The Clemson Tigers got off to a quick start scoring on their first drive of the night, and played dominating defense on their way to a 30-0 win over South Carolina in front of a sellout crowd at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC.
The game turned out to be a battle between Shane Beamer’s over-achieving Gamecocks and Dabo Swinney’s under-achieving Tigers. Many experts picked South Carolina to only win three games this season and to finish just ahead of Vanderbilt at the bottom of the SEC. The Gamecocks finished the regular season 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC, and will play in a bowl in Beamer’s first year as head coach.
South Carolina had to play most of the season with a graduate assistant coach turned quarterback (Zeb Noland), and third-string quarterback (Jason Brown) who transferred in from tiny St. Francis University (PA) leading the team.
Clemson was ranked preseason No. 2 and most experts had them penciled in to win the ACC for a seventh straight time and make the college football playoffs and play for the national championship. Their quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was also among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
Clemson finished the regular season 9-3, 6-2 and in third place in the Atlantic division of the ACC.
Uiagalelei struggled against South Carolina’s defense, as he went 9 of 19 for 99 yards with an interception. It was Uiagalelei’s lowest passing output this season.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched 73 yards on seven plays and score on a Will Shipply 29-yard run to take a 7-0 lead.
The Gamecock offense had struggled all season and Saturday was no different as Carolina did not pick up a first down until 12:09 to go in the second quarter. Clemson’s defense limited South Carolina to 206 yards total offense, its second lowest output this season.
The South Carolina defense held Clemson in check for most of the game holding them to two touchdowns and three field goals until late in the game when the Gamecocks went for it on fourth down deep in their own territory and were not successful.
Clemson did not choose to take a knee and run out the clock. Instead, with fourth down on the Carolina 6-yard line with under two minutes left in the game, the Tigers called timeout and set up another touchdown play.
South Carolina and Clemson will find out their bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 5.
