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Tiger Trivia by Tim Bourret
Tiger Trivia by Tim Bourret
Clemson vs. South Carolina Preview
The Game
•Clemson (11-0, 8-0) vs. South Carolina (4-7, 3-5)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by AP
•ESPN, Noon (Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill)
•Williams Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC (80,250)
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 70-42-4, and the 70 victories are the most the Tigers have against any school. Clemson has 67 wins against Wake Forest, the second most the Tigers have against any school. The Tigers are coming off a 52-3 win over the Demon Deacons.
•The two schools have traded five-game winning streaks in the series over the last 10 years. The five-game streak for South Carolina between 2009-13 was the longest for the Gamecocks in the history of the series (they did have a six-year unbeaten streak from 1949-54 that included a tie in 1950). The current five-game winning streak for Clemson is the best for the Tigers in the series since a seven-game winning streak from 1934-40.
•Clemson has outscored South Carolina 218-101, an average score of 43.6-20.2. Clemson has scored exactly 56 points against the Gamecocks each of the two seasons the Tigers won the National Championship in the last three years. Clemson won 56-7 in 2016 and 56-35 last year.
•Last year the two teams combined for 1,344 yards, the most combined yards in the history of the series and the second most in any game in Clemson history. The Tigers gained 744 yards, the third highest total in Clemson history, while South Carolina gained an even 600, the fifth most in history against Clemson. That included 510 yards passing, the second most passing yards in history vs. Clemson.
•Clemson had 40 first downs against South Carolina in 2016 and 38 last year, the top two totals in Clemson history.
•Clemson has scored the most points against South Carolina during the 2016 (56), 2017 (34) and 2018 (56). To keep the streak alive the Tigers will have to score 48 this year. Alabama scored 47 in a victory in Columbia earlier this year.
The Coaches
• Will Muschamp, a 1994 graduate of Georgia, will complete his fourth year at South Carolina on Saturday. He has a record of 26-24 at South Carolina and is 54-45 overall in eight years as a head coach.
•Muschamp was 28-21 in four years as the head coach at Florida (2011-14). He has also been a top assistant coach at LSU, Texas and Auburn over his career. He coached in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
•Earlier this year he coached South Carolina to a victory at third ranked Georgia, tied for the second highest ranked team South Carolina has beaten in its history.
•Muschamp is 0-3 vs. Clemson.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 127-30 (.809) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon.
•Swinney’s record includes a 78-16 mark in ACC games and that .830 winning percentage is the best in league history.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson quarterbacks from the state of Georgia are 16-0 against South Carolina dating to a 1980 victory led by starting quarterback Homer Jordan (Athens). Clemson’s starting quarterback on Saturday will be Trevor Lawrence, a native of Cartersville, Georgia.
•In three games in the month of November, Trevor Lawrence has an efficiency rating of 214.77, second best in the nation. He is 53-70 for 766 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions. He has averaged 11 yards per pass attempt.
•Clemson is the only team in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense, total offense and total defense.
•South Carolina running back Tavien Feaster played for Clemson from 2016-18 and is second in Clemson history in yards per rush (5.99) behind current Tiger Travis Etienne. Feaster has scored a touchdown against South Carolina for Clemson each of the last two years. He had 9-63 rushing against the Gamecocks last year. He will join Carey Cox (1940s) and Paul Robinson (1978-80) to play for and against Clemson in this series.
•Clemson is sixth in the nation in tackles for loss with 94, yet only one players has over 8 for the season and the leader, Isaiah Simmons has just 12.
Dabo Swinney on South Carolina
“I am impressed with Ryan Hilinski. He is an accurate passer (only four interceptions), and gets the ball down field. He has a bright future.
“They have a stable of running backs. Tavien Feaster has had an excellent year. I root for him the other 11 games, but not this game. Rico Dowdle has been outstanding and I am impressed with how Mon Denson has played the second half of the season. He is a big back.
“If Bryan Edwards can’t play it is a big loss for them. He is a terrific player and has had a phenomenal career. Shi Smith is a player we are familiar with and he has big play capabilities.
“They are doing a lot of different things on offense and do what it takes to move the ball. We struggled last year lining up against South Carolina. We didn’t tackle well. We played well on defense 13 of the 15 games last year but not against South Carolina. They played well on offense. We couldn’t have played much better on offense (744 yards and 56 points).
