Woods taking championship mindset into game that 'means a lot to a lot of people'

Peter Woods will play a critical role versus the rival Gamecocks.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Nov 29, 2024, 4:00 PM

CLEMSON—Sophomore defensive lineman Peter Woods is no stranger to the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry. He first experienced it last season when the Tigers defeated the Gamecocks 16-7. This coming Saturday (noon / ESPN), these two teams will face off for the 121st time.

“Coming in as a freshman last year, you just hear a lot of what a lot of people say, and you see a lot of people say stuff about how much it really means. But, you never really know (until) you just kind of get in that environment and just play the game. It’s a gritty rivalry. It’s got a lot of history, and it means a lot to a lot of people,” Woods said. “I think a lot of things that I took from my high school years and rivalry being one of them, big rivalry, being one of them, prepared me just for the mindset just of how to take focused and locked in and just keep my routine amongst all the things that are going on outside of what’s going on in this building (because) you get caught up in the sense of it being a rivalry and a lot of other emotions and stuff like to creep in on you. But, having maturity and the mindset (of) just knowing, preparing for this game like any other game. Championship game, playoff mindset.”

Woods gained some familiarity with a rivalry environment during his time in high school between his school, Thompson High School, and their rival Hoover. These teams typically played each other twice a year as they would also meet in the playoffs. Despite having four years of that rivalry, Woods said Clemson’s rivalry is the best rivalry he has ever been a part of.

“Thompson and Hoover’s definitely a close second,” Woods said. “But, it’s truly nothing like just being able to just play on a college football stage in general. It’s just amazing.”

One aspect that makes a rivalry more enjoyable is when there are important implications for the game. Last season, the Tigers prevented the Gamecocks from becoming bowl-eligible and ended their season. This year, Clemson is trying to make it into the 12-team playoffs. They are currently seeded No. 12 according to the College Football Playoff committee but are not in the playoff picture. A win against No. 15 South Carolina would be Clemson’s best win of the season. Woods is not focused on the talk about the implications, as he is just focused on doing his job.

“We know that people talk. People have a lot of stuff to say. Honestly, it’s people’s jobs that they create for themselves,” Woods said. “But, at the end of the day, we’re judged by how well we do and in our job. So, that’s what I’m going to put most (of) my focus on.”

Defending the run has been a problem for Clemson. Last week in their 51-14 win against The Citadel, the Tigers allowed 288 rushing yards. Between their eight players with at least one rushing attempt, they averaged 5.2 yards per carry. South Carolina happens to be very good at running the ball, averaging 181.8 rushing yards per game.

Their top running back, junior Raheim Sanders, has 821 rushing yards this season while their quarterback, redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, has 439 rushing yards. Woods believes Clemson’s problems against the rush are easily fixed, and he is excited to play against a talented player like Sellers, who has been elusive all season.

“All this stuff is fixable, just simple assignment staff, eye discipline, just little things. (You) make mistakes playing football and (that’s) easy stuff to correct. So, we’ve been working on that all week, just trying to be better in that aspect,” Woods said. “Competitiveness is just how we flow, and so, I’m just excited to be able to play against a great ball player like LaNorris. He’s put on tape that he’s hard to bring down and we just got to do our job and be able to cage him in the pocket and just keep him contained.”