Dakereon Joyner's seen almost everything in four years at South Carolina.
There's Will Muschamp's ousting and five different position coaches. He handled a flip from quarterback to receiver, back to quarterback and now receiver again. He'll even add a bowl trip at the end of this fall.
The only thing missing? A matchup with Clemson.
Joyner is one of a chunk of players on the USC roster who have yet to face their in-state foes. Freshmen, of course, haven't played the game. Sophomores missed the chance last fall when the SEC went to a conference-only schedule, subsequently cutting out the Palmetto Bowl.
Then there are third-year players like tight end Nick Muse and a fourth-year guy like Joyner, who both missed the 2019 game for one reason or another.
"It's definitely a big game for the state," Joyner said. "I think this game is is huge for us. We treat every week the same, but this week is a turning point for us to progress for the future.
Shane Beamer chuckles when asked about the number of South Carolina players who haven't actually met Clemson on the field. He hopes it won't be a problem. After all, like Joyner said, USC is trying to prepare as if it's the same as any other week.
Granted, some might read into the Gamecocks' practice running 20 minutes late on Tuesday as a double-secret probabtion-esque mission that requires the utmost secrecy. Beamer assures practice ended late because he spoke for longer than anticipated in the team meeting Tuesday morning while honoring some of the South Carolina's freshman who are redshirting.
"I think our guys have played in big games and they've been around the program enough to know how elevated this one is and things like that," he said. "It'll be a little bit different. Last week was a great environment, but it'll be amped up even more on Saturday night."
That Joyner hasn't faced off against the Tigers is a story in itself. The former four-star high school quarterback was recruited by just about everyone in the country — Clemson included. But after the Tigers landed eventual future legend Trevor Lawrence, Joyner's spot in the Upstate was no more.
Redshirting his first season in Columbia, the former Fort Dorchester High star didn't play against the Tigers in 2018. A concussion held him out of the 2019 edition and the aforementioned COVID-related scheduling changes canceled the matchup last fall.
"It was definitely weird," Joyner said of not playing Clemson last season.
Muse, too, has his own history with the Tigers — even if he's tried to erase it some. The boisterous and effervescent tight end quips he's tried to filter out the Clemson gear that has made its way into his closet over the years. There was plenty of it as his brother Tanner played on the Tigers' 2016 and 2018 national championship teams.
Muse never appeared in the Clemson-South Carolina game as a youngster after playing his first two seasons at William & Mary. A torn ACL ahead of the 2019 game delayed his chance to face off against the Tigers.
Nick joked that he asked Tanner for any inside scoop he might have on Clemson's schematics on Saturday. Tanner wouldn't indulge him, much to his brother's chagrin.
"I'm kinda disappointed," Muse said sarcastically. "I'm not sure he's my brother anymore."
The 2020 season marked the first time South Carolina and Clemson didn't meet on the gridiron since 1908. Head coach Shane Beamer wouldn't be born for another 69 years after that fall. Even his father, legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, wasn't born until 1946.
The game has evolved over the years. It's no longer played on "Big Thursday," instead having shifted to the weekend after Thanksgiving years ago.
The coaches, too, have come and gone. Clemson's Dabo Swinney is the longest-tenured Tigers head coach since Frank Howard patrolled the sidelines in Death Valley. Beamer is in his first year as the head coach in Columbia, but spent four years on the South Carolina staff under Steve Spurrier between 2007 and 2010.
Changes aside, Muse, Joyner and the Gamecocks underclassmen will get their first crack at Clemson on Saturday. The waiting game is finally over.
Ben Portnoy is The State’s South Carolina Gamecocks football beat writer. He’s a 10-time Associated Press Sports Editors award honoree and has earned recognition from the Mississippi Press Association and the National Sports Media Association. Portnoy previously covered Mississippi State for the Columbus Commercial Dispatch and Indiana football for the Journal Gazette in Ft. Wayne, IN.
