It all started with a win over the Gamecocks
By: will-vandervort December 26, 2015

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jeff Davis remembers all the talk coming out of Columbia.

South Carolina was ranked No. 14 in the country and was headed to the Gator Bowl. The Gamecocks had the best player in the country in Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers and they were coming to Clemson to beat up on the Tigers.

“They were supposed to do these bad things to us … run us back up the hill,” Davis recalled. “But we ended up giving them a pretty good ole spanking.”

Thanks to Willie Underwood’s two interceptions, including one for a 37-yard touchdown, Clemson ran the Gamecocks back to Columbia with a 27-6 victory. Underwood finished the game with 101 return yards, as his first interception went for 64 yards and set up a Homer Jordan touchdown in the third quarter which turned the momentum and the game around.

“We sent them back to Columbia the way we were supposed to, with a defeat,” Davis said. “We went 6-5 that year. I thought coming in we had a pretty good team, but we weren’t as close as we were in 1981 so I thought that game against South Carolina in 1980 really took us into the 1981 season with the right mentality and the right focus.”

Willie_Underwood_1980

Thanks to Willie Underwood’s two interceptions, including one for a 37-yard touchdown, Clemson ran No. 14 South Carolina back to Columbia in 1980 with a 27-6 victory. Underwood finished the game with 101 return yards. (photo courtesy Clemson Athletic Communications)

Those Tigers rode the momentum from the South Carolina win all the way to Miami, Fla., the next year where they downed No. 4 Nebraska to complete a perfect 12-0 season and win the program’s only national championship to this point.

“The 1981 team was really a special team. We were really close, we were really dedicated and worked really hard,” Davis said. “We had a lot of players that really contributed to the success of that football team.”

Sound familiar?

Like the 1981 Tigers, the 2015 version also used a win over archrival South Carolina from the previous season to bring the team closer together. Though the Gamecocks in 2014 were not as good as the 1980 Gamecocks, they did own a five-game winning streak against Clemson coming into Death Valley.

But when quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for two more scores, and doing it with only one leg, in a 35-17 victory, it motivated the Tigers to turn things up a notch this season.

Their thought was, “If we can do that when Watson is playing with a torn ACL, imagine how good we could be when he is completely healthy.”

“There was just something different,” Clemson left guard Eric Mac Lain said. “This team was unique. You could tell by the way we held ourselves in practice. We were out there on the first day, and guys were hitting things as if we have been practicing for fifteen days or so.

“I knew at that point, with the coaches, with the addition of the great preparation, we would be phenomenal.”

Watson even took it a step further. Following the Tigers’ first practice in fall camp, he told the media they were going to win the national championship.

“No pressure, no diamond,” Mac Lain smiled. “We love that.”

Like in 1981, Clemson rode the momentum from the South Carolina victory all the way to South Beach and the College Football Playoffs. As the No. 1 seed, the Tigers will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the national semifinals on New Year’s Eve in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

“I think because they believe in what they do that when they hit the football field, and because they do it at such a high level, it’s not so much about what their opponents do. It’s more so about what they do, and when they do it well, it turns into a victory,” said Davis, who serves as an assistant athletic director at Clemson for football player relations.

“The more you win, and this is one of the things I said to our football team. ‘There are no question marks on your record. You’re 13-0.’ So when you are undefeated, there is only one thing you know how to think about, and that’s victory,” Davis continued. “So I think our guys have been approaching every game, and we have not played our best game in every game, but because we believe we are supposed to win, it has translated into a victory. That’s special. That’s better than having to be perfect.”

And it all started with a win over the Gamecocks.

COMPARISONS WITH 1981

With a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking there are many comparisons between this Clemson team and the 1981 squad that won the National Championship. Here are a few, including some personal relationships.

  • The defensive captain of Clemson’s 1981 team was Jeff Davis. Davis currently works in the football administration and he has twin sons on the current Clemson team, Judah and J.D. Davis.
  • Current Clemson starting offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt is the nephew of 1981 first-team All-ACC defensive tackle Dan Benish.
  • Clemson defensive line coach Dan Brooks coached 1981 running back Kevin Mack in high school in Kings Mountain, N.C.
  • Clemson freshman linebacker Jarvis Magwood is the son of 1981 wide receiver Frank Magwood. Clemson freshman tight end Cannon Smith is the son of 1981 starting defensive end Bill Smith, who is currently a member of the Clemson Board of Trustees.
  • The dates for 10 of the 13 games this year coincide with the dates of the games in 1981. Clemson opened the 1981 season on September 5 with a 45-10 win over Wofford. This year on September 5 Clemson opened the season with a 49-10 win over Wofford.
  • Clemson beat Kentucky 21-3 on October 3, 1981. The Tigers led Notre Dame 21-3 going into the fourth quarter on October 3, 2015.
  • Clemson recorded big wins on November 7 during each season. Clemson won at eighth-ranked North Carolina, 10-8 on November 7, 1981. This year, Clemson beat Florida State 23-13 on November 7.
  • Clemson’s 1981 team was coached by Alabama native and University of Alabama graduate Danny Ford. This Clemson team is coached by Alabama native and University of Alabama graduate Dabo Swinney.
  • Deshaun Watson was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the first week of November. It was the first time a Clemson athlete was on the cover of S.I. since Perry Tuttle in 1981. Watson was on the cover a second time in early December.
  • The Tiger quarterback in 1981 was Athens, Ga. native Homer Jordan. Gainesville, Ga. native Deshaun Watson is Clemson’s quarterback this year. The two Georgia cities are just 35 miles apart.
  • Clemson defeated Miami 58-0 this year, the largest victory margin in an ACC game for the Clemson program since an 82-24 win over Wake Forest in 1981.
  • Clemson played an eighth ranked North Carolina team on December 5 for the ACC Championship. In 1981 Clemson played an eighth ranked UNC team on November 7 that was basically for the ACC title. Entering the game in 1981, North Carolina had just one loss and that was to South Carolina. This year North Carolina entered with just one loss, to South Carolina. Clemson won both games.