With a Palmetto Series point on the line, South Carolina and Clemson will continue their long-run rivalry in the Palmetto Bowl at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Clemson enters the matchup after a dominant 61-3 win over The Citadel, while the Gamecocks produced a balanced offensive attack against FCS opponent Wofford.
The Daily Gamecock sports staff caught up with The Tiger sports editor Colin Halm to preview Saturday's matchup.
Q: Clemson's one loss this season was at Syracuse on Oct. 13. What were your observations from that game? Along with Kelly Bryant's mid-game head injury, what factors contributed to the upset loss?
A: The gameplan for Clemson this year has been to score early and let the defense shut down opposing teams. They did neither of those things against Syracuse. The Orange scored first and kept the up-tempo offense chugging right along. When Bryant left, our offense didn't know how to operate in his absence since it is built so much around him running the football. Zerrick Cooper is a similar player to Bryant but he didn't have enough reps with the first stringers to develop the much-needed rapport in the passing game. I would have liked to see four-star freshman Hunter Johnson spell Cooper during the game as well.
Q: This is Kelly Bryant's first season as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. How do you think he's acclimating with the offense and how do you expect him to play against South Carolina?
A: The offense is entirely different than it was for Deshaun Watson. It is now more centered around running the ball and creating space for wide receivers on the boundary. The problem is that the playcalling leaves a lot to be desired. There is very little deception to this offense which really hurts Bryant's overall game. He isn't the best passer, but if the offensive coordinators devised some better route combinations and some pre-snap trickery (motions, position trades, etc.) it could open up lanes and receivers all over the field.
Q: Which matchups do you think are most important to this game, and why?
A: Clemson's running game vs. South Carolina's linebackers. The Clemson offense primarily consists of running the ball and if the Gamecocks have any chance of stopping it their linebackers will need to be able to plug up holes along the front. Travis Etienne is just a freshman, but not too long ago led the NCAA in yards per rush. If Clemson gets him the ball and South Carolina doesn't stop him before the second level, he will win the footrace to the end zone.
Q: The last time these two teams met, the Tigers came away with a dominant 56-7 victory in Clemson. What is your prediction (with score) for the matchup this season at Williams-Brice Stadium, and why?
A: I predict Clemson wins 24-14. The Gamecocks are a much better team now than they were last year. The loss of Deebo Samuel hurts them badly on the offensive side of things. Clemson's defensive line has four future starters in the NFL and it will take everything the Gamecock offensive line has to keep them from blowing up plays all night long.