Join us for TRC Unleashed tonight at 6 p.m. where we’ll talk about bowl games, championship games and whatever else comes to mind.

(Editors Note: This blog post was written and scheduled to publish prior to the Dabo Swinney rant from yesterday. While this particular post is indeed timely, we will have more to say about the subject in the coming days.)

We get it every time we beat CTU,  the predictable “Overall Record Defense.”  I’m sure you’ve heard it multiple times:  “Sure, you guys might have won this one, but so what.   We still have a commanding [fill in series record]  lead in the overall series.”  The intent, of course, is to deflect attention from the fact that we won THIS YEAR and have bragging rights THIS YEAR.  A good friend of  TRC, let’s call him Moon Pie, was recently engaged in a spirited dialogue with a CTU supporter about the butt stomping administered last Saturday.  Said CTU supporter immediately dragged out the tired Overall Record Defense.  What follows is Moon Pie’s retort.  We are publishing  it here to expose this defense for what it is-more CTU delusionary garbage:  

After South Carolina’s 34-13 win over the Clemson Tigers last Saturday, the typical rivalry banter has been rampant. Truth be told, the Tigers made it pretty easy for the Gamecocks to talk smack. Between the “Shock the World Tour”, the head cheerleader’s rants on ESPN, Gatorade baths after taking down a 2-10 team, and even @Tahj10 taunting in the Twittersphere, the Tigers set themselves up for a tremendous fall. When they dropped 3 of their last 4, the Meltdown in Tatertown was in full gear.

In typical CTU fashion and with little else to brag about, a familiar mantra has been heard and it’s this last line of defense we’ll explore here. Unless you’ve been under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard some young punk with no perspective of history throw out “We own the overall series record.” Don’t blame him, it’s what he’s been taught by the cheaters to the west.

Since 1896, the Tigers are 65-40-4 against the Gamecocks, but let’s get real honest about a few things and speak the truth. For starters, a whole big chunk of that 25-win advantage occurred so early in the rivalry it’s almost shameful for them to brag. I mean, it’s like Spain bragging about the Armada. I simply don’t believe you can compare a “win” before the forward pass and facemasks were invented to a win seen nationally on ESPN. And another big chunk of those wins came during a dark time in the rivalry when Clemson was cheating so hard NCAA investigators rented homes in Easley. Clemson supporters got so bent out of shape after a blowout loss in Columbia they hit the road with a sack of money.  Charley Pell and Danny ended up looking like Johnny Appleseed with $100 bills.

A little History lesson:

Like all of the farm and tractor schools a century ago, Clemson put a huge priority on athletics. USC did not. The student body of South Carolina was mostly sons of the wealthy who were at the college to learn. Sports were intramurals. In 1894, Clemson’s farm boys joined an athletics conference. South Carolina didn’t do that until 21 years later. Heck, in 1906 the Gamecocks didn’t even field a team. It just didn’t matter to them back then. At Clemson, John Heisman was the coach. Their biggest rival was Georgia Tech. Touchdowns were worth the same number of points as field goals. It was not the same game. For Clemson to brag about wins in this era would be like the Green Bay Packers celebrating wins over the Governor’s School for the Arts. I don’t understand how Carolina won the games they did! It really didn’t get competitive until 1922 when South Carolina joined Clemson in the newly formed Southern Conference.

Farmers vs. City Boys, 1896 – 1921: Clemson 13 out of 19 with one tie. Clemson advantage +8.

Clemson joined the Southern Conference in 1921 and Carolina a year later. They played in the league together until 1952. Similar opponents, similar teams. Clemson won two conference championships, USC did not. When both teams left the SoCon for the ACC, their head-to-head record was Clemson 16 –USC  13. They tied twice. It’s pertinent to mention here that the Heisman trophy was originated in this era, and leather helmets went away, too (in 1949).

The Southern Conference years, 1922 – 1952: Clemson Advantage +3

Both teams were members of the ACC from 1953 to 1970. Clemson had a better program under Frank Howard. They won 6 ACC titles to Carolina’s 1. The teams played 18 times as ACC opponents. Each won 9. Clemson won the next two, then the ‘Cocks in ‘73 and right back to Clemson in ‘74, and that brought us to a Gamecock win in 1975 – The Year the Whole Thing Changed.

