clifford

The following is an interview with Andrew Clifford, a former South Carolina quarterback who attended the university with Stephen Garcia.

Cliff, you have a bunch of family members that are Clemson fans. Who did you root for growing up and what was the family dynamic when you committed to SC?

Clifford: Well, growing up, my dad and his brother played at the University of Florida. Two other brothers that played at Clemson, and two more brothers that played at The Citadel. Yeah, I have a lot of uncles. I grew up a Gators fan and also rooted for the Clemson Tigers because it was in my blood.

Obviously, committing to South Carolina, Clemson’s arch enemy and SEC East rival, Florida, the trash talking in the family group texts and emails definitely intensified. Also, it didn’t make things easier when my younger sister decided to take her talents to Tallahassee and go to Florida State, also a rival school of Florida and Clemson. So, I would say my sister and I are definitely were outcasts when we made our college decisions. But the trash talking was all in good fun and they all supported me when I was playing.

I don’t think they were rooting for me, except maybe my dad. Now that I’m no longer there, they are right back to hating South Carolina.

Did you ever visit Clemson? Which campus was better in your opinion?

Clifford: I did visit Clemson. The campus was beautiful and the football facilities were top-notch. The stadium was one of the best I ever visited. Clemson is definitely a great atmosphere, but it doesn’t top to what we had in Columbia. Saturdays at Williams-Brice are unbeatable, and I’ve been to a lot of different college stadiums throughout my lifetime.

When I was a kid, we actually had our family “Turkey Bowl” in Death Valley. Those bring back some awesome memories. What’s amazing is that I have never lost in Death Valley. I was undefeated in the family Turkey Bowl and never lost to Clemson as a Gamecocks player. [Takes sip of delicious beer and laughs.]

South Carolina hasn’t lost since your class came in. Do you think this weekend ends that streak?

Clifford: I’m trying to think here. I haven’t really paid much attention to Clemson this year so I can’t really make a knowledgable prediction. That said, I trust in Coach Spurrier, the staff, and my boy Dylan Thompson to formulate the winning potion. [Takes another sip of suds and laughs.] In all seriousness though, I think the streak continues for another year. Carolina wins its sixth straight in a close one.

What was your favorite moment in the SC vs. Clemson rivalry during your tenure at SC?

Clifford: I would say probably our win in Death Valley in 2010. Well, since you’re interviewing me, I’m gonna say my favorite moment was your touchdown pass to Alshon and Antonio Allen’s pick-six. Pat DiMarco had a touchdown catch to start the scoring for us and we never looked back. Winning big in their house and shutting up their fans was definitely one of my favorite moments, though.

How about that party when we got home? (I’m forbidding you to go into details as this is a family-friendly website)

Clifford: Let’s just say it was a fun celebration.

You recently went to the South Carolina-Florida game. How was it seeing all the coaches and our old teammates?

Clifford: It was awesome. I really enjoyed seeing everyone. Loved seeing all the coaches and our old teammates. The best part was coming out of there with a win. I stayed at my uncle’s house that night after the game — the one that played for the Gators. He wasn’t the happiest camper, but it was still a fun time and a lot of beers were consumed.

OK, now for a few more entertaining questions. For those that don’t know, Cliff and I were roommates in college and we’re both from Tampa. What did you think of Coach Spurrier? What is your favorite story?

Clifford: He’s the man. He’s a proven winner and what he’s done for the South Carolina football program has been amazing. The expectations always seem to be higher each year because of him. As far as my favorite Spurrier story goes. Hell, there’s way too many to tell to just pick one. I’d say that being in the meeting room every day was definitely hilarious. That guy remembers every score and every stat from every game from his entire life.

He would always slip in some Rex Grossman and Danny Wuerffel tape and make us watch it. I actually saw and spoke to Rex at a bar in Gainesville after the SC game. We told stories and we laughed about coach putting on all the old tapes. Rex said he would do similar type stuff when he was at Florida.

What about when he had his shirt off before practice and was practicing his golf swing?

Clifford: [Spills beer from laughing mid-sip] I’ll say this. For his age, he is in incredible shape and is always in the weight room.

At South Carolina, you suffered a concussion crashing your scooter while carrying a pizza. Can you tell us about that?

Clifford: Well, as you know, I love to eat. I was hungry, and we ordered a few pizzas. I picked them up on my moped and on the way home, I lost balance upon entering the parking garage. As I was losing balance, the pizza started to slip out of my lap. [Heavy laughter.] I did everything in my power to save the pizzas from falling to the pavement. I succeeded! The pizzas were saved. However, last thing I remember was waking up “bloodied” in the hospital. A couple teammates actually tried bringing the pizza to the hospital to me, but my name wasn’t registered in the hospital yet so they couldn’t find my room, so they just ate the pizza instead.

After reading the stories and hearing all the rumors about our time in Columbia, what is your favorite story and/or rumor?

Clifford: Well, I’m not getting into the Atlanta bowl game. Everyone has their own speculations on that one and I think some stories should be left untold. I mean, we had fun just like every other college kid. We never did anything that caused harm to anybody.

What is your take on the SEC bias? How ridiculous are these guys like Danny Kanell and SEC haters?

Clifford: Obviously playing in the SEC we have a tough conference opponent every week. I don’t think that people realize playing these top-notch SEC teams week in and week out is pretty damn difficult. As far as the SEC bias goes, I feel like the people that root against the SEC are the people that are sick of the attention that the conference gets, especially from ESPN. [Side note: Cliff and I are arguing about ESPN and the SEC Network and the money that ESPN has in it.] ESPN, with their recent addition of the SEC Network, is clearly invested in the conference, so I can understand how ESPN can be biased. At least from a business standpoint. Having said all that, the SEC is hands down the best conference and I don’t think that’s debatable. I mean look at the success of the SEC over the last decade.