They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same task and expecting a different result. After four-consecutive losses, you can’t blame South Carolina interim head coach Shawn Elliott for seeking change, especially with the nation’s No. 1 team arriving on your doorstep looking to punctuate their storybook season.

“We have to do something because we have a heck of a Clemson team coming in here ready to play,” Elliott said, proverbially throwing his hands in air after his Gamecocks had one of their worst home losses ever last Saturday in a 23-22 loss to The Citadel.

With South Carolina and Clemson heading in polar opposite directions, Saturday’s Palmetto Bowl might represent one of the biggest disparities ever between the two programs when they face each other in the annual season finale. While the general consensus is a Clemson romp – the Tigers are 17-point favorites – let’s not forget that South Carolina has won five of the last six meetings. Those contests, however, were carried out by a much different cast of characters.

That said, there are some things South Carolina can do to pull off the 2015 season’s biggest upset:

1. Be there in the pregame

Judging from Shawn Elliott, the Gamecocks were doomed even before the opening kickoff last week as his team had a listless look about them during the pregame warm-ups.

“There was a little crack of disappointment after our loss to Florida,” Elliott said during his postgame conference after losing 23-22 to the Bulldogs. “You do everything you can to keep the team focused and energetic and moving forward. I don’t know what you would attribute it to. Maybe it’s because it’s an FCS team, but I tried to do our best to let those guys know (The Citadel) was coming to play and coming to win, and that’s exactly what they did.”

If South Carolina thinks coming out punchless against The Citadel was bad, they’ll find themselves on the south end of a drubbing before they realize what hit them by coming out flat against Clemson. One of Elliott’s best attributes, however, might be his relationship with his players. The guy is a players’ coach who is going to roll up his sleeves and get dirty in the trenches alongside his men. His fervor has to be the reason why he was the surprise choice to steer the ship after Steve Spurrier’s sudden resignation.

In short, the Gamecocks need this Shawn Elliott on Saturday. Fortunately, the interim coach has addressed the mood of his team in advance of Week 13’s matchup with the No. 1 Tigers.

“We’ve talked about it,” Elliott said three days later at his Tuesday press conference. “We’ve faced the facts, exactly what’s happened and what is going on and what we have to do moving forward. The mood of our football team is very good, if you can imagine that. We had a spirited practice last night. We took the team to the Tiger Burn. We told them we are going to enjoy this week. Our team responded. They actually wanted to talk themselves and get a few things off their chest to each other. We allowed them to do that. It wasn’t a private players meeting or anything like that, but they just wanted to say some things. When they came out of that meeting you can kind of look at an individual and tell if they got it or not and I think everyone got it.”

2. Cooper, Cooper and Cooper…and then some more Cooper

Everyone in the Palmetto State knows South Carolina wants to get the ball to first-team All-SEC wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. The junior is second in the conference once again in receiving yards with 887 and needs the seventh-best receiving day of his career (113 yards) to eclipse the 1,000 mark for a second-straight year. Unfortunately for Cooper and the Gamecocks’ offense, you don’t rise to the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings by have a shoddy defense. Clemson boasts the No. 5 defense in the country, bolstered by a secondary that gives up fewer yards per game (155.4 YPG) than every other team in the FBS aside from San Jose State (149.6 YPG) and Georgia (151.9 YPG). That means Elliott and offensive coordinator G.A. Mangus must find ways to get the ball in Cooper’s hand, even if it takes some gadgetry — of which the Gamecocks are no stranger. After all, Cooper has thrown for 118 yards and four touchdowns during his career. Mangus said the goal for Cooper against The Citadel was 15 touches. Expect the same goal against Clemson for the junior who announced that he’ll be testing the NFL Draft waters in the spring. That means Saturday’s game is his last in Columbia.

3. Cage the Tigers defense

If quarterback Perry Orth and the South Carolina offense wants any chance of moving the ball against a Clemson front seven that allows just 122.8 YPG on the ground (No. 20 in the nation), they’ll need protection up front. That calls for the rapid maturation of the Gamecocks young offensive line that started two freshmen last week against The Citadel with Zack Baily in at left guard for Mike Matulis and Blake Camper at right tackle in place of Mason Zandi. With sophomore Alan Knott at center, veteran seniors Brandon Shell at left tackle and right guard Will Sport are vital to the Gamecocks’ protection scheme. The unit permits South Carolina to rush for 152.7 YPG, (No. 10 in the SEC), but must open up bigger lanes for running back Brandon Wilds if the Gamecocks want to hang with the Tigers.

4. Attract fewer flags

Shawn Elliott bemoaned his squad’s lack of discipline in the penalty department against The Citadel, getting flagged seven times for 51 yards. The worst offense negated a 94-yard Pharoh Cooper catch-and-run on fourth-and-7 with less than 45 seconds to play that would have won the game. The culprit? A false start flag, the result of not everyone being set on the line of scrimmage. South Carolina, however, is among the better teams in the SEC, ranking fifth overall, in total penalties. Plus, referees flag the Gamecocks (56 times for 438 yards) less than they have Clemson this season — 102 yards fewer to be exact. If South Carolina wants to compete with Clemson, keeping their penalties to a minimum is imperative.

5. Contain Deshaun Watson

QB Deshaun Watson has undefeated Clemson rolling with 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games. His effort has landed him at No. 2 in the Heisman race, according to the most recent Bovada oddsmakers. South Carolina is better against the pass than they’re given credit for, surrendering 206.4 YPG in the air — that makes them No. 8 in the SEC, but No. 41 in the nation. Skai Moore is the heart of the Gamecock defense, leading the team in tackles (98), tackles-for-loss (6.5) and interceptions (4). South Carolina will need to create turnovers and force Watson into making a mistake or two, be it mental or physical, to be able to compete.