Clemson-South Carolina: New Ball Coach Vs. Ol' Ball Coach

Battle for bowl position.  

Battle for respect. 

Battle for the Palmetto State. 

Although much of the nation may not know about this rivalry, this 100+ year battle between Clemson and South Carolina gets more blood pumping than the annual Blood Drive competition between the two schools.  

While the rivalry has been rather one-sided in Clemson's favor in recent years, this year could be a little different.  

First things first: The yearlong gag of the Clemson offense, specifically the offensive line.  With a second-guessing quarterback lining up underneath the center, South Carolina's top-rated defense can almost pin their ears back on each play and give this inexperienced Clemson line a true test of character.  

Speaking of the South Carolina defense, this secondary can almost expect to receive an interception or two during this battle.  If the USC front four can get sufficient pressure on the Clemson quarterback, the seven men dropping in coverage will have a much easier job covering the three and four wide receivers Clemson sends out.  

Now on to the Clemson defense and the USC offense.  

It's no secret that in the majority of the games Clemson has won this year, the defense has stepped up to the plate and done an outstanding job stalling offensive drives. With all of the turnovers the Clemson offense has suffered during this season, the defense has done remarkably well keeping teams out of the end zone.  

One thing Steve Spurrier has been outstanding at doing since he began coaching at USC is picking apart Clemson's zone schemes.  The beauty of the USC offense is there aren't really any special calls or plays to get this done either.  His coaching style perfectly lends itself to allowing his quarterbacks and receivers to be comfortable enough to find the seams and holes in zones.  

Another problem contributing to the monstrous hole in Clemson's zone coverage is the lack of pressure the defensive front has been getting on quarterbacks during the year.  The Clemson coaching staff is well aware of this nagging issue.  

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Clemson's powerful defensive end Ricky Sapp will probably not be playing.  

Coach Dabo Swinney has been around Clemson long enough to know this trend that has developed over the years.  Because of this, you can almost bet there will be more man coverage than you would normally expect from this Clemson defense.  

This game is going to come down to the defenses and quite possibly, for the third year in a row, the kicking game.  

Three-and-outs are going to be a crucial element of the field position game played tomorrow.  If there are any defensive touchdowns or special teams scoring opportunities, this could break the camel's back for either team.  

Back to the kicking game.  The last two years have both been decided by Clemson kickers.  In 2006, a kick that would have tied the game at 31 and likely sent it to overtime landed wide of the goal posts.  The Jad Dean kick was set up by poor clock management by then-head coach Tommy Bowden.  

In last year's battle in Columbia, Mark Buckholtz nailed home the game-winning kick to secure the victory for the Clemson Tigers.  

When it comes down to it, the Tigers are going to have to play the most sound game of football of the year in order to pull out the victory against a South Carolina team who is, at this point, in much better position to win the football game.  

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