CLEMSON, S.C. --- Two weeks after his game-winning field goal at Williams-Brice Stadium, Clemson kicker Mark Buchholz returned to South Carolina's campus.

"It was my cousin's wedding and it was actually on USC's campus," Buchholz said. "Pretty much all the groomsmen and everyone in the wedding were USC fans. ... It was interesting."

Not unexpected considering Buchholz plays a prominent role in the Palmetto State's biggest sporting event each year.

The former Augusta FireBall soccer player struggled much of last season, juggling his role on Clemson's soccer team with his first year of kicking full-time for the Tigers. But one of Buchholz's last acts of 2007 wiped away most of his past problems and set him up for a spectacular 2008.

Clemson had squandered a 17-7 lead and trailed 21-20 late in the fourth quarter. That's when the Tigers pushed the ball to South Carolina's 16.

Buchholz did the rest, giving Clemson its fifth win in its past six games against South Carolina.

Buchholz's soccer eligibility finished last fall so he's concentrated solely on football. The improvement is obvious: Buchholz, 22 of 36 on field goals last season, has missed only three of his 17 tries this year.

SPURRIER IN THE VALLEY: Before Steve Spurrier got to see it every week as a Southeastern Conference coach, he was impressed by Clemson's atmosphere and support at Death Valley.

Spurrier coached Duke from 1987-89 before moving to Florida for 12 championship seasons.

He remembers while at Duke how Clemson's stadium had the feel and frenzy of places the Gators would visit when he was a quarterback 25 years earlier.

"Coming to Clemson and Death Valley was like going to an SEC ballpark," said Spurrier, who was 0-2 at Memorial Stadium.

RIVALRY TALK: "The Clemson game, it always seems to have a little more spunk to it than any other game we play throughout the year. The whole rivalry of the game is so big. ... We can have a bad year, but we beat Clemson, it's like we had a winning year." -- South Carolina linebacker Jasper Brinkley