“On defense, South Carolina’s strength is in their defensive line. Javon Kinlaw is as good a defensive lineman as you will see. He is big, strong and long. He has effected every game he has played this year. We have seen him since high school. He is massive and can move and has great strength. He really reminds me of Dexter Lawrence.
“Israel Mukuamu is a 6-4 corner who is really a challenge. He is among the best we have seen. He showed what he can do when he had the three interceptions against Georgia (and was national defensive player of the week).
“I know South Carolina has not had the record they want, but they went to Georgia and won. We just have to go out and be the best team on Saturday.
Clemson Offense vs. South Carolina Defense
Clemson ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 45.9 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in nine of the 11 games so far this year. Only Texas A&M and North Carolina have held Clemson under 40 points.
Additionally, Clemson is third in the nation in total offense, averaging 543.1 yards per game, 283 a game through the air and 260.5 a game on the ground, one of the most balanced teams in the nation. The Tigers are fourth in the nation in yards per play at 7.49 and that rate is on pace to be the best in Clemson history.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never lost as the Clemson starter, a perfect 22-0. Most of those 22 wins have been decisive and he has never take a second-half snap with Clemson trailing. Lawrence is 190-279 this year, a .681 completion percentage, 12th best in the nation. He is eighth in the nation in passing efficiency with a 171.82, on pace to be a Clemson record. He has 27 touchdown passes to eight interceptions, and his 9.2 yards per attempt ranks 10th nationally.
Lawrence has been on fire since October 1. He was fifth in the nation in passing efficiency in October and is second so far in November. He has also become a factor in the running game, as he has 63 carries for 317 yards. a 5.0 average, and seven touchdowns. He had just one rushing touchdown last year. John Simpson, a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, has been the leader of an offensive line that starts four seniors.
Travis Etienne is the leading rusher for the Tigers with 1,335 yards on 153 attempts. His 8.73 yards per rush is best in the nation and his 8.13 yards per career for his career is on a record pace for a Power 5 Conference player. He had a Clemson record setting sixth straight 100-yard rushing game against Wake Forest. With 3,759 rushing yards for his career, Etienne needs just 208 yards to break Raymond Priester’s record of 3966, a record that has stood since 1997.
Lawrence has plenty of outstanding pass catchers. Tee Higgins leads the way in reception yards with 799 on 40 catches and a team best eight touchdowns. He had a Clemson record tying three touchdown catches in the win over Wake Forest. Justyn Ross leads the team in receptions with 43 for 537 yards and six scores. Amari Rodgers has 25 catches for 372 yards and four scores, in an 87 yarder at Syracuse, while Deondre Overton has 16-277 and three scores. Etienne also has become a threat out of the backfield with 25 catches for 252 and two scores.
South Carolina gives up 25 points and 381 yards per game in terms of total offense for the season. The Gamecocks allow 153 per game rushing and 228 a game passing. They have given up 100 points in the fourth quarter.
Ernest Jones leads the team in tackles with 88, while T.J. Brunson has 71. Aaron Sterling and Javon Kinlaw have six sacks apiece to lead the team that has 23 total sacks for the season. Israel Mukuamu is among the best all-around players on the team with a team best four interceptions and 55 tackles. He was national player of the week against Georgia when he had three interceptions.
Clemson Defense vs. South Carolina Offense
The Clemson defense is on a mission for this game because South Carolina recorded 600 yards and 35 points against the Tigers last year. Clemson still won the game by 21 points, but it was the most points and most yards recorded against Clemson all year by a wide margin.
Clemson has been among the national leaders in a number of defensive categories all year. Entering Saturday’s game the Tigers are first in the nation in pass efficiency defense (89.92 rating points) and first in completion percentage defense, allowing just 47.1 percent. The Tigers are second in passing yards allowed per game (128.5) and second in yards per pass attempt at 5.4. Clemson has 13 interceptions to rank 12th in the nation, and Clemson’s 24 turnovers forced ranks tied for third in the nation.
Clemson is very balanced in terms of its defensive numbers. The Tigers have 34 sacks, but 19 different players have been involved in those sacks. Clemson has 94 tackles for loss and 39 players have been involved in those tackles for loss. Only one player has more than eight tackles for loss.
