Week 13: Rivalry Week

Its always nice to have a bye-week and my personal bye week from the hard, grueling blog grind came at great timing last week. No but seriously, last week seemed like I had something important to do every single day. Anyways, I'm back now and couldn't be more excited for rivalry week. Now lets get to business, shall we?

ITS RIVALRY WEEK! 

Its that time of the year again. The entire state of South Carolina is divided. You're either a Tiger or a Gamecock. No in between. Families are separated, friendships are put on hold...its the biggest weekend of the year in this state. Its the super bowl for South Carolina. Its not "just a game" and if you believe it is, you've clearly never been to one of these games. If you had told me in pre-season that we'd be 10-1 heading into this game with our lone lose coming to FSU on the road in a overall respectable loss, I would have laughed in your face. Sad thing is if I defense was just a little bit better, we'd be undefeated right now. Anyways, we have put together a great season and now have ourselves quite the match up this year in Death Valley. Clemson is riding a 13 game home winning streak. The last time they lost at home it was to...,you guessed it, South Carolina. However, much has changed this then and this years game will be much closer than the previous three. Clemson has look unstoppable on offense while looking absolutely horrible on defense at times. Tajh Boyd has nearly re-written Clemson's record books and DeAndre Hopkins is showing the nation what most people in the Clemson-Seneca area have known for years...he is one heck of a football player and athlete in general. For the Gamecocks, its been a roller coaster year. After looking like probably the best team in the nation against UGA, South Carolina lost the next two on the road to LSU and Florida and barely escaped Tennessee in Columbia the following week. They  wrapped up their home schedule with a less than impressive 24-7 win over Wofford while Clemson survived a shooutout with North Carolina State 62-48. And for the second straight year, Marcus Lattimore will be on the sidelines when these two teams meet up after his devastating knee injury. South Carolina has one of if not THE best defensive fronts in the country, but will they be able to disrupt Clemson's offense? I will be honest, if this game had been played four or five weeks ago, I would have picked South Carolina to win hands down. But the tables have since shifted and add in the mix Clemson is having its first night game in two years, against its rival who has had their number, with a BCS at-large bid on the table AND the simple fact Clemson has proved its not the same old Clemson team, makes things get a lot more interesting. Lets take a look at how this thing should play out! 

Players to Watch: 

For Clemson: 
QB Tajh Boyd--3,3336 passing yards; 41 TDs
WR DeAndre Hopkins--1171 Yards; 13 TDs
RB Andre Ellington--959 rushing yards; 8 TDs
Defensive Secondary--can they bounce back from last week's poor performance?


For South Carolina: 
QB Conner Shaw--1732 passing yards; 12 TDS
WR Ace Sanders--320 yards; 6 TDS
Defensive line--Can they terrorize a smarter, better, and quicker Tajh Boyd like they did last year?

When South Carolina Has The Ball: 

South Carolina has looked really good at times this year (see Missouri, UGA games) But at times, they looked equally as bad (See Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Wofford) The injury bug has been an issue and though he expected to play, not sure if Conner Shaw will be 100% when the takes the field and that could be a huge factor, obviously. Clemson's defense had improved tremendously after the first half of the season but took a major step back against North Carolina State Saturday. If Clemson can't get any pressure on Shaw it could be a long night on defense for the Tigers. Clemson's defensive front seems to get a little better each week and they should have no problem getting fired up and motivated for a strong performance against their rivals. However, bottom line here is South Carolina has a  talented offense and they are capable of causing Clemson a lot of headaches Saturday night. 

Advantage: South Carolina 

When Clemson Has The Ball: 

Clemson has scored almost at will this year and have scored over 35 points for 9 straight games. Boyd is 2nd in the nation in passing efficiency and Hopkins is arguably the best wide out in the nation and has the numbers to back it up. Clemson's offensive line has been overall pretty darn good this year, especially considering that was a major question mark entering the season. If Clemson can get the running game established early and force Carolina to respect the run, it will open up the passing game and Clemson has plenty of guys that go up and get the ball IF Boyd has enough time to throw down field. This is the best defense Clemson has seen all year and though I don't expect Clemson to drop 62 points like it did last week, they will score Saturday night and continue to do it in flashy ways. Clemson's consistency this year on offense gives them the upper hand here. The key for South Carolina is to stuff the running game and force Boyd to throw under pressure. If the running game gets going, especially if Boyd is able to get small chunks of yards here and there, it should be a fun night for the guys in orange. 

