Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware said all the right things on Monday in regards to Saturday’s encounter with archrival South Carolina in Columbia.

It’s like any other game. We treat every opponent the same. The next game is the most important game … blah, blah, blah. Then he was asked about South Carolina’s stunning loss to The Citadel this past weekend, and his thoughts on it when he heard the news.

“I found out before we were going out to stretch, and I just laughed really,” Boulware said.

And there it is. That one statement sums up the true meaning of the Clemson-Carolina Rivalry. Neither side likes each other, nor is the other side pulling for the other.

“There is like a hate there. It is something that is really hard to describe,” Clemson center Jay Guillermo said. “I have never seen two groups of people that hate each other so much over a football game. That makes it a little more special for us because our fans are so great, and both fans are great.

“We want to do it for (the fans) as well. This game makes a person’s year, or it breaks a person’s year. There are some people that will be upset until next year if we do not win this game.”

One of those people would be Boulware’s brother, Garrett. The elder Boulware played baseball for the Tigers from 2012-’14 and more times than not his teams came up short against the hated Gamecocks, including once in the NCAA Regionals in Columbia.

“It definitely made him mad. He despised South Carolina because when he was catching he experienced their fans and their players and he did not really have any good experiences when he played them,” Ben Boulware said. “Not because they won or lost but because of the environment, the fans … it just wasn’t a good time when he played them. Stuff always happened so he does not like South Carolina at all. I have never heard any good things come from his mouth when he talks about South Carolina.”

Last year, the top-ranked Tigers (11-0) ended South Carolina’s five-game winning streak in the rivalry with a 35-17 victory at Death Valley. They never trailed in the game and dominated it from start to finish.

“We finally got them back,” Boulware said. “The past five or six years they have owned this rivalry, but I think we are definitely starting to turn things around.”

Growing up in nearby Anderson, Boulware says the Clemson-Carolina game was always talked about. He said the city is almost split down the middle when it comes to choosing sides.

“I heard a lot of buzz about it growing up, but we are just looking to turn things around and get another streak going,” Boulware said.

The Gamecocks (3-8) come in reeling following the upsetting loss to The Citadel. They have lost four straight, and are 1-4 since South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier resigned as head coach in Week 7.

But don’t think anyone over at Clemson is feeling sorry for them.

“We were pretty happy in the locker room,” said Boulware in regards to the news Carolina lost to The Citadel. “The Citadel has had a good year. They are a good team. I guess (South Carolina) kind of looked forward to this week and they did not really prepare well for The Citadel.

“I think that is what we have done a good job of this year. We have prepared for each team like it is the national championship game. The way we prepared for Wofford is the same way we prepared for Wake Forest. I think we have done a good job of that and I think our coaches have instilled in that value that we cannot take any team lightly. I guess they took the Citadel a little too lightly.”

And Clemson laughed at the Gamecocks own expense. But that is not surprising considering the amount of hate each side has for the other.