Cade Klubnik
-He realized the depth of this rivalry in the spring when he first arrived and a bit more in the summer. You don’t fully understand it or experience it until you actually play in the game, and then it really hits you what the rivalry means.
-He reflected on Clemson’s loss to South Carolina in Death Valley two years ago, saying how hard it was to watch the seniors end their careers that way. He mentioned, “I wanted to play, but it wasn’t my time yet,” and added that the team is focused on protecting their home field this week.
-When asked about CFP rankings and outside noise, he stressed the importance of staying focused. “If you start looking ahead, that’s when mistakes happen,” he said, and emphasized the need for a strong practice on Wednesday to build momentum throughout the week.
-He believes he’ll be able to use his legs at times, but can’t go into a game pressing to do so. He just has to let the game unfold and then use his legs when the opportunity arises. He knows they have a great front four and an overall strong defense, which will be a fun challenge. The front four has long, twitchy guys on the ends and disruptors in the middle. What he sees on film is a defense full of players who love the game and are competitive.
-Reflecting on louder games they’ve played in, he said that at times you can hear the noise, but you don’t really listen to it. It turns into white noise, and even when it's loud, you have to stay poised and keep a calm demeanor.
-He always visualizes the game the night before, which helps him stay calm. He’s also worked with sports psychology throughout the year. Before the two-minute drive, he closed his eyes on the sideline and took a couple of minutes to calm himself.
-Whether you like it or not, when certain moments in a game or practice come up, everyone looks to the leader of the team—how they react, what their body language is like. He wants to be someone they see as cool and collected. He wants to step on the field Saturday and win, but as a quarterback, you can’t be the guy blasting death metal before the game like a linebacker. He has to stay calm and ready. To win this game, they need all 11 players doing their job at a high level.
-The freshman wideouts (TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco) have been consistent week after week. They’re always asking questions, trying to learn, and they’re really eager to grow. There’s a new level of confidence each time they take the field. As a young player, there’s always a bit of hesitation, but every week they’ve gotten better, and it’s been super fun to watch them grow.
Barrett Carter
-Said he feels blessed to be a Butkus Award finalist but knows the job isn’t finished and that there is still a lot of work to do.
-Acknowledged that any home loss is tough, but losing to South Carolina in 2022 was especially difficult. He said they can’t allow a streak of home losses to happen, adding that they know USC is a great team and need to line up and do what they do best.
-Recalled walking off the field after the 2022 loss and how surreal it felt. “We didn’t finish for our seniors, our fans, or ourselves. It just didn’t feel real.”
-Said South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers has shown incredible ability on film. “We’ve all seen him do some crazy stuff on film ... We have to cage him and limit him when he gets out of the pocket.”
-He’s very confident in the team’s ability to stop Raheim Sanders, USC’s leading rusher and third-leading receiver. He said they have a great plan to contain him, knowing USC will try to get him the ball in multiple ways. He acknowledged Clemson has had struggles leveraging the ball but emphasized that everyone just needs to do their job.
-When asked about CFP rankings and the playoffs, he dismissed the notion, saying he’s not focused on that at all. He added, “I’m focused on this week and beating South Carolina and leading my team. We just have to handle business this week.”
-Stated that while South Carolina is their rival, they haven’t approached this week any differently. He emphasized that you can’t throw all your emotion into one game because it will affect how you play.
-Praised Cade Klubnik’s growth this season, saying he looks as poised and confident as he’s ever seen him. He credited Cade’s work ethic, consistency, and the help of a sports psychologist, noting that Cade follows the same schedule every single day and has grown tremendously.
Peter Woods
-Coming in as a freshman last year, you hear all about how much the Palmetto Bowl means. But you don’t really understand how much it means to so many people until you’re actually in the game.
-Gritty. That was the name of the game they played last year in Columbia. It’s what they try to bring to every game, and it’s what they’re trying to do again this year.
-They’re focused on fixing simple things on defense, especially eye discipline. It’s all basic football fundamentals.
-A lot of the things he learned from being in one of the biggest high school rivalries have helped him stay level-headed in this rivalry. The emotions can creep in, but his maturity has allowed him to block that out for this game.
-Last year, getting the win and getting his feet wet in this rivalry was important for him. Now he knows it’s even more important with everything on the line. But they’ve been blocking it all out this year. They’re judged on how well they do their job, so he’s focused on doing his part.
-He thinks he’s grown by learning how to handle the adversity of being sidelined for a bit. He grew by being a leader from the sideline, but also being able to come back and not miss a beat on the field.
Aveion Terrell
-On his chasedown strip, he remembers when the play started, doing his job, and then seeing the ball carrier hit the hole. He knew by the first three steps he could catch him. He was watching the ball the whole time and saw that the ball wasn’t secured tightly, so he knew he was going to get it.
-Right after making the play, he thought, "That’s a Nate Wiggins-type play."
-He takes pride in not letting anyone catch the ball. He hates it when anyone catches a pass on him, and even when he has great coverage and they still catch it, he’s critiquing himself on what he could have done better.
-The coaches teach them to stay tight on the quarterback scramble. They can’t let LaNorris Sellers get out of the pocket. He reminds him a bit of Anthony Richardson.
-He didn’t really understand the rivalry when he was watching his brother play. It wasn’t until last year, when he went to Columbia, that it really clicked. He remembers the 2022 game when he was on his official visit, but he didn’t want to talk about it.
-He’s trying to stay focused this year, asking more questions to feel more comfortable with the game and build his confidence.
-You could see it in Ashton Hampton from the first day of fall camp. Now, you see it all coming together as he’s become more confident with the game. He called Hampton a “nightmare” at 6’3” and 200 lbs, moving like that.
