Re: So who is going to the Clemson/Sakerlina game on 11/30?

WB was for the UGA/SC game. UGA was ranked pretty high (and was the overwhelming points favorite) and SC had just recently ended that 21 game losing streak. My buddy (a giant UGA fan) got tix for his birthday. Quincy Carter threw 5 picks or something in that game. My buddy was decked out in Georgia gear from head to toe and I was dressed neutral, in khakis and a collared shirt or something. Anyway - we had several drinks poured on us, nearly every single fan near us barked at us incessantly and my buddy was spit on (by a college-aged girl) as we were leaving. And on I-26 leaving Columbia, a car threw a closed beer can at his jeep and cracked the windshield (he had UGA flags on his car). Not joking at all. That was 10-12 years ago? - so maybe it's gotten better since then. I haven't been back since. (I went as a kid with my family to a few Clemson/Carolina games and had similar, although not quite as bad, experiences). I am considering going this year though - that's their M.O. - to intimidate fans from opposing schools into not showing up there. The worst thing we can do is show that it works. Although I'm afraid this time I'd probably fight back and wind up in cuffs. My gf (an attorney and huge Clemson fan also) has strongly debated me against going, so it's still up in the air. My only advice would be not to drink much, since you WILL be heckled and probably want to keep a level head...

USCcock01

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Nov 13, 2013, 2:20 PM

As a Carolina graduate, I hope you have a good experience (beside the game's outcome, of course). Your experience (as I would guess at most colleges) can be somewhat dictated by where you park and where you sit. Park near the drunken frat lots, you might get some heckling. Tailgate in Gamecock Park (formerly the Farmers Market), it should be fun. If you sit in the East Upper, there could be more mouthing as they are "the last sold" tickets. The West Lower is usually a different ballgame. Unfortunately, there are jerks at every stadium who find their way to take cheering to animosity. I would simply encourage you (or everybody) to pull hard, but keep it within the lines to set an example...when I'm around "those folks", I remind them that my son is often with me and we're setting the tone for how he'll act when he's the drunken frat kid in a few years!

I have been to the Clemson/Carolina game at both sites for about the last 15 years. In my last 3 trips to Clemson, I've had a beer dumped on me, my car hit by a drunk driver, my car flags ripped of my car, and my wife heckled inappropriately. HOWEVER, I think Clemson is one of the best college campuses and most family-friendly places to see a game in the country. I only share that, as the moral of the story is to not let a few knuckleheads set the experience for you. I just happened to be around a rare couple of oddballs at Clemson, you could end up with our fair share in Columbia - I've been disappointed to witness those same acts around Williams Brice. But for your sake, I hope you miss those characters.

In the end, most of us all are neighbors, have kids in the same schools, and work in the same businesses. While I certainly wouldn't refrain from ribbing my buddies at a Carolina win, the core themes are that we are friends, buddies, and fellow Palmetto folks. When either team loses sight of that, we've failed. If I can give you any advice on where to go/sit/visit/eat, please let me know. Happy to help.

USCcock01

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So who is going to the Clemson/Sakerlina game on 11/30?