This Is South Carolina Football - (PART II)

Nov 13, 2005, 9:51 PM

This is just a little different take than "This Is South Carolina Football." Just a little something I've been working on for this week! I hope you enjoy it. If so, please immortalize it. I did work hard on it.

A TALE OF TWO TEAMS
By TigersTeeth (TigerNet)

Overall History
1896 was a very special year. A type of radiation known as the X-Ray was discovered in that year, and the first X-Ray machine was exhibited shortly thereafter. Several famous people were born, including Mamie Eisenhower (First Lady), George Burns, and South Carolina native “Blind Gary Davis”, whose music inspired artist like Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead. In sports, that summer heralded in the first modern Olympic Games which were held in Greece. That was the first time the games were held since Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned them in 393 A.D. In later years, the United States would come to dominate the games.

Speaking of sports and domination, something else happened in 1896. In that year the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks played their first football game against each other. Actually, the Gamecocks were known as the Jaguars back then, but for some reason, they felt renaming themselves after chickens would certainly instill fear in the hearts of competitors. The official University of South Carolina web site states: “At the turn of the century (1900), after struggling for more than decade under numerous nicknames, the school's football team was first referred to unofficially as Gamecocks." Since its inception, the sports teams have become known by several other monikers, including the Shamecocks, Lamecocks, Coots, Chickens, Coach Killers, etc. Having never truly established themselves as a contender in college sports, the University has also come to be known as “the other Carolina” and “the other USC.” It seems that these names have been taken by truly competitive teams. As it turns out, the nickname is not the only thing the Gamecocks would struggle with. In the coming years, this annual game would turn out to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the nation. However, despite the spirit and intensity of the rivalry, the Tigers hold a commanding and dominating lead over their archrival. Consider the following statistics.

In 102 games, the Tigers hold an impressive 63-35-4 lead over the Gamecocks. On average, Clemson beats the Gamecocks 63.7% of the time. It really is an impressive stat, especially when you consider that 78% of the games were played in Columbia, SC – home field advantage for the chickens. That’s right – only 23 of the 102 games have been played on Clemson’s field. That kind of domination can do something terrible to a fan. In the case of South Carolina fans, they have a tendency to ignore the facts and quickly forget the past, constantly looking forward to the next season, when they will begin exacting revenge from the Tigers. They have become quite delusional, and often make outlandish claims that despite the series record, the Gamecocks have always been “oh so close.” They cling to the notion that despite only winning 36.3% of the time, they have really been competitive with Clemson. For this reason, I have taken it upon myself to dispel such claims once and for all. Since the series record isn’t proof enough, I’ve dug a little deeper.

Since 1896, a grand total of 3,300 points have been scored in the series. Clemson has amassed 1,982 of those points. (Ironically, Clemson beat South Carolina to advance to the 1981 National Championship game – a game they won on Jan. 1, 1982. This is the only year this stat will hold true. Enjoy it while it lasts.) The Gamecocks, on the other hand have only scored 1,318 points. That is a difference of 664 points. This means that the Tigers have scored 60.1% of all the points in the series. On average, a spectator can expect to see 32 to 33 total points scored. The Tigers have averaged 19.43 points/game. Their archrival averages 12.92 points/game. On average, Clemson scores about 7 more points/game, a full 20% more than the Chickens. It’s good to be a Tiger fan!

Now for most football fans, it is painfully obvious that our rival not much of a rival after all. However, given the vastly inferior education of the average Gamecock fan, things usually take a little longer to explain. So, here’s another way of saying the same thing. In the 63 games that the Tigers have been victorious, they have scored a total of 1,633 points, an average of 25.92 points/win. The 35 times that the roosters have scratched out a win, they have scored a total of 730 points, an average of 20.86 points/win. Historically, both teams have only averaged around 9 points/game when they lose, which happens much more frequently for the Lamecocks than it does for the Tigers.

