USC notebook: Rivalry makes believer out of N.C. native Boyd

Being a North Carolina native, South Carolina tight end Andy Boyd didn’t at first know what all the hoopla was about when it came to the rivalry between the Gamecocks and Clemson.

When he experienced his first game between the two, he kind of figured out what everybody had been talking about — the rivalry might not usually mean much from a national standpoint, but for Palmetto State natives, it’s a different story.

“You don’t really understand it until you’re a part of it and you understand the intensity of the game,” Boyd said. “And the intensity of the fans. I think that’s the biggest eye-opener more than anything.”

Boyd has run the gamut of emotions during his career, which will have spanned six seasons when Saturday’s game ends.

In 2003, he didn’t play because of a knee injury, but watched the Tigers rout USC 63-17 in Columbia. He was there the next year for the ugly brawl near the end of Clemson’s 29-7 win at Death Valley until finally last season, he was part of the Gamecocks’ comeback from a 14-point deficit in Clemson to claim a 31-28 win.

“It’s definitely a different feeling when you beat your rival,” Boyd said.

And he knows exactly what to expect Saturday night — intensity.

He said the teams usually stop short of going overboard with personal fouls and trash-talking, but that doesn’t make things any less tense.

“But you can just feel that intensity, just the atmosphere between the teams,” Boyd said. “… Both sides are almost at each other’s throats the entire game. You can just feel the intensity between the lines. It’s something that all players that play in this game look back on and sort of (say), ‘Wow.’”

Just another rivalry?

USC coach Steve Spurrier said the annual grudge match between his team and Clemson is pretty much like any other in-state rivalry, i.e., Florida-Florida State or Georgia-Georgia Tech.

And while the games are usually intense, Spurrier said he hasn’t noticed anything abnormally nasty in his two years.

“Our coaches actually get along well with their coaches,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s supposed to be good or bad to the fans around here. But it’s a big game for both schools. We know that.”

Changes, maybe

Usually when USC coach Steve Spurrier publicly chides his players for playing with inferior effort, it means lineup changes. There might be some different faces in the starting lineup Saturday night against Clemson, but nothing major, Spurrier said.

“Nothing real big as far as changes,” he said.“We’ve got who we think are our best players to put on the field. There may be a few new starters. But we’ve got to play with what we’ve got right now.

“We’re just challenging our guys to play with more effort and more smarts and see if we can’t be a lot more competitive than we’ve been.”

Overmatched?

There is a perception among some fans that if Saturday’s game comes down to a battle of coaching wits between Spurrier and Clemson’s Tommy Bowden, Spurrier would have a decided advantage.

Spurrier, though, downplayed the notion, despite the fact when he as at Duke he once asked a newspaper reporter to refer to him as a “mastermind” instead of a “genius.”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Spurrier said. “First of all, Tommy doesn’t call the plays like he used to. I think he used to call all of them. So, their coordinators are pretty much calling the plays. I’m trying to find some plays against their defense.”

Briefly

USC hasn’t lost to a non-conference opponent since falling to Missouri in the 2005 Independence Bowl. … The Gamecocks will honor 21 seniors before the Clemson game in a Senior Night ceremony. … Since USC last won consecutive games against Clemson (1968-70), the Tigers are 25-10-1 against the Gamecocks.