CLEMSON - Jay Haynes is looking forward to playing against South Carolina for the first time.
While the running back was on the roster last year, he spent much of the season dealing with an injury and redshirted, so he didn't play in the Tigers' 16-7 win in Columbia.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Haynes. "Just getting the feeling of the game, how everything is going to be crazy, getting into it with the crowd also. Our crowd getting into it with them. I am looking forward to it a lot."
Coming from a small high school in Alabama, Haynes wasn't all that familiar with the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry. His first taste of it came while he was a recruit when he visited for the Gamecocks' 31-30 win in Death Valley. A loss that knocked the Tigers out of playoff contention and snapped a program-record 40-game home winning streak.
Now well into his second season with the program, Haynes has a much better feel for what this game is all about.
"I'm pretty familiar with it now," Haynes said. "When I was a recruit, I came up here for the South Carolina game. That is when we fell short. But I know it is a big rivalry based on what I witnessed last year. It's a big game and everybody takes it personal."
The redshirt freshman is coming off the biggest game of his Clemson career, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard scoring run in the 51-14 win over The Citadel.
Next comes the biggest game of the season. Outside of the usual emotions that go into this week, both the Tigers and the Gamecocks are looking to put their best foot forward in an effort to position themselves for the possibility of an at-large spot into the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Despite the ramifications, Haynes and his teammates are determined to stay focused on the task at hand. The goal is to play to a standard, even if it is your biggest rival on the opposing sideline.
"I really don't think our mind(set) has changed at all," Haynes said. "We come into every game ready to play. The standard is the standard. Coming into this game, it's just another game, but we also know it's South Carolina. Everybody is going to have their edge for the rivalry game but the standard is the standard and we come into every game thinking the same way."
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!