A total of 21 different Clemson coaches faced South Carolina, and only two have a losing streak, Bud Saunders (1-2) and, believe it or not, Howard. He had 13-15-2 against South Carolina, and in another “believe it or not”, the two teams scored exactly 411 points in these 30 meetings.
Another strange note about the series’ history is that only two of South Carolina’s 11 different coaches have a record for victories in Death Valley. One of them is Brad Scott, who scored 2-1 against Clemson at Memorial Stadium. He worked at Clemson as an assistant coach and football manager from 1999-19. Clemson has a record of 19-10-1 (0.650) against South Carolina in Death Valley and a record of 52-32-3 (0.615) in Columbia.
There were many remarkable moments in the series. In 1928, the two teams were going into the game 5-0, the last time both teams were unbeaten entering the contest. The injured OK Pressley left the bench to record a foul in four consecutive plays, in a performance that changed momentum in the second half. Pressley was Clemson’s first All-American.
A blocked punt was a big factor twice in the series in games that allowed Tigers to preserve unbeaten seasons. In 1948, with only 4:30 remaining and South Carolina with 28 possession with a 7-6 advantage, Phil Prince opened the scoring and blocked a punt. Oscar Thompson caught the ball in the 11th and ran for a touchdown. It was Clemson’s only touchdown in the 13-7 victory. The Tigers reached a record 11-0 that season.
In the 1981 season, the Gamecocks again had the ball on their own 28, but this time in the first half. Rod McSwain broke the line and blocked a punt. Football went all the way to the final zone, where Johnny Rembert, McSwain’s future teammate in the New England Patriots, recovered the ball for a touchdown.