Why stop now when we’re having so much fun? The series has had a total of 34 shutouts, 2 of which were Tie games. Out of those 34 shutouts, South Carolina has suffered the death blow 70.6% of the time. South Carolina has managed to hold Clemson scoreless 12 times (including the 2 Ties.) Clemson has managed to do that twice as often, leaving the Gamecocks scoreless 24 times (including the 2 Ties.) Over 102 games, South Carolina manages to keep the Tigers from scoring once every 8.5 years. Clemson returns the favor every 4.25 years – twice the payback! This stat is a little misleading. The most recent shutout was when Clemson shutout USC in 1989. However, the coots have not held Clemson scoreless since 1952, 52 years ago!

Every rivalry has its streaks, but not every rivalry is quite as lopsided. The longest winning streak for the Tigers is an impressive 7 games. This occurred between 1934 and 1940. Clemson’s second longest winning streak is 4 games. Clemson has managed to do this on 6 separate occasions, the most recent being from 1997-2000. The Tigers look to extend the current streak of 3 games this November. In contrast, the Gamecocks longest winning streak is four games, something they have only managed to do once. That streak occurred from 1951-1954, over a half-century ago. The Shamecocks second longest winning streak in the rivalry is 3 games, something the coots have only accomplished 3 times. You might have guessed it already, but the last time that happened was between 1968-1970, 35 years ago. The other two occurrences are equally ancient (1931-1933 and 1924-1926.) Streaks do not come often for the coots. As a matter of fact, they have only had a streak of 2 or more games 6 times since 1896. Clemson has had a streak of 2 or more games 17 times during that period. That means that Clemson is 74% more likely to start a streak of wins than the Gamecocks. Staggering isn’t it?

Last 10 Games (Yet Another Way To Say The Same Thing)
Now history is really great, but who likes living in the past. Many Gamecock fans feel the series is much closer nowadays. I dedicate this section to the delusional coots that have been “Waiting For Next Year” for the last decade.

In the last 10 meetings between these two teams the Tigers hold an impressive 8-2 record. Clemson’s recent domination seems to be worse than the previous 9 decades. In the last ten years, Clemson has beaten the Gamecocks 80% of the time.

Since 1995, a grand total of 565 points have been scored in the series. Clemson has amassed 375 of those points. The Gamecocks, on the other hand have only scored 190 points. That is a difference of 185 points, meaning the Tigers have scored almost twice as much as the Shamecocks in the last 10 years. It also means that the Tigers have scored 66.4% of all the points in the last ten years. During the last 10 games, a spectator could expect to see 56 to 57 total points scored. The Tigers have averaged 37.5 points/game. Their archrival averages 19 points/game. On average, Clemson scores about 18.5 more points/game. This last stat is a little misleading however. In 4 of the last 10 games, the Tigers have beaten the ##### by 21 points (1995), 26 points (1997), 46 points (2003), and 22 points (2004). It’s good to be a Tiger fan!

Now for most football fans, it is painfully obvious that our rival not much of a rival after all. However, given the vastly inferior education of the average Gamecock fan, things usually take a little longer to explain. So, here’s another way of saying the same thing. In the last 10 years, the Tigers scored a total of 329 points in their 8 victories, an average of 41.13 points/win. The 2 times that the roosters have scratched out a win in the last ten years, they have scored a total of 54 points, an average of 27 points/win. For the last 10 years, the Tigers have beaten the Coots by an average of 18 points per game. The Coots only managed to beat the Tigers by an average of 4 points per game in their 2 victories. Tiger wins over the last 10 years included blowouts of 38-17, 47-21, 63-17, and 29-7. Hopefully this dispels any notion that the Coots are any more than Clemson’s red-headed stepchild! Keep waiting for next Year Coots!!!

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This Is South Carolina Football - (PART II)

My father would womanizzzze, he would drink

Re: My father would womanizzzze, he would drink

Austin Powers was cool! What does that have to do with it?***

I could hear Dr. Evil reading that in my head***

Oh. After Iwrote it, I thought it was a little dry. I might

Thanks, a very worthy read indeed!***

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