Gemini said. Although Lou Holtz is a Notre Dame legend, his six years coaching at South Carolina (1999–2004) featured some of the most intense, cinematic, and sometimes chaotic legacies of the Clemson–South Carolina rivalry. Here are the defining moments of the Holtz era in the Palmetto Bowl:
2000: The Push-Off and the Near-Turnaround
Holtz had the Gamecocks 7-3 and smelling blood after an 0-11 run in 1999. Clemson led by two with seconds in a rainy thriller at Death Valley. Tigers QB Woody Dantzler threw a 50-yard prayer to Rod Gardner, who made an incredible catch that broke through to facilitate the winning field goal. But Holtz and Gamecock partisans were furious, arguing that Gardner effectively pushed off defensive back Andre Goodman. It is still one of the most controversial “non-calls” in rivalry history, and it shut Holtz down for a signature win in his first-year turnaround.
2001: Ending the Streak in Columbia.
Holtz didn’t have long to be getting revenge. He took South Carolina to a 20-15 win in 2001, breaking the Gamecocks’ four-game losing streak. It was a masterpiece of “Holtz-ball”: gritty defense and ball control. The victory led the Gamecocks to a 9-3 finish in an Outback Bowl victory over Ohio State for the second time in a row. That era was the gold standard South Carolina football prior to the Steve Spurrier years.
2003: The “63-17” Humiliation.
Every legend has its low point at one point in history, and for Holtz. At his home team's 63-17 team at Williams-Brice Stadium, in front of a stunned home crowd, Clemson put out 63 points against the Gamecocks. It was the most points ever scored by either side in the series then. It was, according to Holtz, the “most embarrassed” moment of his coaching career, and it said to him that the momentum of his program was beginning to slide.
2004: “The Brawl” – The Final Curtain.
The most notorious moment in Holtz's career at South Carolina came before his last game. The 63-17 blowout a year before the game had sparked a boil-off of bad feelings. On the very bottom of “The Hill,” a face-off occurred long before that game even commenced. With about six minutes remaining for play in the fourth quarter and Clemson ahead with a 29-7 lead, a savage brawl broke out that cleared the benches in two games that lasted nearly 10 minutes. Holtz, 67 at the time, shot down the line holding his players down (and nearly getting trampled) and became the iconic image of that day.
The Aftermath:
In a rare display of collective discipline, both of the schools recused from bowl consideration as a punishment. And it was the final, grim chaotic step in a legendary college coaching career.
Lou Holtz’s Palmetto Bowl Legacy. Record vs. Clemson: 1-5.
The Impact:
Although the record had never been that stellar, Holtz raised the profile of the rivalry. He established the point where South Carolina could become a national player, elevating them from a 0-11 tie to back-to-back Top 20 finishes. He orchestrated the modern era in the Palmetto Bowl, and the intensity of the games.