Hearing 'Sandstorm' until 3 a.m.: Clemson football hasn't forgotten loss to South Carolina
CLEMSON - When Clemson center Will Putnam got home after the Tigers' 31-30 loss to rival South Carolina last year, he just wanted to sleep. But in his off-campus home near Central, his Gamecocks fan neighbors had other plans.
"They were playing 'Sandstorm' till, like, 3 a.m.," Putnam recalled Monday. "I wanted to go knock on the door and be like, 'Hey, turn it off,' but then I was like, 'You know what, we should've gotten it done on the field, so I've got to sit here and just listen to it.'"
Losing a rivalry game is always painful, but when a one-point loss is your first to said rival in almost a decade and it keeps you out of the College Football Playoff, it's especially so.
"You flush it," Putnam said, "but you don't forget it."
Clemson (7-4) has a chance to avenge that loss on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, SECN) when it faces South Carolina (5-6) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
A win would come with some added revenge for the Tigers: A Clemson victory would keep the Gamecocks out of a bowl game for the first time in coach Shane Beamer's three seasons.
Clemson is a touchdown favorite, and it's facing a Gamecocks team whose season has been altered by injuries. But South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has put together a good season despite it all and presents a challenge for a surging Clemson defense. Both teams enter on three-game win streaks, and both are trying to end seasons that didn't live up to expectations on high notes.
Plus, there's the bragging rights. Much like Putnam's "Sandstorm"-playing neighbors, the winning side won't let the losing side forget the most recent game, regardless of the rest of the season's results.
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Clemson players insist there's no extra motivation for this week, that it's just another game. But there's just something about rivalry games that means you have to be prepared for anything. Going into Williams-Brice at night, Clemson certainly is.
"It's probably the best road environment that I've played in," Putnam said. "I really enjoy when people are booing you really loud. I think that's just as fun as when people are cheering you on. ... And 'Sandstorm,' playing that in practice all week. It's just that week. It's awesome. It's what makes everything fun."
Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football can avenge 2022 loss, keep South Carolina from bowl
