Taneyhill, Adams forge bond across Tiger-Gamecock rivalry

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Posted 11:30PM on Thursday, July 13, 2006

CLEMSON, S.C. - It sounds like a friendship few could support at least if you follow football in South Carolina. Still, Clemson's star defensive end Gaines Adams counts Steve Taneyhill among his closest and most influential friends the same flashy, ponytail wearing South Carolina quarterback from the early 1990s and former mocker of most things Tiger. The two connected at Cambridge Academy in Greenwood when Taneyhill coached eight-man football and Adams was a very raw player. Several years later, Adams has risen among college football's most fearsome defenders and is a likely top 10 pick in next spring's NFL draft. ``He helped me out a lot,'' Adams said. ``Every time I see him, I thank him for what he's done for me.'' Clemson fans might have to begrudgingly do that, too although it can't be easy given their history vilifying the ex-Gamecock. Taneyhill, remember, tormented the Tigers, leading South Carolina to two Death Valley victories in 1992 and 1994. The Gamecocks have only won one of the five contests at Clemson since and, overall, only two of the 11 played against their bitter rivals since the two victories in the early 1990s. And Taneyhill had a time celebrating success. The Pennsylvania native learned quickly how to tweak the Tigers, mock signing his autograph on the field at Death Valley's tiger paw and pretending to hit homers after touchdown passes. The 24-13 win he led in 1992 was South Carolina's largest margin of victory at Clemson, until two years later when Taneyhill took the Gamecocks to a 33-7 triumph there. ``I give him a little grief about the bat incident,'' Adams said, chuckling. Taneyhill spent as much time talking to Adams about goals beyond football as developing his skills. Adams excelled on both sides of the ball in the eight-man game, catching 158 passes and 65 touchdowns on offense and getting 33 sacks and 10 interceptions on defense. Taneyhill hoped to get South Carolina's coaches interested in Adams to little avail. ``That hurt me,'' Taneyhill said. Instead, Taneyhill helped Adams connect with Clemson and Taneyhill's former South Carolina coach Brad Scott. Taneyhill also knew that Adams needed some seasoning to get ready for Division I and pointed him to Fork Union Military Academy. There, it was hard for anyone to ignore Adams. He finished the 2001 season with 22 sacks. After a redshirt season at Clemson, Adams gradually found his stride. As a freshman in 2003, Adams had four tackles and a sack in Clemson's 26-10 victory over third-ranked Florida State. The next year, Adams tied for second on the team with five sacks despite starting only one game. Last fall, Adams became one of the game's elite players, leading the Tigers with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. The performance also had Adams considering whether he should remain at Clemson, a decision Tiger fans should also give Taneyhill some credit for. Adams and Taneyhill talked a couple of times over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays last year. Taneyhill reminded Adams that during their days at Cambridge Taneyhill now coaches 11-man football at Chesterfield High people did not believe the player would accomplish much on the field or in the classroom. ``I think it's important to him that he get his degree,'' Taneyhill said. ``I asked him what he wanted to do when he got done playing. He said, 'Coach with you.' I told him, 'Then you've got to graduate.''' Adams, a solid 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, chose to return for his final season. He'll likely have other options outside of coaching when he's done. Several Internet drafts have Adams near the top of next spring's NFL draft. Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. had Adams No. 3 overall on ESPN.com. ``I don't worry about that too much,'' Adams said. ``I'm thinking about Clemson and doing what we have to do this season.'' Taneyhill is glad Adams came back. That means the two can continue their good-natured ribbing about Clemson-Carolina games past and present. ``I like to mess with him,'' Taneyhill says. ``Because of what I did to Clemson, I ask him, 'What are you going to do against Carolina that Carolina fans are going to remember forever?''' Adams has had 13 tackles and a sack in his three victories over South Carolina. And he has a final chance at more memories this fall, in part because of an old Tiger nemesis in Taneyhill. (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)