The New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams each survived overtime on the road to secure their spot in Super Bowl LIII.
This year’s Super Bowl will feature legendary quarterback Tom Brady, the youngest coach to ever coach in a Super Bowl (Sean McVay), and two players with South Carolina ties.
Tight end Dwayne Allen and cornerback Stephon Gilmore of the New England Patriots, both spent their college careers in the Palmetto State.
Gilmore played at the University of South Carolina under former Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier from 2009-2011.
He was a part of a great defensive unit that featured Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram.
In Gilmore’s last two season at USC, he helped lead the Gamecocks to back-to-back top 10 finishes. He also never lost to in-state rival Clemson.
Allen’s college career also spanned from 2009-2011.
In Allen’s three years at Clemson he had over one thousand yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.
Allen was named a consensus All-American in 2011.
Both players were drafted in the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL draft.
At first the two NFL players went to rival schools, but now they are teammates trying to win this year’s Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl between the Rams and the Patriots is scheduled to kickoff February 3rd at 6:30pm EST on CBS.
You can catch Westwood One’s live coverage of Super Bowl 53 on ESPN Upstate starting Sunday immediately after the Clemson basketball game around 2:30pm.