Reggie Merriweather Reminisces About 2006 Loss To Gamecocks
For many Clemson fans, the mere mention of the name Reggie Merriweather conjures up a specific memory. They don't first think about the fact that he is currently the sideline reporter for the Clemson Tigers Radio Network or his 1,612 career rushing yards.
It isn't his career average of almost five yards per carry, or even his 20 career touchdowns. No, for most fans, when they think of Merriweather, it is Clemson's 31-28 loss to rival South Carolina in 2006 that first comes to mind.
On that day, with the Tigers down by three, and just over seven minutes remaining in the game, Tommy Bowden turned to the senior Merriweather.
They went with him despite the fact he had carried the ball less than 30 times all season, and All-Americans James Davis and C.J. Spiller were in front of him on the depth chart.
"I had come off a big injury," Merriweather told AllClemson.com. "A lot of people don't know, but I was pretty much done with football. I was like, 'Man, I've missed my senior season, I've got these All-Americans in front of me, I'm not doing too well,' but coach came to me on the bench and goes, 'We need to get you in the game and get the crowd back in it.'"
It seemed the move paid off. The stadium of close to 85,000 fans instantly erupted, chanting "REGGIE ... REGGIE!"
"How crazy was that?" Merriweather said. "80-something thousand people chanting your name. You getting to carry the ball your senior season, you know last home game. I get goose bumps still thinking about it."
With the ball at the Clemson 20-yard line, Tigers quarterback Will Proctor turned around and handed the ball to Merriweather to start the drive. The senior back ripped off a 10-yard gain, and on the next play, he plowed ahead for seven more yards.
The two carries helped ignite the Clemson offense, as they marched down the field on a 16-play drive, with Merriweather picking up another six yards on a first down carry from the Gamecock 23 with a little over two minutes left.
However, that was Merriweather's last carry of the game, as Bowden and then offensive coordinator Rob Spence chose to substitute James Davis into the game in place of the senior Merriweather.
Davis, who had been a touchdown machine for the Clemson offense that season, carried the ball four straight times, gaining just seven yards. The Tigers were eventually forced to settle for a 39 yard field goal attempt by Jad Dean, which would hook left, just outside the upright.
It was a devastating loss, made worse by the fact that it came against the Gamecocks. To this day, many fans still haven't forgiven Bowden for deciding to take Merriweather out of the game.
However, Merriweather says taking him out wasn't why the team lost that day. Or not the sole reason anyway.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't come out with that win," Merriweather said. "We had great leadership, we just couldn't finish games, if that makes sense."
