Former QB Stephen Garcia reflects on ‘wild experience’ of Carolina-Clemson rivalry
Stephen Garcia’s name still draws the ire of those in the Upstate.
The showy and rocket-armed quarterback was a key cog in South Carolina’s rise in the college football world in the early 2010s. He also finished his career in Columbia 2-0 as a starter against Clemson. Garcia threw three touchdowns in a 34-17 win over the Tigers in 2009 and had two scores in a 29-7 win a year later.
He spoke with The State about his memories of the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry, his indoctrination into the Palmetto State battle and its importance to the Gamecocks program ahead of the 118th rendition of the annual contest on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
These answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length
Ben Portnoy: For people who haven’t lived the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry, how would you describe it?
Stephen Garcia: “It was kind of a wild experience, especially the first year because I wasn’t playing and I just didn’t really fully grasp the intensity of it. The next year — I guess that was 2008 — that’s kind of when I really saw oh s—, this is big.
Just walking around campus everyone is like, ‘I don’t care about anything else the rest of the season, just beat Clemson.’ I was kinda like, ‘Well, that’s a weird way of looking at football.’ But it was a blast and never losing to them was pretty fun.”
BP: What was your first introduction to the rivalry?
SG: “My first introduction to it was 2007, I believe. It was in 2007 and it was up in Clemson. I didn’t practice that entire week. I was redshirting anyways, but I had gotten the flu and I was sick as hell. I used to get it all the time and I used to get sick around that time of the year. I didn’t practice for the first three days (of the week) and one of our other quarterbacks — I forgot if it was (Chris) Smelly or Tommy Beecher or somebody else — they didn’t practice either.
We went up there and got our a— beat and I was dressed out and I was like, ‘There’s no way in hell I can play in this game.’ And I remember Coach (Steve) Spurrier asking me, ‘Hey, can you go in for a run?’ I was like, ‘I honestly may throw up jogging out there.’ That’s really what I remember from that first game.”
BP: Once you did become the starter, what was that like to win a couple games against Clemson and how would you describe that feeling of being in the center of a couple of those wins?
SG: “I just remember how (seriously) everybody took it. Everybody was so passionate about it. And (it was like), ‘You’ve got to beat Clemson. You’ve got to beat Clemson. You’ve got to beat Clemson.’
... I think they were ranked above of us that first year in 2009 and I can’t recall the guy’s exact name, but one of their players stepped over me or whatever. I remember kind of twisting his leg as he was trying to step over me — like, ‘Dude, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’
I remember that and I remember throwing a couple touchdowns to Weslye Saunders and then the rest is history.”
BP: Clemson scored first in both your wins as a starter, once on a kick return and the other on an early touchdown. How did y’all stick in those games after falling behind so quickly?
SG: “I do remember them (running back) the opening kickoff (in 2009). It was wild because the week before, Florida had a ‘blue-out’ game and they ran back the opening kickoff as well. I remember looking at — I think it was Pat DiMarco — I looked at him and was like, ‘Oh s—, here we go again.’
We ended up beating their a—. (We) drove down the field and scored on them on that first drive.”
BP: Now that you’re roughly a decade removed from those games, what does it mean looking back on them and to have played a part in a handful of wins over Clemson?
SG: “I feel like it meant a hell of a lot more back then than it has the last five or six years, or however long it’s been. It’s been very lopsided, but it was also very lopsided (then). I think we won five or six in a row as well. It’s been very streaky over the last decade and hopefully we can we can gain the streak on our side this year.
I mean, it was awesome. I don’t really know how to describe it to be honest, I had no idea where the hell Clemson even was on a map being from Florida and, honestly, I didn’t know and didn’t care. But after being there and getting a chance to talk a lot of (trash) with a lot of their former players and their fans — just seeing them in the street — I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Former QB Stephen Garcia reflects on ‘wild experience’ of Carolina-Clemson rivalry."
