Bentley looking for first win against rival Tigers

CLEMSON, S.C. — Both South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley and Clemson counterpart Trevor Lawrence hope to make their first winning impact on the Palmetto State rivalry.

Bentley, a junior, has started the past two games against Clemson — both demoralizing losses in which the Gamecocks were badly overmatched and lost by a combined margin of 90-17.

Lawrence, the 6-foot-6, 205pound, long-haired freshman — he’s nicknamed “Sunshine” after T.C. Williams High School quarterback Ronnie Bass, made famous in “Remember The Titans” — gets his first chance to lead the second-ranked Tigers into what many consider the biggest sporting event in South Carolina each year.

For second-ranked Clemson (110), it is a chance for the program’s second 12-0 regular season since 2015.

It’s Bentley’s chance to erase many bad rivalry memories and gain his place in the state’s most talked-about game.

“He’s a three-year starter, and not only is he better, but we are much better around him,” said coach Will Muschamp, whose Gamecocks are 6-4 in his third season in Columbia.

Bentley and South Carolina struggled the past two years against Clemson, with the quarterback throwing for a combined 167 yards with three interceptions and just one touchdown in his two starts. He said he won’t worry about that, confident his play the past few weeks has helped energize South Carolina’s offense, which has averaged close to 43 points a game the past three weeks.

“You can’t get too wrapped up in that,” Bentley said. “We have the mindset that this is 2018 South Carolina playing 2018 Clemson.”

That Clemson is still among the country’s best, though, and Lawrence has been a big reason why. He entered the week tied for the Atlantic Coast Conference lead with 21 touchdown passes and has thrown just four interceptions, by far the fewest among the league’s top 10 passers.

Lawrence is eager to continue that run against the Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference.

“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “We want to finish the last game of the (regular) season the right way.”

Lawrence has done about everything right so far — both on and off the field. He said all the right things when he shared the quarterback spot with last year’s starter, Kelly Bryant. He was humble and honored when Bryant, his one-time mentor, left the team after getting demoted. And he has helped Clemson light up opponents ever since, with the Tigers averaging 47 points a game in his seven starts.

Now he can do something special by contributing in a game that would be a big win even if the Tigers, No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, weren’t trying to earn their fourth straight berth in the fourteam playoff, though they still must play Pittsburgh for the ACC title next weekend.

Clemson has the chance for its fifth straight rivalry win, its longest such streak since winning seven consecutive times over the Gamecocks from 1934 to ’40. The Tigers’ run follows South Carolina’s streak of five in row from 2009 to ’13 with Steve Spurrier as coach and future NFL players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Stephon Gilmore and Alshon Jeffery playing starring roles.

The quarterbacks aren’t the only ones looking for legacy material. South Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel is back for a final time facing Clemson after missing last year’s game with an injury.

Samuel caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in a 37-32 loss to Clemson in 2015. A year later at Death Valley, Samuel had South Carolina’s lone touchdown in a 56-7 Clemson blowout before sitting out last year

“He’s as good a player as we’ve seen all year,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “He’s a game changer.”