The ACC Years (plus a few), 1953 – 1975: Clemson 12 wins, USC 11 wins. Clemson Advantage +1

The 1975 Gamecocks behind QB Jeff Grantz scored 8 touchdowns in 8 possessions in a lopsided 56-20 win. The last TD was a pass with about a minute left. Clemson was mad and vowed:  “This will never happen again.” Their solution?  They amassed the best talent money could buy, and did it very well. Under Coaches Charley Pell and Danny Ford, Clemson won 4 of the next 5 before going undefeated in 1981, beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, and buying a National Championship. The NCAA came snooping. No matter – they used their newly-minted national prominence to attract some great talent. They paid these guys so much they didn’t mind being on probation when the NCAA slapped Clemson with the worst penalties ever handed down by the infractions committee (prior to the SMU Death Penalty). And just when you thought they were done, they got caught again. Danny Ford couldn’t survive this time and he was forced out after 11 years. But he left one heck of a legacy – 11 wins in 15 tries over USC, A National Title, and a new name for the booster club: IPTAY —  It’s Probation Time Again, Y’all. Clemson spent more years on probation in the 80’s than Michael Jackson had hit records.

The Cheaters Era, 1976 – 1990: Clemson 11 out of 15 (one tie)

There is no way to quantify the unfair advantage Clemson gained in the overall series by cheating. There’s no doubt the games during these 15 years were tainted, but just how far can you carry the taint? In the 50 years prior to selling their soul for a handful of wins, Clemson held just a 4-game edge in the series. After abandoning morals, legalities, and decency, they won 24 of the next 37. Both schools had very bad coaching hires (Sparky Woods, Brad Scott, Tommy West) and Clemson was simply better in the ‘90s. After suffering through some very bad teams and 8 years in the SEC with inferior talent and coaching, the Gamecocks finally hired Lou Holtz and then Steve Spurrier and now have some SEC-caliber talent. The last three years have proved it.

The next time they start spouting off about the series record, ask if they know what happened in 1975. Remind them of Jeff Grantz and Charley Pell. Acknowledge they’ve won more conference titles, and congratulate them for that. Ask  if they had electricity on the farms when they scored about 20 of those wins. Then ask  if they are proud to tout Danny Ford’s record. When they wear that solid orange, does it make them feel like an inmate from the Pickens County Jail? Yes, you’ve got the overall record to hang your hat on, but is it worth your dignity? Are you proud your school built their program by severely cheating? Go ahead and crow about 65-40. Enjoy the Hokies on Saturday. Reflect on nearly 1100 days since you beat the Gamecocks. Jump up and down with your cheerleader coach. We’ll see you next year.  Oh, and get ready for 65-41 (that’s FOUR IN A ROW).

There’s probably no bigger indicator of the state of a rivalry than the paroxysms of rage that emanate from your opponent. Accordingly, we are all edified and somewhat amused by the behavior of our orange-clad brethren in these few days following the 34-13 Carolina domination of CTU.  Their spastic and enraged reaction tell us, even more than the outcome of the game on Saturday, that South Carolina has absolutely passed Clemson as a football program.

For example, Upstate SC listeners of WCCP-fm (The Flagship Station for Clemson Athletics) will have noticed several interesting developments, such as Mickey Plyler suddenly becoming enamored with all things basketball, Mark Sturgis developing a sudden fascination with the intricacies of the BCS, and Dan Scott loudly proclaiming himself to be a West Virginia Mountaineer.  You may have also noticed a majority of WCCP callers now identifying themselves  as Bama grads or lifelong Georgia fans.

Similarly, the aisle of your local Dollar General may seem broader this last week, as many Tiger fans are opting to stay home and feed their hurt feelings rather than shop for more partially hydrogenated essentials at the discount market.

The internet can offer up other examples.  Witness one in particular, a CTU fan blog (looks like a rough equivalent of this space) that recently published a story by someone named C.F. McFadden.  I’m not familiar with Mr. McFadden, but as that is a tradition-rich Clemson name, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on his claim to have “covered college football all over the Southeast.”  But his story (or his blog post, to be more technically correct) is so desperately angry, so full of half-baked rationalizations, that it only serves to underscore my thesis.  That point being, ironically, the same as the misplaced title Mr. McFadden prepends to his post, “Because I Dominate You“, but referring instead to Carolina’s now three game win streak over the hapless Tigers.

