Ruke Orhorhoro on Clemson-South Carolina rivalry: "It’s a really big game."

Ruke Orhorhoro helped force a safety in last year's game.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Thu Nov 23 13:00:10 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - For several Clemson players, they have played their final game in Death Valley. Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is in that group, and last Saturday was a moment he will always remember.

“I really didn’t want to leave because you picture it, but you can’t describe the feeling when it’s actually coming to an end, when that last whistle blows, and I was just sitting there with (Tyler Davis) and (Justin) Mascoll and (Jalyn Phillips) and I just, my body was just so heavy. I couldn’t get up because I left it all out on the field,” Orhorhoro said. “For the five years I’ve been here, every ounce I’ve given was on that field, and it was just a time where I had to sit back and reflect on all the things that I’ve done, all the good and all the bad, and it was just such a pure moment that I shared with my brothers, and I’m real happy for that.”

There is still one game left of the regular season: playing South Carolina. Last season, the Tigers lost due to several self-inflicted injuries, and it ultimately cost Clemson a potential spot in the playoffs. This season, a spot in a bowl game is on the line for the Gamecocks. Especially for players like Orhorhoro, this game has a lot of meaning as the rivalry is highly important to the community.

“It’s a big game. It’s a really big game. Rivalry week, it’s always fun. I love going into environments like that,” Orhorhoro said. “They have great fans over there, and they make it fun for me to play, and so, we didn’t get the job done last year, and so my goal is to get the job done this year with me and my teammates and bring the Palmetto trophy back home to Clemson.”

Facing the Gamecocks, the defense will be going against yet another mobile quarterback in redshirt senior Spencer Rattler. Orhorhoro is not worried about this as a result of the other competition this defense has faced throughout the season from, among others, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.

“We’ve faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks this year from Jordan Travis to Haynes King and Drake Maye, Riley Leonard. We’ve faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks. So, we’ve practiced that way before, and so, we’re just going to try to keep him contained and not let him get out the pocket as much,” Orhorhoro said. “Honestly, it all starts from all being on the same page, keeping him in the pocket and not over-rushing the quarterback, staying on the same level as him and stuff like that.”

Since facing Notre Dame a few weeks ago, Clemson, now ranked for the first time since week two (No. 24 in CFP Poll), has been dominating offensively and defensively. The rushing offense has been controlling the line of scrimmage while the defense has been getting pressure up front. Against North Carolina, Orhorhoro had a sack and a season-high of four tackles. His sack was one of four in that game. Nonetheless, he feels that the defense has more to improve on.

“I think we’re playing pretty good, but I think we could play so much better, and that’s just what we keep striving for - to play better and better each game. We gave up 400 yards last game and we hated it. We just hated it so much, and so now, we’re just going to use it as fuel to be the best defense we can possibly be, and we’re just always looking for ways to get better,” Orhorhoro said. “We don’t look at the past success we had. We flush whatever games we had, we flush whatever we did, and we’re trying to be the best defense this week, and we’re trying to be the best guys on the field this week.”