-He realized the depth of this rivalry in the spring when he first arrived and a bit more in the summer. You don’t fully understand it or experience it until you actually play in the game, and then it really hits you what the rivalry means.
-He reflected on Clemson’s loss to South Carolina in Death Valley two years ago, saying how hard it was to watch the seniors end their careers that way. He mentioned, “I wanted to play, but it wasn’t my time yet,” and added that the team is focused on protecting their home field this week.
-When asked about CFP rankings and outside noise, he stressed the importance of staying focused. “If you start looking ahead, that’s when mistakes happen,” he said, and emphasized the need for a strong practice on Wednesday to build momentum throughout the week.
-He believes he’ll be able to use his legs at times, but can’t go into a game pressing to do so. He just has to let the game unfold and then use his legs when the opportunity arises. He knows they have a great front four and an overall strong defense, which will be a fun challenge. The front four has long, twitchy guys on the ends and disruptors in the middle. What he sees on film is a defense full of players who love the game and are competitive.
-Reflecting on louder games they’ve played in, he said that at times you can hear the noise, but you don’t really listen to it. It turns into white noise, and even when it's loud, you have to stay poised and keep a calm demeanor.
-He always visualizes the game the night before, which helps him stay calm. He’s also worked with sports psychology throughout the year. Before the two-minute drive, he closed his eyes on the sideline and took a couple of minutes to calm himself.
-Whether you like it or not, when certain moments in a game or practice come up, everyone looks to the leader of the team—how they react, what their body language is like. He wants to be someone they see as cool and collected. He wants to step on the field Saturday and win, but as a quarterback, you can’t be the guy blasting death metal before the game like a linebacker. He has to stay calm and ready. To win this game, they need all 11 players doing their job at a high level.
-The freshman wideouts (TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco) have been consistent week after week. They’re always asking questions, trying to learn, and they’re really eager to grow. There’s a new level of confidence each time they take the field. As a young player, there’s always a bit of hesitation, but every week they’ve gotten better, and it’s been super fun to watch them grow.
Barrett Carter
-Said he feels blessed to be a Butkus Award finalist but knows the job isn’t finished and that there is still a lot of work to do.
-Acknowledged that any home loss is tough, but losing to South Carolina in 2022 was especially difficult. He said they can’t allow a streak of home losses to happen, adding that they know USC is a great team and need to line up and do what they do best.
-Recalled walking off the field after the 2022 loss and how surreal it felt. “We didn’t finish for our seniors, our fans, or ourselves. It just didn’t feel real.”
-Said South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers has shown incredible ability on film. “We’ve all seen him do some crazy stuff on film ... We have to cage him and limit him when he gets out of the pocket.”
-He’s very confident in the team’s ability to stop Raheim Sanders, USC’s leading rusher and third-leading receiver. He said they have a great plan to contain him, knowing USC will try to get him the ball in multiple ways. He acknowledged Clemson has had struggles leveraging the ball but emphasized that everyone just needs to do their job.
-When asked about CFP rankings and the playoffs, he dismissed the notion, saying he’s not focused on that at all. He added, “I’m focused on this week and beating South Carolina and leading my team. We just have to handle business this week.”
-Stated that while South Carolina is their rival, they haven’t approached this week any differently. He emphasized that you can’t throw all your emotion into one game because it will affect how you play.
-Praised Cade Klubnik’s growth this season, saying he looks as poised and confident as he’s ever seen him. He credited Cade’s work ethic, consistency, and the help of a sports psychologist, noting that Cade follows the same schedule every single day and has grown tremendously.
Peter Woods
-Coming in as a freshman last year, you hear all about how much the Palmetto Bowl means. But you don’t really understand how much it means to so many people until you’re actually in the game.
-Gritty. That was the name of the game they played last year in Columbia. It’s what they try to bring to every game, and it’s what they’re trying to do again this year.
-They’re focused on fixing simple things on defense, especially eye discipline. It’s all basic football fundamentals.
-A lot of the things he learned from being in one of the biggest high school rivalries have helped him stay level-headed in this rivalry. The emotions can creep in, but his maturity has allowed him to block that out for this game.
-Last year, getting the win and getting his feet wet in this rivalry was important for him. Now he knows it’s even more important with everything on the line. But they’ve been blocking it all out this year. They’re judged on how well they do their job, so he’s focused on doing his part.
-He thinks he’s grown by learning how to handle the adversity of being sidelined for a bit. He grew by being a leader from the sideline, but also being able to come back and not miss a beat on the field.
Aveion Terrell
-On his chasedown strip, he remembers when the play started, doing his job, and then seeing the ball carrier hit the hole. He knew by the first three steps he could catch him. He was watching the ball the whole time and saw that the ball wasn’t secured tightly, so he knew he was going to get it.
-Right after making the play, he thought, "That’s a Nate Wiggins-type play."
-He takes pride in not letting anyone catch the ball. He hates it when anyone catches a pass on him, and even when he has great coverage and they still catch it, he’s critiquing himself on what he could have done better.
-The coaches teach them to stay tight on the quarterback scramble. They can’t let LaNorris Sellers get out of the pocket. He reminds him a bit of Anthony Richardson.
-He didn’t really understand the rivalry when he was watching his brother play. It wasn’t until last year, when he went to Columbia, that it really clicked. He remembers the 2022 game when he was on his official visit, but he didn’t want to talk about it.
-He’s trying to stay focused this year, asking more questions to feel more comfortable with the game and build his confidence.
-You could see it in Ashton Hampton from the first day of fall camp. Now, you see it all coming together as he’s become more confident with the game. He called Hampton a “nightmare” at 6’3” and 200 lbs, moving like that.
