Clemson University
Location: Clemson, SC
Students: 19,111
Head Coach: William Christopher “Dabo” Swinney (14-8 in 2nd season as head coach). Prior to coaching sold used cars in Powdersville.
Stadium: Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium aka Death Valley (capacity 80,301)
Famous CU Alumni: Strom Thurmond (US Senator), Nikki Haley (SC Governor) Lucas Glover (PGA) William “Refrigerator” Perry (NFL Great)
USC Record: 8-3 // Clemson’s Record: 6-5
Series Record: Clemson holds a 65-38-4 advantage in the series.
Let’s provide a breakdown of the is game and a score prediction for ya….
Snaphot of the Game: After gorging yourself on Thursday with Turkey and all the sides, there is nothing better then a good ole backyard brawl between the Tigers and Gamecocks. The roles have been reversed this season as the Gamecocks will have a SEC Championship game to prepare for after Clemson, just as the Tigers were preparing for there first ACC championship game last year when they visited Columbia. Carolina will need no extra motivation to continue the historical season with a win in Death Valley. In any game like this against the team you hate – records don’t matter. What this game boils down to his who wants the game more combined with who is “peaking” at the right and gets the momentum early.
Clemson’s Defense vs. USC’s Offense: Clemson’s defense – led by lineman Da’Quan Bowers and defensive back DeAndre McDaniel – is very stout. In fact the Tigers rank ninth in the nation in scoring defense and No. 24 in total defense. Their biggest strength is in their D line. So the USC offensive line must play a great game in protecting Stephen Garcia and creating running lanes for Marcus Lattimore. Speaking of Lattimore the USC offense flows through him so he has to have a productive game. By him being effective it opens up the USC offense. This means the passing game is doing well and the ball is being spread out nicely. Alshon Jeffery will be looked to for a good game but as noted the CU defense is good so USC must be smart. This will not be easy but if USC can come out early, establish the run and get on the boards first then it could be a “garnet and black” type day in Death Valley.
USC’s Defense vs. Clemson’s Offense: For Clemson to find success, they must have a productive passing attack as the Gamecocks will be looking early to shut down the Tigers rushing attack. The Tigers are 83rd in total offense (61 rushing offense / 80 passing offense) and will try their best to match the aggression of the Carolina defense. USC fields the 7th best rush defense in the nation and the 104th pass defense. As you can see just by those two stats, Clemson must have success in the arm of Kyle Parker. He is the key in this game for Clemson and USC will be looking to pressure him and force him into mistakes.
Keys for a USC win:
1. Win the trench battles on both sides of the ball as Clemson has a good O Line and a very good D Line.
2. Minimize Mistakes. Nothing dumb. No late hits or stupid penalties.
3. “Take care of business” approach to this game. Do not look past the Tigers from Clemson for those from Auburn.
Execute those three keys and USC wins. USC is the better team. For the Gamecocks, it boils down to ball control and capitalizing off the opportunities CU gives you. For the record, South Carolina will win this game much in the same fashion as last year. They will jump out early to the lead and coast to victory. Look for a 34-17 USC win on Saturday.
What is your thoughts of this game? Can Dabo pull a upset?
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