Meeting No. 98 · Saturday, November 18, 2000

2000 Clemson vs. South Carolina: Clemson 16, South Carolina 14

"The Catch II" or "The Push-Off Game": Clemson wins it in the final seconds

FinalMemorial Stadium, Clemson, SC

No. 16 Clemson 9-2 16

No. 25 South Carolina 7-4 14

Quick answers

Who won?: Clemson
Final score: Clemson 16, South Carolina 14
When and where: Saturday, November 18, 2000 · Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
Series after this game: Clemson leads 59-35-4

Clemson 59-35-4Series after this game

ClemsonSeries streak: 4 straight

98 of 122Meeting number

2 ptsMargin

30 ptsCombined points

Clemson 1, SC 02000s through this game

Decisive moment

Trailing 14-13, Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler hit Rod Gardner for a 50-yard gain to the South Carolina 8-yard line with ten seconds left. Aaron Hunt then kicked a 25-yard field goal for the win.

How the game went

It was the first meeting since 1987 with both teams ranked.

South Carolina players and fans point to a replay that shows Gardner pushing off defender Andre Goodman, while Clemson contends the contact was mutual. No flag was thrown. Clemson fans remember the game as “The Catch II” and South Carolina fans as “The Push-Off Game.”

South Carolina went on to beat Ohio State in the Outback Bowl. Clemson lost the Gator Bowl to Virginia Tech.

Key players

Player	Team	Performance
Woody Dantzler	Clemson	50-yard completion to the South Carolina 8 with ten seconds left
Rod Gardner	Clemson	The disputed 50-yard catch
Aaron Hunt	Clemson	Game-winning 25-yard field goal

Notable facts

Decided by 2 points
First meeting with both teams ranked since 1987

Game facts

Date	Saturday, November 18, 2000
Site	Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
Meeting	No. 98 (Home-and-home era)
Head coaches	Clemson: Tommy Bowden · South Carolina: Lou Holtz
AP rankings	Clemson: No. 16 · South Carolina: No. 25
Records after game	Clemson: 9-2 · South Carolina: 7-4
Attendance	85,187