Advantage: Clemson 

Special Teams: 

Before last week I would have given Clemson the slight edge here but after last weeks showing against NC State I'm very concerned not only with our kick coverage but the line drive kicks Catanzaro was dealing Saturday night. Too close for comfort. Ace Sanders has proved he can take it to the house on more than one occasion this year so kicking to him will be dangerous. Special Teams and flipping the field is going to be HUGE in this game. This could very well be the deciding factor of the game. Clemson also has Spencer Benton who nailed a ACC record 62 yard field goal this season and could be called upon if needed late in the game. This could go either way, but I'm giving it to the Gamecocks. 

Advantage: South Carolina 

INTANGIBLES: 

From Boyd, to Hopkins, Watkins, Ellington, Ford and Bryant...Clemson has NFL talent at all the key positions and have skill players that can take it the distance every single time they touch the ball. These guys remember all to well how last season ended as well as how South Carolina has stuck it to them the past three years. The team has handled its success much better this year, has played to a standard every game and hasn't had the typical Clemson let down. The offense is in the top five nationally in scoring and Boyd's leadership, maturity and improvement from last season is unbelievable. Though the defense has looked very suspect and flat out terrible at times, the Tigers have won nearly every game by at least 14 points this year. South Carolina has been suspect at times this year against inferior opponents (see Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky) now I know a win is a win, but they can't afford to dig themselves into a hole Saturday night. Coach Spurrier is hall of fame coach and will have a good game plan ready and clearly has the coaching edge here with comes to the head coach. Luckily for Clemson, the coaches don't play the game.

Slight Advantage: Clemson 

The Bottom Line:

This game is going to come down to the trenches. Whoever can win the battle up front will

have more success. Also the team that can limit the mistakes. With Clemson having its first night game in two years and with all that's at stake, this atmosphere is going to be insane. Fans will have all day long to um..."get ready" for the game...and they will be very lively to say the least. If I'm Dabo and I win the toss, I'm taking the ball and possibly taking a shot down field the first or second of the game and trying to set the tone. An early score on the opening drive could go a long way in making sure Death Valley starts and stays loud all night long. South Carolina has owned Clemson as of late. However, the Tigers have simply not played well against them, (though SC has played a role in that). That being said this is different Clemson team. It has answered the call nearly every time this year. They are 8-2 against the spread this season with the only two times coming last week against State and early in the year against Ball St. Boyd had a nightmarish game last year but he's like a different player and not like a "concrete deer" this year as Morris called him. There is a lot on the the line and Clemson is catching the Gamecocks at a pretty favorable time. Shaw is struggling with  a foot injury, we all know Lattimore won't play and Clowney is fighting a nagging foot injury and bruised knee. They (Clemson) have to take advantage of the opportunity, and I think they will. The Spread is 4 points on the game and I think that's is right on the money. 

Prediction:  Clemson 31 South Carolina 27 

Take Your Pick: Rivalry Week

Florida v. Florida State

I'm torn in this game. Florida State hasn't gotten much love this year but they can put most of the blame on themselves when they lost on to NC State on the road. This is their shot to earn some respect and I think they put together their best game of the season since the Clemson showdown and they knock off the Gators in a very close game. 

Alabama v.  Auburn

Yeah....lets get serious here. I know anything can happen, but there is no way. Alabama wins, wins big and might just shutout the Tigers. Will this Chizik's last game on the Auburn sideline? Its been a long and tough year out on the plains and to say the Auburn faithful is frustrated would be a huge understatement.

Georgia v Georgia Tech

As much as I would like to see Tech pull the upset against UGA, once again I just don't see it happening. GT has struggled this year and I think the Bulldogs' defense will force some big turnovers that will ultimately doom the yellow jackets. UGA wins and gets ready for a HUGE showdown in the SEC Championship with Alabama. 

Ohio State v Michigan

Urban Meyer couldn't have asked for much more than what his players have done this year. They are undefeated and well on their way for the conference title game. Oh wait, no..they aren't eligible for that or the BCS title game this year. What a shame...all that hard work and they'll have basically nothing to show for it. But if you're looking for sympathy, keep looking cause you won't get any from me. DON'T CHEAT!!!! Anyways, Buckeyes win.