Isaiah Simmons, a hybrid safety and linebacker, leads the team in almost all defensive categories. He has 72 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. The junior has four passes broken up. His 206 career tackles are more than any other Clemson player. Simmons is a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award.
James Skalski has 64 tackles and six tackles for loss, while fifth year graduate Chad Smith has 50 tackles. K’Von Wallace has 45 stops, while safety Tanner Muse has 41 tackles, five tackles for loss and a team best four interceptions. True freshman Tyler Davis leads the defensive line with 30 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.
South Carolina’s offense is led by freshman quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who has started the last 10 games and has a 4-6 record in those games. He has three 300-yard passing games so far this year, including a 323-yard performance against then #1 ranked Alabama. Hilinski has completed 230-379 passes for 225 yards per game and 11 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He has completed 58 percent of his passes.
The top rusher is Tavien Feaster, who played for Clemson from 2016-18 and is playing 2019 as a graduate transfer. The native of Spartanburg has 112 carries for 665 yards and five scores. He had 175 of those yards against Florida, his career high and the sixth most rushing yards in a game against an SEC opponent for the Gamecocks. Rico Dowdle is the second leading rusher with 478 yards on 99 attempts and four scores.
Bryan Edwards is the top receiver with 71 catches for 816 yards and six scores. But, his status for the game due to an injury, is unknown. He is South Carolina’s leading receiver in yards and catches and is second in touchdown receptions. Shi Smith has 38 receptions for 449 yards and two scores. Nick Muse, the brother of Clemson safety Tanner Muse, has 17-158, but he is also out with an injury.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 56 touchbacks on 74 kickoffs so far this year and is third in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.53 yards per kickoff average. He has 135 career touchbacks on 189 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 42.56. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.4, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 10.4 punt return average.
•South Carolina punter Joseph Charlton is second in the nation in punting average with a 48.03 figure. His 45.6 average for his career is the best in South Carolina history and third best among active punters nationally. He has 25 punts of 50 yards or more.
•South Carolina kicker Parker White is 17-21 this year and 44-62 for his career. He is 31-34 inside the 40 for his career and is fourth in South Carolina history in field goals made and fifth in scoring (228). White has had a game winning or game tying field goal five times in his career.
The Game
•Clemson (11-0, 8-0) vs. South Carolina (4-7, 3-5)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by AP
•ESPN, Noon (Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill)
•Williams Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC (80,250)
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 70-42-4, and the 70 victories are the most the Tigers have against any school. Clemson has 67 wins against Wake Forest, the second most the Tigers have against any school. The Tigers are coming off a 52-3 win over the Demon Deacons.
•The two schools have traded five-game winning streaks in the series over the last 10 years. The five-game streak for South Carolina between 2009-13 was the longest for the Gamecocks in the history of the series (they did have a six-year unbeaten streak from 1949-54 that included a tie in 1950). The current five-game winning streak for Clemson is the best for the Tigers in the series since a seven-game winning streak from 1934-40.
•Clemson has outscored South Carolina 218-101, an average score of 43.6-20.2. Clemson has scored exactly 56 points against the Gamecocks each of the two seasons the Tigers won the National Championship in the last three years. Clemson won 56-7 in 2016 and 56-35 last year.
•Last year the two teams combined for 1,344 yards, the most combined yards in the history of the series and the second most in any game in Clemson history. The Tigers gained 744 yards, the third highest total in Clemson history, while South Carolina gained an even 600, the fifth most in history against Clemson. That included 510 yards passing, the second most passing yards in history vs. Clemson.
•Clemson had 40 first downs against South Carolina in 2016 and 38 last year, the top two totals in Clemson history.
•Clemson has scored the most points against South Carolina during the 2016 (56), 2017 (34) and 2018 (56). To keep the streak alive the Tigers will have to score 48 this year. Alabama scored 47 in a victory in Columbia earlier this year.
The Coaches
• Will Muschamp, a 1994 graduate of Georgia, will complete his fourth year at South Carolina on Saturday. He has a record of 26-24 at South Carolina and is 54-45 overall in eight years as a head coach.
•Muschamp was 28-21 in four years as the head coach at Florida (2011-14). He has also been a top assistant coach at LSU, Texas and Auburn over his career. He coached in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
•Earlier this year he coached South Carolina to a victory at third ranked Georgia, tied for the second highest ranked team South Carolina has beaten in its history.
