Clemson and South Carolina will renew the annual in-state rivalry on Saturday.

The Tigers (6-5, 4-4 ACC) will travel to Columbia looking for their sixth consecutive win in Williams-Brice Stadium. The last time the Gamecocks (4-7, 1-7 SEC) knocked off Clemson at home was back in 2013. In fact, the visiting team has won each of the past five games in the series.

While Shane Beamer’s team has won two of the past three, Dabo Swinney’s squad has notched victories in eight out of the last ten, and a win on Saturday would mark the first time a Clemson team has won seven games in a season after having started the year with one win or fewer through four games.

5 Things to Watch For

1. Taking Back Momentum: Despite Clemson having won eight of 10, South Carolina has all the momentum in the series after winning each of the past two games in Death Valley. Losing a third time in four years to your biggest rival isn’t exactly the way the Tigers want to finish.

There is no way to put a positive spin on how the season has played out, considering the preseason expectations. That is just putting lipstick on a pig, but a win in the rivalry game would at least send the program into the offseason with a little positive momentum, no matter what happens in a bowl game that will likely see plenty of opt-outs.

A win or a loss won’t really impact any changes that are coming once the season is over, but a loss would certainly put a bigger stain on a season that has already been disappointing enough for the fan base.

2. Keep LaNorris Contained: No matter what happens, Clemson can’t let LaNorris Sellers beat them again with his legs. Sellers absolutely killed the Tigers in last year’s game to the tune of 166 rushing yards. He was absolutely stellar at rendering the Clemson defense ineffective.

If Clemson is going to win this game, Sellers has to be contained. South Carolina isn’t using him as a runner as often this season, but Saturday feels like a prime opportunity to really cut him loose, especially since the Gamecocks have a new play caller.

The Tigers’ run defense ranks 24th nationally, and they are allowing just 3.65 yards per carry. However, the group has been prone to giving up the chunk plays. Allowing Sellers to break contain on scramble plays could prove to be very costly. Those rush lanes must be sealed off.

3. Bring Some Heat: It’s been pretty well-documented that Tom Allen hasn’t dialed up as much pressure as he would like due to coverage issues on the backend of the defense. Well, South Carolina is allowing pressure from just a four-man rush close to 50% of the time in those situations.

The Gamecocks’ offensive line has been abysmal, leading to Beamer firing his offensive line coach weeks ago. Only four teams in the entire FBS have allowed more than the 38 sacks South Carolina has allowed. Those four teams are Stanford, Auburn, Ball State and Troy.

Putting pressure on Sellers will also protect the secondary, which has had its fair share of issues in coverage.

4. Minimize Busts: Speaking of the secondary, the Tigers can not afford a bunch of coverage busts on the backend. While Sellers has undoubtedly taken a step back this season, he’s still been pretty good at delivering the deep ball, and Nick Harbor has the speed to take the top off of any defense.

Losing track of Harbor, or allowing him to get behind the coverage, will lead to some quick strike scores, and the Clemson offense just hasn’t been consistent enough to lead anyone to believe they will win in a shootout-type game.

5. Limit the Mistakes: The Tigers have only won the turnover battle four times all season. They are 3-1 in those games. This team can’t afford to lose it on Saturday. When Clemson has lost these games during the Swinney era, more often than not, the Tigers have lost the turnover margin.

That means Cade Klubnik will have to be smart with the football. The senior has been prone to making a mental mistake at the worst possible time. He did it in this game last year, forcing a checkdown to running back Phil Mafah in the waning seconds that was ultimately picked off, with the Tigers in chip-shot field goal range. That interception sealed the win for South Carolina.

Klubnik’s legacy at Clemson hinges on what happens in this one. No, he won’t be known as the quarterback who led the Tigers back to national prominence, but he can still be known as a starting quarterback who went 2-1 against the rivals, with both of those wins coming in Columbia.

While winning it won’t etch his name in Clemson lore, losing it will surely impact how he’s viewed in the future. 2-1 looks a whole lot better than 1-2.

Photo by Bart Boatwright