South Carolina Football: Top-5 Gamecock moments from modern Carolina-Clemson rivalry
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football vs. Clemson Top Rivalry Moments:
No. 5 Wide Left
In 2006, South Carolina and Clemson were just two years removed from the infamous brawl that took place in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium to end the 2004 season. Nothing of note happened in the 2005 contest as both quarterbacks (Blake Mitchell and Charlie Whitehurst) played poorly, and Clemson won a competitive game in Steve Spurrier’s first shot at the rivalry.
In the first rivalry game in Clemson since the brawl, the two teams made sure to make things look different than ’04. Both teams wore different uniforms, and for the second year in a row, there was a big team handshake before the game. One thing remained the same from 2004 to 2006, however: kicker Jad Dean missed a kick. In the ’04 Tigers win, Dean missed an extra point, but in ’06, his field goal miss was more costly.
The Gamecocks had been relatively dominant as running back duo Mike Davis and Cory Boyd combined for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, but three Blake Mitchell interceptions (including one for a touchdown) kept the Tigers ahead for much of the game.
After Carolina came back and eventually took a 3-point lead on a Ryan Succop field goal, Clemson’s ground attack marched the Tiger offense back down the field. When forced to pass on 3rd down inside the Gamecock 20-yard line, Jasper Brinkley and Syvelle Newton teamed up to sack quarterback Will Proctor, forcing a slightly longer field goal attempt from Dean.
The game-tying attempt was just 39 yards, but Dean could not convert, pulling the kick wide left. The miss gave the Gamecocks the win and inspired many memes (yes, memes were a thing back in 2006, they just weren’t named memes yet) that derived from Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” lyrics in which she repeatedly sang, “to the left, to the left.”
It was Steve Spurrier’s first taste of victory in the rivalry, but it certainly was not his last.