•Muschamp is 0-3 vs. Clemson.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 127-30 (.809) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon.
•Swinney’s record includes a 78-16 mark in ACC games and that .830 winning percentage is the best in league history.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson quarterbacks from the state of Georgia are 16-0 against South Carolina dating to a 1980 victory led by starting quarterback Homer Jordan (Athens). Clemson’s starting quarterback on Saturday will be Trevor Lawrence, a native of Cartersville, Georgia.
•In three games in the month of November, Trevor Lawrence has an efficiency rating of 214.77, second best in the nation. He is 53-70 for 766 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions. He has averaged 11 yards per pass attempt.
•Clemson is the only team in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense, total offense and total defense.
•South Carolina running back Tavien Feaster played for Clemson from 2016-18 and is second in Clemson history in yards per rush (5.99) behind current Tiger Travis Etienne. Feaster has scored a touchdown against South Carolina for Clemson each of the last two years. He had 9-63 rushing against the Gamecocks last year. He will join Carey Cox (1940s) and Paul Robinson (1978-80) to play for and against Clemson in this series.
•Clemson is sixth in the nation in tackles for loss with 94, yet only one players has over 8 for the season and the leader, Isaiah Simmons has just 12.
Dabo Swinney on South Carolina
“I am impressed with Ryan Hilinski. He is an accurate passer (only four interceptions), and gets the ball down field. He has a bright future.
“They have a stable of running backs. Tavien Feaster has had an excellent year. I root for him the other 11 games, but not this game. Rico Dowdle has been outstanding and I am impressed with how Mon Denson has played the second half of the season. He is a big back.
“If Bryan Edwards can’t play it is a big loss for them. He is a terrific player and has had a phenomenal career. Shi Smith is a player we are familiar with and he has big play capabilities.
“They are doing a lot of different things on offense and do what it takes to move the ball. We struggled last year lining up against South Carolina. We didn’t tackle well. We played well on defense 13 of the 15 games last year but not against South Carolina. They played well on offense. We couldn’t have played much better on offense (744 yards and 56 points).
“On defense, South Carolina’s strength is in their defensive line. Javon Kinlaw is as good a defensive lineman as you will see. He is big, strong and long. He has effected every game he has played this year. We have seen him since high school. He is massive and can move and has great strength. He really reminds me of Dexter Lawrence.
“Israel Mukuamu is a 6-4 corner who is really a challenge. He is among the best we have seen. He showed what he can do when he had the three interceptions against Georgia (and was national defensive player of the week).
“I know South Carolina has not had the record they want, but they went to Georgia and won. We just have to go out and be the best team on Saturday.
Clemson Offense vs. South Carolina Defense
Clemson ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 45.9 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in nine of the 11 games so far this year. Only Texas A&M and North Carolina have held Clemson under 40 points.
Additionally, Clemson is third in the nation in total offense, averaging 543.1 yards per game, 283 a game through the air and 260.5 a game on the ground, one of the most balanced teams in the nation. The Tigers are fourth in the nation in yards per play at 7.49 and that rate is on pace to be the best in Clemson history.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never lost as the Clemson starter, a perfect 22-0. Most of those 22 wins have been decisive and he has never take a second-half snap with Clemson trailing. Lawrence is 190-279 this year, a .681 completion percentage, 12th best in the nation. He is eighth in the nation in passing efficiency with a 171.82, on pace to be a Clemson record. He has 27 touchdown passes to eight interceptions, and his 9.2 yards per attempt ranks 10th nationally.
Lawrence has been on fire since October 1. He was fifth in the nation in passing efficiency in October and is second so far in November. He has also become a factor in the running game, as he has 63 carries for 317 yards. a 5.0 average, and seven touchdowns. He had just one rushing touchdown last year. John Simpson, a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, has been the leader of an offensive line that starts four seniors.
Travis Etienne is the leading rusher for the Tigers with 1,335 yards on 153 attempts. His 8.73 yards per rush is best in the nation and his 8.13 yards per career for his career is on a record pace for a Power 5 Conference player. He had a Clemson record setting sixth straight 100-yard rushing game against Wake Forest. With 3,759 rushing yards for his career, Etienne needs just 208 yards to break Raymond Priester’s record of 3966, a record that has stood since 1997.
