Growing up in Pennsylvania, Brandon Streeter didn’t know much about Clemson or South Carolina until he was older and started to get recruited by the schools.
But once he arrived to Tiger Town in the late 1990s, it didn’t take Streeter long to understand the significance of the rivalry between the Tigers and Gamecocks and what it means to people on both sides of it in the Palmetto State.
“You just quickly learn, when you get down here, immediately, how important it is,” said Streeter, a three-time letterman at Clemson from 1997-99 who was Clemson’s starting quarterback the last two years.
Streeter — now in his first season as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and his 15th full season at Clemson overall in 2022 — is certainly very familiar with the annual rivalry game and has experienced it at different levels, from his playing days to his tenures as a graduate assistant and full-time assistant coach.
For Streeter, certain stories exemplify the importance of the rivalry to people and add even more juice to it from his perspective.
“You hear about stories across the state of people that literally not just talk about the game, but will save every penny that they have so they can try to make it to one of these games,” he said. “And when you hear all these stories about these people doing this and finding ways to come to these games and really saving up and giving up so many things to come to a game, it makes it personal and it makes it that much more exciting.”
Streeter knows the in-state showdown, which will take place at Death Valley this year (Saturday, noon, ABC), is not just a game for the coaches and players.
“This is a game for the fans,” he said. “This is a game for bragging rights for the whole year, and when you think about that and you think about all the different stories that happen throughout the year of people wanting to get to this game, it makes it that much more special.
“So, just being able to be a part of something like this makes it fun, makes it memorable. You never forget this stuff. You never forget these games, and that makes it special.”
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