The War of Words has already begun<\/p>\n
\t\tIt\u2019s that time of the year again when coaches at Clemson and South Carolina hold their annual spring meetings with boosters and supporters while players express their opinions on a variety of subjects via social media or possibly through media outlets.
\nAs everyone knows by now, as it usually goes this time of year, Clemson and South Carolina have already begun firing off at the mouth about who is the best and what is going to happen when the Tigers and Gamecocks tangle in Columbia on Nov. 28.
\nOf course it all started when South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier reportedly told USC boosters at a Carolina a few weeks back that if they had the No. 1 ranked defense in the country last year they would have won more than just the Russell Athletic Bowl.
\nAs expected the Clemson faithful did not take too kind to that statement and took pleasure in reminding the Ol\u2019 Ball Coach what that No. 1 ranked defense did to his team in Clemson.
\nThe Clemson camp ultimately fired back this past weekend when quarterback Deshaun Watson said in a story written by USA Today\u2019s Dan Wolken that Clemson will not lose to the Gamecocks as long as he is the quarterback.
\n\u201cMy high school coach was a big Clemson fan and I told him, as long as I\u2019m the starting quarterback here, I\u2019m not going to lose to South Carolina,\u201d Watson said in the article. \u201cIt\u2019s a big rivalry. Who wouldn\u2019t want to play in that game?\u201d
\nSouth Carolina junior college transfer Ulric Jones is looking forward to it. After seeing what Watson said, Jones took to twitter and wrote, \u201cI\u2019ll make sure to bust his ass! Mark my words.\u201d
\nThose were strong words, and the way in which he said it, got the attention of Watson\u2019s teammates, who were quick to show their quarterback they have his back.
\nClemson defensive end Shaq Lawson fired back on twitter, \u201cUlrich Jones haven’t made a play in college to be talking that nonsense.\u201d
\nAfter receiving a few nasty notes from Clemson fans, Jones was not done. He later went onto write, \u201cMaybe I should tweet my phone number so the upset fans can call me and cry like on social media. You Clemson people crack me up.\u201d
\nThough Watson\u2019s statement to USA Today offended Jones, it wasn\u2019t the first time a player in this rivalry game made such a bold statement during the off-season. Former USC defensive end Jadeveon Clowney made a similar prediction in 2012 after beating Clemson, 27-17.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know how it feels to lose to Clemson,\u201d Clowney said at the time. \u201cI\u2019m not going to know how it feels either because we aren\u2019t losing to them as long as I\u2019m here.\u201d
\nClowney and the Gamecocks went on to win again in 2013, keeping his word as he finished his South Carolina career with a 3-0 record against the Tigers.
\nCan Watson do the same?
\nIf he does, he will not be the first Clemson quarterback to do so. Steve Fuller, who also wore the No. 4 jersey and is considered by most to be the Tigers\u2019 best quarterback of all-time, was 3-0 against the Gamecocks as the starting quarterback from 1976-\u201878.
\nHomer Jordan, who led the Tigers to the 1981 National Championship, was also 3-0 against South Carolina in his career from 1980-\u201982, while DeChane Cameron was 2-0 as a starter against USC in 1990 and \u201991.
\nBut if he was to stay at Clemson all four years, and his words hold true, Watson could do something only one other quarterback on either side has done in the 112-year history of the rivalry. He possibly could go 4-0 in the big game.
\nOnly Charlie Whitehurst, known as the chicken slayer by Clemson fans everywhere, has won all four games as the starting quarterback in the Clemson-Carolina Rivalry. Watson got off to a good start when, despite playing on a torn ACL, he completed 14 of 19 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two more scores in the Tigers\u2019 35-17 victory this past year.
\n\u201cWatching Clemson lose five straight times to South Carolina, playing in that game was something I wanted to do,\u201d Watson said in Wolken\u2019s article.
\nAnd now we will get to see if his words will ring true or will Jones do what he said. Either way, it should be a fun thing to watch in a rivalry that is always heated.
\nIt\u2019s that time of the year again when coaches at Clemson and South Carolina hold their annual spring meetings with boosters and supporters while players express their opinions on a variety of subjects via social media or possibly through media outlets. As everyone knows by now, as it usually goes this time of year, Clemson and South Carolina have already begun firing off at the mouth about who is the best and what is going to happen when the Tigers and Gamecocks tangle in Columbia on Nov. 28. Of course it all started when South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier reportedly told USC boosters at a Carolina a few weeks back that if they had the No. 1 ranked defense in the country last year they would have won more than just the Russell Athletic Bowl. As expected the Clemson faithful did not take too kind to that statement and took pleasure in reminding the Ol\u2019 Ball Coach what that No. 1 ranked defense did to his team in Clemson. The Clemson camp ultimately fired back this past weekend when quarterback Deshaun Watson said in a story written by USA Today\u2019s Dan Wolken that Clemson will not lose to the Gamecocks as long as he is the quarterback. \u201cMy high school coach was a big Clemson fan and I told him, as long as I\u2019m the starting quarterback here, I\u2019m not going to lose to South Carolina,\u201d Watson said in the article. \u201cIt\u2019s a big rivalry. Who wouldn\u2019t want to play in that game?\u201d South Carolina junior college transfer Ulric Jones is looking forward to it. After seeing what Watson said, Jones took to twitter and wrote, \u201cI\u2019ll make sure to bust his ass! Mark my words.\u201d Those were strong words, and the way in which he said it, got the attention of Watson\u2019s teammates, who were quick to show their quarterback they have his back. Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson fired back on twitter, \u201cUlrich Jones haven’t made a play in college to be talking that nonsense.\u201d After receiving a few nasty notes from Clemson fans, Jones was not done. He later went onto write, \u201cMaybe I should tweet my phone number so the upset fans can call me and cry like on social media. You Clemson people crack me up.\u201d Though Watson\u2019s statement to USA Today offended Jones, it wasn\u2019t the first time a player in this rivalry game made such a bold statement during the off-season. Former USC defensive end Jadeveon Clowney made a similar prediction in 2012 after beating Clemson, 27-17. \u201cI don\u2019t know how it feels to lose to Clemson,\u201d Clowney said at the time. \u201cI\u2019m not going to know how it feels either because we aren\u2019t losing to them as long as I\u2019m here.\u201d Clowney and the Gamecocks went on to win again in 2013, keeping his word as he finished his South Carolina career with a 3-0 record against the Tigers. Can Watson do the same? If he does, he will not be…<\/p>\n