Lawrence has plenty of outstanding pass catchers. Tee Higgins leads the way in reception yards with 799 on 40 catches and a team best eight touchdowns. He had a Clemson record tying three touchdown catches in the win over Wake Forest. Justyn Ross leads the team in receptions with 43 for 537 yards and six scores. Amari Rodgers has 25 catches for 372 yards and four scores, in an 87 yarder at Syracuse, while Deondre Overton has 16-277 and three scores. Etienne also has become a threat out of the backfield with 25 catches for 252 and two scores.
South Carolina gives up 25 points and 381 yards per game in terms of total offense for the season. The Gamecocks allow 153 per game rushing and 228 a game passing. They have given up 100 points in the fourth quarter.
Ernest Jones leads the team in tackles with 88, while T.J. Brunson has 71. Aaron Sterling and Javon Kinlaw have six sacks apiece to lead the team that has 23 total sacks for the season. Israel Mukuamu is among the best all-around players on the team with a team best four interceptions and 55 tackles. He was national player of the week against Georgia when he had three interceptions.
Clemson Defense vs. South Carolina Offense
The Clemson defense is on a mission for this game because South Carolina recorded 600 yards and 35 points against the Tigers last year. Clemson still won the game by 21 points, but it was the most points and most yards recorded against Clemson all year by a wide margin.
Clemson has been among the national leaders in a number of defensive categories all year. Entering Saturday’s game the Tigers are first in the nation in pass efficiency defense (89.92 rating points) and first in completion percentage defense, allowing just 47.1 percent. The Tigers are second in passing yards allowed per game (128.5) and second in yards per pass attempt at 5.4. Clemson has 13 interceptions to rank 12th in the nation, and Clemson’s 24 turnovers forced ranks tied for third in the nation.
Clemson is very balanced in terms of its defensive numbers. The Tigers have 34 sacks, but 19 different players have been involved in those sacks. Clemson has 94 tackles for loss and 39 players have been involved in those tackles for loss. Only one player has more than eight tackles for loss.
Isaiah Simmons, a hybrid safety and linebacker, leads the team in almost all defensive categories. He has 72 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. The junior has four passes broken up. His 206 career tackles are more than any other Clemson player. Simmons is a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award.
James Skalski has 64 tackles and six tackles for loss, while fifth year graduate Chad Smith has 50 tackles. K’Von Wallace has 45 stops, while safety Tanner Muse has 41 tackles, five tackles for loss and a team best four interceptions. True freshman Tyler Davis leads the defensive line with 30 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.
South Carolina’s offense is led by freshman quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who has started the last 10 games and has a 4-6 record in those games. He has three 300-yard passing games so far this year, including a 323-yard performance against then #1 ranked Alabama. Hilinski has completed 230-379 passes for 225 yards per game and 11 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He has completed 58 percent of his passes.
The top rusher is Tavien Feaster, who played for Clemson from 2016-18 and is playing 2019 as a graduate transfer. The native of Spartanburg has 112 carries for 665 yards and five scores. He had 175 of those yards against Florida, his career high and the sixth most rushing yards in a game against an SEC opponent for the Gamecocks. Rico Dowdle is the second leading rusher with 478 yards on 99 attempts and four scores.
Bryan Edwards is the top receiver with 71 catches for 816 yards and six scores. But, his status for the game due to an injury, is unknown. He is South Carolina’s leading receiver in yards and catches and is second in touchdown receptions. Shi Smith has 38 receptions for 449 yards and two scores. Nick Muse, the brother of Clemson safety Tanner Muse, has 17-158, but he is also out with an injury.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 56 touchbacks on 74 kickoffs so far this year and is third in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.53 yards per kickoff average. He has 135 career touchbacks on 189 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 42.56. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.4, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 10.4 punt return average.
•South Carolina punter Joseph Charlton is second in the nation in punting average with a 48.03 figure. His 45.6 average for his career is the best in South Carolina history and third best among active punters nationally. He has 25 punts of 50 yards or more.
•South Carolina kicker Parker White is 17-21 this year and 44-62 for his career. He is 31-34 inside the 40 for his career and is fourth in South Carolina history in field goals made and fifth in scoring (228). White has had a game winning or game tying field goal five times in his career.