hired, after all. A loss, and he could follow in the footsteps of Tommy Bowden in the near future.
Each team has its advantages on Saturday.
USC's edge comes from having an open date last week, giving it 11 days to prepare for the Tigers. The extra time is helpful in two ways for Spurrier: He can add new Xs and Os the Tigers haven't seen while studying game tapes, and his players had a chance to rest up a little to aid them in being more mentally and physically fit for the battle.
The Tigers' advantage is playing in Death Valley, where the vast majority of the 80,000 people in the stadium will be highly vocal Clemson fans. The incredibly uproarious Tiger fans will create an emotional inspiration for their team. Those screaming Tiger fans also will make it difficult for the Gamecocks' offense to hear play changes at the line of scrimmage, coaches' instructions from the sideline and the snap count. The yellers and screamers hope to cause illegal procedure penalties that could cost the Gamecocks the game.
Picking the winner? I think that's a 50-50 proposition.
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