Carolina/Clemson 2001/2000

Before we get to sports, let me ask a quick question… Why do strangers think that because I have an infant with me that means I want to talk to them (or let them talk to me or Susie)? I didn’t like strangers before… and now I have one in my life (Susie) that I love, so what are the odds I’ll want to talk to another stranger?

It’s looking like Jeremy’s boy (Charlie Weis) is going to be let go at Notre Dame. I’m split on this. I don’t like Weis, but I hate Notre Dame… so I kind of liked him being there and losing.

Someone should do a study to see if games between in-state rivals causes church attendance to rise on the Sunday before the big game. That would be an interesting. Now to our regular program…

USC: November 17, 2001. The Gamecocks came into this game looking to take out four years of frustration on the Tigers. The last time USC had beaten Clemson was in 1996 when Brad Scott was the head coach and Randy Wheeler and Benji Young were captains. Since then the Gamecocks had suffered a losing record in ’97, a one win season in 1998, and coaching change (that involved Brad Scott going over to the evil Tigers) that brought Hall of Fame coaching great Lou Holtz… only to go 0-11 in 1999. Things started to turn around in 2000 with the exception of a heartbreaking loss to Clemson (more on that below). 2001 started off great for USC with 5 straight wins which included wins at Georgia and at Mississippi State and they entered the Clemson game with a 7-3 record and a #22 ranking. The Tigers had also fallen on hard times, replacing Coach Tommy West with Coach Tommy Bowden at the end of the 1998 season. The Tigers entered this game after back to back losses to FSU and Maryland (who was actually good that year… strange). The Gamecocks won this game 20-15 and went on to beat Ohio State in the Outback Bowl to give them a 9-3 final record (5-3 in the SEC) and a final AP ranking of 13. One would think only good things were on the way for the Gamecocks. The Tigers went on to beat Duke (a make-up game due to 9/11) and then beat Louisiana Tech in the great Humanitarian Bowl. This gave the Tigers a final record of 7-5 (4-4 in the ACC). One more note about this game. One of the captains for USC in 2001 was Brian Scott. I saw Brian Scott play high school football in 1995 when Darlington faced James Island in the playoffs. Darlington won 28-0. At the end of the first half, my friend and baseball teammate Adam Mims threw a pass to my friend and baseball teammate Tony Elliott. At least, I think he was throwing to Tony. I can’t be 100% sure because the ball was caught in the back of the end zone by Brian Scott… who returned it 104 yards for a TD. Sorry, I couldn’t find any video on this game.

Clemson: November 18, 2000. The Catch II. The Tigers started the year with an 8 game winning streak. However, back to back losses to Georgia Tech and FSU put the Tigers in a bad mood heading into the Carolina game. The Gamecocks were also having a good year entering the game with a 7-3 record and a top 25 ranking. It was a low scoring game with the Gamecocks holding leading by 1 point with time running out. In a moment of desperation, Clemson QB Woody Dantzler threw a deep pass to Ron Gardner. This set up a game winning FG to give Clemson a 16-14 win. Clemson fans call this The Catch II while Gamecock fans call this the Push-Off (I guess because the Gamecock defender was making contact with Gardner the whole way down the field? I’m not real sure why they call it that…). Clemson would go on to get killed by Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. The Tigers would end the season with a 9-3 record (6-2 in the ACC) and a final ranking in the AP of 16. The Gamecocks would bounce back and defeat Ohio State in the Outback Bowl for a final record of 8-4 (5-3 in the SEC) and a final ranking of 19.


See Gamecock fans… this week hasn’t been so bad. I told you I’d keep it fair and balanced and I have. I didn’t say anything about the 45-0 Clemson win in 1989 or the 63-17 beat down the Tigers gave the Gamecocks in 2003 (both games happened in Columbia, by the way). No, I didn’t talk about either of those games. So for that, you’re welcome.

Cleveland Cavs update: The Cavs are at Charlotte tonight to play the Bobcats.

Winthrop Eagles update: The Eagles are back at work getting ready for their Monday night game.