Entering the final week of the 2024 regular season, the No. 16 South Carolina football team is heading on the road to face the No. 12 Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Palmetto Bowl.
The Gamecocks (8-3, 5-3 SEC), are coming off a 56-12 win against the Wofford Terriers and are one of the many teams in the College Football Playoff bubble. The team has the opportunity to enhance those odds with a win against the rival Tigers.
The Daily Gamecock spoke to Toby Corriston, the assistant sports editor of The Tiger, Clemson’s student newspaper, to discuss the upcoming matchup between the Gamecocks and the Tigers. Kickoff is set for noon, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Daily Gamecock: Looking back to the beginning of the season, are you happily surprised with the season Clemson has put together or is there a sense of being underwhelmed?
Corriston: “Honestly, after the (Week 1) Georgia game, I would be happy with the season if you told me where (Clemson) ended up ... I don’t really know where to go. I’m not surprised by the season. (Clemson has) a lot of talent on the roster. I’m not underwhelmed — (Clemson is) obviously in a position to make the playoffs right now, so I think it’s been more of a roller coaster than anything.”
Clemson hasn’t faced a team currently on the AP Poll since its Week 1 loss against Georgia. Is there any angst to playing a No. 16 ranked South Carolina in the midst of a four-game surge?
“There definitely is some angst. I think everyone feels it. I don’t know if everybody wants to admit it per se ... Also, (Clemson) is battling a lot of injuries, as well. Going into this game this past week, (Clemson) didn’t even know how they were going to practice, according to (head coach Dabo Swinney), just because we had nine offensive lineman out at one point ....
"Also it's a rivalry week, so you never know what’s going to happen ... I think there’s a lot of other things that come up, so there’s definitely some angst, but everyone’s also just excited for the game with the implications it has.”
How much of the game against South Carolina rests on the shoulders of what junior quarterback Cade Klubnik can do?
“Obviously, a lot lies on your quarterback ... He’s the most important player on the field, without a shadow of a doubt ... And I would say more of the game relies on the defense. (Clemson has) not been able to stop the run — that’s been a clear problem kind of all year.
"Last week, we gave up nearly 300 yards to The Citadel rushing, and you just can’t do that if you’re going to beat a team, especially a team with the caliber of South Carolina. I would put more of how this game is going to go on the defense because if (Clemson stops) the run, I think (they’ll) be in it.”
Who is a Clemson player who is a bit under-the-radar — a guy who could make noise that the South Carolina fans are unfamiliar with?
“I have to go to the linebacker set ... You look at (senior linebacker) Barrett Carter, you know how he's going to play, you know what you’re going to get from him, and then (junior linebacker) Wade Woodaz (who) has been out for the last two weeks. So I think that if I could pick one player, I would go (with) Wade Woodaz ... I say a lot rides on him just being fully healthy and ready to go, because he’s just smart ... Him and Barrett Carter have played together for so long, they know how to work with each other."
How do you think the expanded College Football Playoff and the opportunity for both teams to make it has enhanced the hype surrounding rivalry week between the two teams?
“Everybody is excited about this game ... Especially after Texas A&M losing, you have Colorado going down, you have BYU going down, Ole Miss went down … It really truly is a play-in game for an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff ... and you just haven’t seen that in this rivalry ...
"Both of these programs have been really good at times, but this is the first time that you’ve seen in a while them be really, really good at the same time and have a shot to win a national championship because of it ... So I think it makes it that much more exciting, because then this game has something to play for besides bragging rights.”
Considering the odds of making the College Football Playoff for both teams, does this game mean more for Clemson or South Carolina?
“I have to take the past into account for this one. If you’re looking at this year ... (Clemson and South Carolina) have both played the same season pretty much, but both sitting here on the bubble ... But I think to factor into this year, you have to look at the past. South Carolina has not been in this situation, really, ever during the College Football Playoff ...
"(And) if you’re Clemson and you’re Dabo Swinney — a massive run of success with two national championships, however many ACC Championships — you have all this, and then for the last four years, you haven’t had any of it ... I think a win (on Saturday), getting into the College Football Playoff and making noise means a lot more to not just the program as a whole, but (Swinney) as well and keeping his job secure.”
What is your score prediction?
“I think I have to lean towards the Gamecocks here. 31-24 Gamecocks.
"I don’t think this is going to be a pretty game by any means. It’s going to be won in the trenches, and I think that (the South Carolina) defensive line is going to make more plays than (the Clemson) defensive line.”