Clemson, South Carolina bury hatchet with handshake

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) As their team captains gathered at midfield for the pre-game coin toss, South Carolina and Clemson players lined up just inside their opposing sidelines to symbolically bury the hatchet.<br> <br> Saturday night&#39;s game at Williams Brice Stadium was the teams&#39; first matchup since a season-ending brawl robbed them both of earned bowl appearances last year.<br> <br> Hoping to set a more collegial tone from the outset, South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman and Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips arranged a pre-game handshake.<br> <br> With a smattering of boos from the Carolina faithful as their backdrop, the Tigers and Gamecocks gingerly approached each other. They made quick work of this bit of orchestrated sportsmanship, stretching out their hands before running back to their sidelines.<br> <br> For the most part, fans said the unprecedented gesture in this storied Palmetto State rivalry was a good thing.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s the way to do it,&#39;&#39; said South Carolina fan Robbie Johnson of Myrtle Beach. ``There&#39;s still a lot of tension but this is a start in the right direction.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That tension is a holdover from a fight that began with 5:48 left in a 29-7 Clemson win over South Carolina at Death Valley a year ago. The melee began with an incomplete pass on fourth down by Syvelle Newton. The benches cleared as Clemson players lingered too long on top of Newton. Coaches and law enforcement struggled in vain to break up a brawl that stretched nearly 60 yards.<br> <br> Last year&#39;s matchup was declared the worst in the 102-game history of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry by The (Columbia) State Saturday.<br> <br> Aiken resident Jason Sheppard, a Clemson fan, said the handshake let the squads start out fresh.<br> <br> ``It shows that they realize they made a mistake last year,&#39;&#39; Sheppard said. ``Hopefully a lot of people learned their lesson.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Sheppard was not referring only to the players.<br> <br> ``If the refs had stepped in and thrown some flags, that wouldn&#39;t have happened,&#39;&#39; Sheppard said, suggesting the setting for the brawl was established with rough play throughout the game.<br> <br> The officials were not slow to throw the flag Saturday, calling six penalties against South Carolina for 55 yards in the first half alone.<br> <br> Not everyone was enamored with the idea of a handshake.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s stupid,&#39;&#39; said Clemson student Robert Sherrill. ``I think it&#39;s gonna cause a lot of controversy that is not needed. Just let them play.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)