First, let me point out the lack of source attribution to the picture of Jesco White that begins the article.   I’m not particularly sure if this picture is supposed to serve as an avatar for Mr. McFadden, or a representation of the average Clemson fan, but without a single reference to it in the article (or even an explanatory caption under the photo) we are only left to speculate.  He can’t intend the photo to represent a Carolina fan, as Jesco is a denizen of the Appalachians and not the Midlands.  Or perhaps the author is unaware of the history behind the photo, which strikes me as a more likely choice given the mind-numbing mistakes that occur elsewhere in the article.

For example, the post appears to be written in English for the most part, but contains cryptic and/or apocryphal references such as “call an apple and apple” (does that mean calling two apples?) and “South Carolina fans interact with Clemson fans – and vice versa” (interaction implies a back-and-forth exchange, doesn’t it?  Why append the “vice versa” unless you are ignorant of the meaning of the chosen verb?).

Also there is a central assertion in the article that Carolina fans “throw out the SEC chant [no other SEC school does that]” and the companion claim that the rest of the SEC makes fun of the Gamecock faithful for doing so.  Now I’m no technical savant, but I do know that typing the name of a school along with the phrase “SEC chant” into the magic Google box is an easy fact-check on this asinine claim.  I know, because I did it, and received a myriad of responses, including these three from Georgia, Auburn, and Florida, respectively:

But the penultimate example of Mr. McFadden’s huge blind spot, his utter inability to recognize his own defeatist desperation, is when he opines thusly:

And when the fans get so wound up – eyes red, fists shaking, spit flying – after a WIN, it shows there is just something inherently wrong with them. They know that no matter the score, there is no respect. Nor should there be.

Why is this so ironic?  Why does it show Mr. McFadden’s complete buffoonery?  Keep the above quote in mind, and remember this:

In the end, the article stands for the basic proposition that Carolina fans are no longer subservient to Clemson fans.    This lack of submission is obviously frightening to the Clemson faithful.  Their collective reactions, including diversion, avoidance, and written vitriol, only establishes one thing, however:

We’ve passed them, and they know it.

YouTube continues to be the third best thing ever created right after bacon and therubberchickensblog.com. If you think middle fingers are offensive then you might not want to view this. (h/t to Lairdtacular)

Something just made me think of this, and it made me laugh. Hard.

In case you missed the TRC Unleashed live podcast, you can find the replay here.  It’s a rousing good time where the guys talk about how much we are dominating Clemson at the moment.  What could be better than that?

You really, really don’t want to miss a very special TRC Unleashed tonight at 6 p.m. As you may or may not have heard, South Carolina beat Clemson in football last night 34-13, and the boys are anxious to talk about:

• How the tide has turned in this rivalry
• The accomplishments of USC in Steve Spurrier’s tenure
• Performance of the offense and defense
• We probably won’t talk about special teams because that will just bring us down
• Rubber Chickens Awards for the Clemson game
• Possible bowl destination

Listen in, won’t you?

Here are some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from last night’s breathtaking 34-13 victory over the CTU Tigers:

Satisfying. Have there been bigger or more important wins in South Carolina’s football history than last night? Yes. Have there been wins that were more satisfying? I don’t know, man, I don’t know. Maybe I’m still just giddy in the afterglow of such a monumental ass-kicking of our hated rival, but I can’t think of a time when I’ve enjoyed a win more than last night. Right now food tastes better, my wife is more attractive, my bad back doesn’t hurt nearly as much, and Tbone and the Gman are slightly less annoying. “Beat Clemson” is an amazing tonic.

In their heads. As a long-time Gamecock fan one of the things that always annoyed me was that Clemson seemed to have a mental edge over us. No matter the teams’ records or rankings, CTU always came into the game with a swagger while we looked like we were just a little bit afraid. If you want evidence this rivalry has changed, look at the body language and eyes and actions of the CTU players from last night: the worm has turned my friends.

