Both major programs in the state of South Carolina entered the 2025 season with high hopes, trendy new coordinators, top recruits, and playoff dreams. But now both Clemson and South Carolina are wallowing at similar 3-4 records. Caught midway through the season, Clemson (3-4, 2-3 ACC) and South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC) have both fallen off the preseason maps. The Tigers even boasted a top-5 expectations after bringing in defensive guru Tom Allen, yet they are treading water in the ACC cellar. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were a top-15 pick with electric quarterback LaNorris Sellers, but their home loss to Oklahoma (26-7) left them 3-4, the bottom feeders of the SEC in offensive production.
Current Records and Standings
Clemson's loss to SMU dropped the Tigers to 3-4 and 2-3 in the ACC. Now, with three conference losses before late October, the Tigers are headed for a historically disappointing season after opening the year ranked in the top-5. South Carolina's 26-7 loss on Saturday to Oklahoma likewise dropped the Gamecocks to 3-4 and 1-4 in the SEC. In numerical terms, Clemson is merely 3-4 and scuffling, but that still qualifies as disappointing by Swinney-era standards. ESPN confirms that both teams sit at the bottom half of their leagues with Clemson sitting at 10th in the ACC and South Carolina at 12th in the SEC. Notably, Clemson's offense puts up a pedestrian 26.3 points per game, respectable, but a far cry from the 40+ they used to average, South Carolina manages just 22.3 PPG. Both teams have stumbled in yards per play: Clemson with ~408 yards per game versus South Carolina's pathetic ~310 ypg (dead last in the SEC).
Key Offensive and Defensive Stats
By the numbers, the contrast is stark. Clemson is still moving the ball (about 408.8 total yards per game), with a balanced 278 passing and 130 rushing, but it's not efficient enough. South Carolina limps in at 310.0 ypg, with 195 passing and 115 rushing. Third down conversions have been ugly: Clemson is around 37.8% (28-of-74) and South Carolina only 35.9%. Defensively, it's the opposite situation: Clemson's defense is playing surprisingly well, allowing just 18.5 PPG (second-best in the ACC). The Gamecock D is more "middle of the pack" by SEC standards, about 323.4 YPG allowed in the league. However, with South Carolina's defense so inept, any defensive pattern is overshadowed. In conclusion, Clemson's defense has kept them within reach in most games, while South Carolina's defense can't compensate for an offense "stuck in the mud."
- Clemson: 408.8 ypg total offense, 26.3 PPG; opponents limited to 18.5 PPG
- South Carolina: 310.0 ypg total offense (last in SEC), 22.3 PPG; yielding ~323 ypg (SEC-11th)
Both programs are surrendering roughly 30 points per game on defense, but Clemson was expected to score in the 40s, and South Carolina was expected to contend for double-digit wins. Instead, as we are halfway through the season, fans see whiteboard exclamation points where touchdowns should be.
Player Performance and Letdowns
Each roster still has star power, but the production has not matched the hype. Clemson's QB1, Cade Klubnik, was anointed the heir to Trevor Lawrence, yet he's been up and down, and now injured. So far, Klubnik leads the team with 1,530 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions through seven games. That stat line and missing the game on Saturday hardly scream conference contender. Backup QB Christopher Vizzina actually looked competent filling in, throwing for 298 yards and three TDs in relief of Klubnik.
South Carolina is also underwhelming. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, touted as a potential Heisman candidate, has been highly efficient in short yardage but has only five touchdowns and two interceptions on 1,134 yards. In Oklahoma's blowout of the Gamecocks, Sellers was 16-of-20 but all of his completions were short screens or dumps (no pass over 10 yards), emblematic of the stagnant offense.
Coaching Decisions, Controversies, and Quotes
If QB play hasn't quite delivered, the coaches' words have provided plenty of gossip. Dabo Swinney has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Early in the season, he went on one of his famous rants defending himself, “If Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way." The resulting memes showed Tiger fans' frustration.
South Carolina's sideline drama is its own soap opera. Coach Shane Beamer has insisted that he is focused on winning at South Carolina. From chatter about Beamer heading to Virginia Tech to snapping at the local media, Gamecock Nation has had plenty to talk about. More concretely, Beamer canned OL coach Ronnie Teasley after the Kentucky game, blaming inconsistent line play and penalties for South Carolina's second-worst rushing attack in the SEC.
Still, neither program has found strategic answers on the field. Clemson's fumbles (+7) and turnovers (-4 net) keep playcalling from being overcome, and South Carolina's frequent pre-snap penalties and misreads speak to deeper coaching breakdowns.
But in an almost poetic twist, both Dabo Swinney and Shane Beamer have gone on record this season echoing the same humbling refrain: "It starts with me." Swinney admitted after Clemson's 1-3 start that the Tiger's slide was "absolute coaching failure," while Beamer told reporters following South Carolina's 26-7 loss to Oklahoma that the team's struggle "fall squarely on my shoulders." Who would have thought we'd see the day when both coaches, two fiery leaders of bitter in-state rivalries, would be preaching the same gospel of accountability in the same midseason era? For once, Clemson and Carolina have found common ground, in mutual self-blame.
Injuries and Depth Issues
Injuries have been an exclamation point on the season for both teams. South Carolina has been crippled by injuries. Halfway through the season, the line is "second worst" in the SEC in rushing and downright porous in pass protection. Losing Dylan Stewart mid-game against Oklahoma robbed the defense of its top playmaker.
By contrast, Clemson has had relatively fewer freak injuries. Aside from QB1 Cade Klubnik missing last week's game, the Tiger's struggles feel more systemic than injury-driven.
South Carolina's bodies have been beaten up (and one position coach fired), while Clemson's talent is limping to stay the course.
Fan and Media Sentiment
Fan outrage and snarky comments from the media have become the post-game norm. Clemson supporters have famously roasted Swinney on social media, and we know Tyler from Spartanburg all too well. On the South Carolina side, coverage is equally unforgiving. Fans have taken to calling out stubborn calls and throwing out comparisons to Muschamp-era debacles. Even the most objective reporters have noted how far both programs have fallen.
Outlook for the Rest of 2025
Neither program has an easy path to redemption. Clemson's final five games, home vs. Duke and Florida State, at Louisville, vs. Furman, and then the Palmetto Bowl vs. South Carolina. he Gamecocks' remaining slate is even more ominous. South Carolina will face Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Coastal, then Clemson. Barring a miracle, three sure losses are on the horizon. Only the Furman game for Clemson and Coastal contest for South Carolina look like sure-wins for either team.
What was supposed to be a clash of titans from the Palmetto State this November has become the meeting of the underdogs.