In what is shaping up to be one of the most important games of the year with pending playoff implications, the South Carolina and Clemson rivalry is renewed for its 121st edition on Saturday. This time, the stakes go far beyond the silver-plated Palmetto Bowl Trophy.
The Tigers have been dealing with injuries all year, particularly in the interior offensive line. But the resilience of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney's squad remains strong. After a home loss to Louisville, 33-21, the Tigers rallied with a pair of crucial conference wins, keeping the team's season hopes alive. The turning point was star junior quarterback Cade Klubnik's game-winning 50-yard rushing touchdown on the road against Pittsburgh.
Clemson's path to glory is far from over, however. After all, Swinney has peaked atop the mountain before. And If history has taught us anything, they're never more dangerous than when the stakes are highest.
South Carolina is on fire, currently riding a four-game winning streak ahead of its matchup against Wofford on Nov. 23, notching three straight ranked wins for the first time in program history over then-No. 10 Texas A&M, then-No. 23 Vanderbilt and No. 23 Missouri. A star-studded defense has kept the Gamecocks in striking distance in nearly every game this season, with close, heartbreaking losses to LSU and Alabama that could leave us discussing quite a different narrative.
South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer and his "battle-tested" Gamecocks never stepped off the gas pedal and have not shown signs of slowing down. A lot can be said about the Gamecocks and the team's ability to compete this year, giving up second-half leads and conservative play calling at times. But one thing is clear: They've proven they're not just some miracle-like contenders — they're a force to be reckoned with.
This game has the makings to be one of the instant classics in a wild and parity-ridden college football season. In the wake of the implementation of the new college football playoff system, the stakes could be as high as they ever were, and both teams excelled in different aspects of the game.
The all-new College Football Playoff field consists of 12 teams. The five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will follow, filling out the rest of the playoff slots.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded No. 1 through No. 4 and receive a first-round bye. Teams seeded No. 5 through No. 12 will play each other in the first round, where the higher-seeded team plays host to the lower-seeded team in their respective games.
Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers for the Gamecocks has been on a tear lately. Since coming back from an ankle injury in the loss against LSU, Sellers has amassed 1,410 passing yards, while having 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.
The one proclaimed weakness of Sellers has been his ability to spot his open receivers. Since his early exit back in September, he's silenced his critics and has had the offense firing on all cylinders. In a 34-30 win over Missouri, Sellers threw for a career-high 353 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown. All the while, defenses must scheme knowing his dual-threat ability.
Sellers is the third-highest quarterback in the SEC behind Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia and Alabama's Jalen Milroe in total rushing yards with 436 and 4 touchdowns.
On defense for the Gamecocks, make no mistake about true freshman edge Dylan Stewart.
Stewart has been in the spotlight since the start of the season, recording four tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in his debut against Old Dominion. He earned a 97.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, the best single-game rated by a Power Five EDGE since 2020. The 6-foot-5 pass rusher has since been on other programs' radar, making sure to be wary of his lingering presence that seems to haunt backfields.
Sharing the defensive line with standout Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard, who's gathered 10.5 sacks, Stewart has totaled 18 tackles, 8.5 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 10 games. For reference, former South Carolina edge and first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jadeveon Clowney, collected 19 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a true freshman in 2011.
The comparisons are eerily similar, and it's become no stranger to why Stewart has become one of the most sought-after freshmen in the entire country this season. His performance so far is just the beginning of what promises to be a captivating collegiate career, and fans, analysts and scouts are eager to see what he will achieve next.
Enter former 2022 five-star recruit Cade Klubnik, who's at the helm in Swinney's offense as Clemson's quarterback.
To start his junior campaign, Klubnik struggled mightily in Clemson's Week 1 defeat against Georgia, where he put together only 188 yards of total offense. Since then, Klubnik has made a severe leap in his confidence and ability to pre-empt and move away from pressure.
As an offensive outputting machine, Klubnik has totaled 2,421 passing yards and obtained an impressive 26 touchdowns and three interceptions ratio since that loss against the Bulldogs. Similar to Sellers, it's what Klubnik has been able to do on the ground that makes him so prolific.
The Tigers quarterback has three rushing touchdowns of 30 yards or more this season.
In the absence of junior linebacker Wade Woodaz, Clemson's leading tackler with 61 total tackles, sophomore edge T.J. Parker stepped up and set the tone. Parker has a knack for being everywhere on the field, coming off a game-wrecking seven tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble performance in the team's victory over Pittsburgh .
On a defense decimated with injuries that have followed the Tigers through the season, Parker has taken a step forward, already surpassing his freshman sacks total by 3.5. The sophomore has also garnered four forced fumbles up to this point of the season. Parker's active hands at the line and ability to beat his opponents with speed or power off the edge certainly puts opposing teams on notice.
But the way South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White has had his defense playing this season will be enough to defeat Clemson.
Outside of their Week 10 loss against Louisville, Klubnik and the Clemson offense haven't been profusely pressured by a defense similar to Georgia, whose defense is notoriously known for spewing NFL talent at a high clip.
South Carolina sits 11th out of 134 FBS programs this season in yards per game with 309.3. The Gamecocks are also fifth in the country with average sacks per game at 3.5 sacks, showing no regard for quarterback pressure and opposing lines the team squares off against.
The noon kickoff heavily plays into the Gamecocks' favor going into Saturday. With the stakes this high, a night game would've added a different element due to Death Valley's vibrant atmosphere at night. If Clemson wants to tame the Gamecocks, the team will have to beat South Carolina through the air, as the secondary has remained one of South Carolina's main inconsistencies all season.
But the Gamecocks star-studded defensive front will make Klubnik's time in the pocket a nightmare to navigate and process the plays ahead of him.