Rivalry look-back: How South Carolina’s wins over Clemson elevated Gamecocks’ seasons

Rivalry games always carry weight. If they go the wrong way, they can spoil the tone of a season.

Even if both teams aren’t having good seasons (or if one is), there’s a finality in knocking off an in-state rival.

Each time South Carolina has knocked off Clemson on the gridiron, it means something. As the teams prepare for their 121st meeting — and with both ranked in the Top 25 — it’s worth looking back at how some of South Carolina wins in recent decades defined the Gamecocks’ seasons.

1992: South Carolina 24, Clemson 13

The Gamecocks had been knocked out of the bowl picture by an 0-5 start and a loss to Steve Spurrier’s third Florida team. But they could still play spoiler against Clemson. The 24-13 loss denied the Tigers a chance at a bowl, snapping a seven-year streak. The game also provided the iconic moment of USC quarterback Steve Taneyhill signing the field and standing tall against a sea of orange.

1994: South Carolina 33, Clemson 7

South Carolina rolled into the game at 5-5 under coach Brad Scott, looking to earn a first bowl trip since 1988. They’d get it by scoring the game’s final 26 points behind 104 yards from Brandon Bennett and 226 from Taneyhill. The win locked in the program’s first winning season since 1990 and sent the program to the Carquest Bowl in Miami. There, the program notched its first bowl win by upending West Virginia 24-21. (Clemson finished 5-6 in Tommy West’s first season.)

1996: South Carolina 34, Clemson 31

The 34-31 upset in Death Valley clinched Scott’s second and final winning season. It also handed a ranked Tigers team a defeat, and they stayed out of the final rankings after a Peach Bowl loss. Duce Staley’s 133 rushing yards also clinched what was at the time the fourth 1,000-yard season in program history. The game was tight for much of the afternoon, with Clemson leading to start the fourth. But South Carolina rolled up three touchdowns in eight minutes to run out to a 17-point lead. The win was one of the program’s last high points before the Lou Holtz-led turnaround in 2000.

2001: South Carolina 20, Clemson 15

The biggest thing accomplished with this win was USC snapping a losing streak in the rivalry that had run out to four games. It also clinched a second eight-win season in a row, reaching that mark for only the eighth time in school history. It gave the program a chance for a ninth win for only the second time in program history, which the team reached in the Outback Bowl. Holtz also notched his first and only win against the Tigers as Gamecocks coach.

2006: South Carolina 31, Clemson 28

Spurrier, now the Gamecocks’ coach, earned his first win against the in-state rival by snapping a four-game run for the Tigers. The win gave the Gamecocks consecutive winning seasons for only the fifth time since 1980. It also gave the team an opportunity for an eighth win (which they got in the Liberty Bowl against Houston). That was the ninth time the Gamecocks reached that mark and the only time they would do so in Spurrier’s first five seasons.

2009: South Carolina 34, Clemson 17

Looking back now, this 34-17 win was a bit of an energy changer. The Gamecocks came in on a three-game losing streak, and a fourth would drop them to 6-6 in Spurrier’s fifth season. The coach himself said he didn’t feel any job pressure, but knocking around a ranked Tigers team set to play for a conference title likely quieted any hot seat talk and started South Carolina’s best run in the series.

2010: South Carolina 29, Clemson 7

South Carolina put a capper on one of its best seasons to that point by just running away from the Tigers. That gave the Gamecocks nine wins for only the third time in school history, an added bonus after winning the SEC East title a week prior. Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team dropped to 6-6. South Carolina lost in the SEC championship and in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and finished 9-5 overall.

2011: South Carolina 34, Clemson 13

South Carolina’s dominant 34-13 win delivered the Gamecocks their second 10-win regular season in program history, matching the mark set in 1984. It meant they went into bowl season ranked in the top 10, setting them up for the best poll finish in program history to that point. It was also the first meeting between Spurrier’s dominant late-career teams and Clemson’s double-digit win squads under Swinney. The game was also a crown jewel game for a Gamecocks defense that was one of the best in the country, with five sacks on Clemson QB Tajh Boyd.

2012: South Carolina 27, Clemson 17

The hard-fought 27-17 comeback win put the Gamecocks in a somewhat rarefied air. They finished 10-2 for the second year in a row, a tall task for any SEC team most seasons, let alone doing it back to back. The victory sent them into the postseason at No. 11 and on the way to a No. 8 finish. The victory was also Spurrier’s 65th in garnet and black, moving him to No. 1 on the program’s all-time list. The game helped build the legend of two defenders as Jadeveon Clowney delivered his 4.5-sack game and D.J. Swearinger had an iconic hit on tailback Andre Ellington.

2013: South Carolina 31, Clemson 17

Beating the Tigers 31-17 after blowing a double-digit lead and then pulling away was one of the highest points for the season and for the program’s most dominant era. The Gamecocks’ fifth win in a row in the series sent the team into the postseason at No. 8, setting the stage for a top-5 finish. The Tigers were also No. 6 at the time, meaning it was the second top-10 win of that season, an unusual feat for most any team.

2022: South Carolina 31, Clemson 30

The 31-30, come-from-behind victory added a second crown jewel to a season with wild swings. A 5-2 start had slipped to 6-4 for USC, but the Gamecocks went nuclear on Tennessee and followed that up by ringing up a big day in Death Valley. It snapped a six-game losing streak in the Palmetto Bowl and earned Shane Beamer his first rivalry game win. The game also knocked the Tigers out of the College Football Playoff, a fact that likely didn’t hurt the feelings of many Gamecocks fans.

This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 7:30 AM.