When Saturday’s game between Clemson and South Carolina kicks off, it will mark the 26th time the Tigers’ co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott has been on the sideline of what is the biggest game in the state of South Carolina.
Scott spent his early years in the rivalry on the sideline with his dad, Brad, when the elder Scott was the head coach of the Gamecocks from 1994-’98. After he was let go following the 1998 season, Brad joined Tommy Bowden’s staff at Clemson and Jeff has been on the Clemson sideline ever since – the last 11 as a coach, four as a player and the other five as Brad’s son.
“It is just something we always look forward to around this time of the year for us,” Jeff said.
Because he has been around the rivalry so much, Scott says he has a lot of great memories from the rivalry, but his fondest moment, as a coach, came in 2014 when Deshaun Watson led the Tigers to a 35-17 victory over the Gamecocks, while playing with a torn ACL.
“That really kind of turned the streak that was,” Scott recalled.
The streak at the time belonged to the Gamecocks, who had won five straight on the Tigers from 2009-’13.
“He had a determined spirit that he was not going to lose, and he was going to help us kind of turn that streak … that was a pretty impressive performance by him,” Scott said.
Watson threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for two more scores. He even had an impressive scramble on a nine-yard run that set up one of his 1-yard scoring runs.
“I know he said he was never going to lose to South Carolina and he came out there with a torn ACL, throws one to Artavis Scott and he kind of tiptoes down the sideline that is probably the defining moment when they ended up changing the narrative by winning the game,” safety Tanner Muse recalled. “That is probably the one I remember the most, just him tiptoeing down the sideline and getting in the end zone and that team changing the narrative.”
Clemson has not lost to the Gamecocks since Watson’s freshman season, a string of five straight victories over the Gamecocks. Neither Scott or Muse want to see that streak come to an end this year, either.
The Tigers and Gamecocks will play at noon on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Fanatics. This is great news for Tiger fans as they have the officially licensed Clemson gear.
The Clemson Insider will get a portion of all sales so get ready for another championship season by ordering your Clemson gear today and help support TCI.