The Gamecock players KNEW they were going to win. They KNEW they were facing an inferior opponent and were going to take the fight to them. They trusted their skills, they trusted the game plan, and they flat out intimidated the Clemson players. When CTU rallied to tie the  game at 10, there was no panic, no real momentum shift. On the next possession we just took the ball down the field and scored because we knew we were better and knew we could. It was a glorious thing to see, and I look forward to seeing it again.

The HBC. I’ve been critical of how this season has played out on more than one occasion, but watching the end of the game last night was just more confirmation that Steve Spurrier has taken us to heights we never could’ve achieved otherwise. An SEC East title and nine wins last season. Ten wins this season. With a bowl victory we could finish with a top 10 national ranking. Three straight wins over Clemson and an 8-0 record over two years over UGA, Tennessee, Florida and CTU. Not too shabby. Thanks coach.

I got this. Since taking over at quarterback Connor Shaw has just kind of “been there”. Aside from a huge passing game against Kentucky and one spectacular run against El Cid, he’s managed games, made plays when he had to, and led this team to victories. But we all wanted more. We wanted to see the guy take this QB job by the stones and not let go. And last night Shaw played better than we ever could’ve dreamed. He took the game over on offense, using his legs to churn out 107 yards on the ground, and was super efficient through the air going 14-20 for 220 yards and three TDs with no interceptions. If he can play like this for two more years, we’ll be hell to deal with.

1. I don’t know about you, but Alshon’s TD catch near the end of the game was pretty emotional to me. The guy came into the season on the cover of SI and all over All-American lists, but has had a very sub-par season. To my knowledge he’s never complained or acted like a diva and has often said he’s only concerned about winning. To see him make that very Alshon-like grab in the back of the end zone was (and I know I’ve already used this word) satisfying.

It made me happy for him above all, because he deserved that moment. If that’s his last catch in Williams-Brice stadium, then let’s frame that sucker and salute, because we won’t ever see another guy quite like #1 in a Gamecock uniform.

31. Another guy who may have played his last game in Williams-Brice, Kenny Miles came in and played the best he’s played since the Clemson game two years ago. Good for you Kenny, and thanks.

Play of the game. Clemson had just kicked a field goal to tie the game at 10 and had seized some momentum. We moved the ball into their territory and were facing a 4th and 2 with 3:43 left in the first half on the Clemson 38-yard line. Tbone texted me “What do you do here” and I responded “No idea, but I have a sneaking suspicion this is the play of the game coming up”. What we did was run a very simple zone play right up the gut with Miles that picked up seven yards. We scored a touchdown a few plays later, and though we didn’t realize it at the time, the rout was on.

D is for Defense. About midway through the year CTU’s offense was scary to watch. They ran fast, they ran with precision, and they had players with mad skills dotting the field. The problem, however, was they were playing against some pretty bad, untalented ACC defenses. What they ran into last night was unlike anything they’ve seen since…well, since the South Carolina game last year. The Gamecock D was crazy good last night, harassing Tajh Boyd and showing his early season Heisman candidacy was nothing but fools gold. The front four of Ingram, Taylor, Robertson and Clowney got steady pressure all night. The linebackers played very well. And the defensive backfield had Watkins and Hopkins and company covered like kudzu. Props to Ellis Johnson.

6. Man I’m going to miss Melvin Ingram. What a season.

7. Man I’m going to enjoy watching Jadeveon Clowney the rest of his career. He was out of control on a lot of plays last night, but was inches from decapitating Boyd on several occasions, and finally got him at the end of the game. When Clowney was cleared to play Scott Hood of Gamecock Central had a puzzling tweet about him saying something along the lines of “don’t expect much from him he hasn’t practiced much this week due to the concussion.” Look, defensive end is not a thinking man’s position compared to a lot of other spots on the field. I have a feeling Clowney’s assignment last night was “see ball, get ball”, and for a young man with his skills you don’t need a whole lot more than that.

Not so special teams. Wow we need to get the third phase of our game fixed. Big time.

All right, gotta get to church, but we’ll talk about these things and a whole lot more on TRC Unleashed tonight at 6 p.m.

Go Cocks!