South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Gamecocks strike again vs. Tigers
South Carolina beats Clemson for 2nd straight top-10 victory
CLEMSON, S.C. — Some teams would been content with a season-defining win over top-10 Tennessee. Not South Carolina and certainly not Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler.
South Carolina followed up its 63-38 stunner over the Vols last week with a 31-30 victory over Clemson, ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, on Saturday, ending the title chances of another College Football Playoff contender for a second straight week.
“We wanted more. We knew this was the biggest game of the season for us,” said Rattler, who passed for 360 yards and two touchdowns. “These last two games will change the narrative for program history.”
Saturday’s game certainly turned a one-sided rivalry on its ear. South Carolina has played in the shadow of two-time national champion Clemson the past nine years, losing the past seven against the Tigers (10-2, 8-0 ACC), who had been on a 40-game winning streak at home.
But the Gamecocks (8-4, 4-4 SEC) rallied from 14-0 down after 10 minutes to beat Clemson for the first time since 2013.
“Where’s my trophy? Where’s my trophy?” cornerback Cam Smith shouted of the silver-colored “Palmetto Bowl” honor that’s finally coming back to Columbia.
South Carolina and Rattler, who threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns against
Tennessee, ended any chance Clemson had at a playoff berth.
“We were the feel-good story in college football last week, but nobody thought we were good enough to win this game,” Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer said.
Antwane Wells Jr. had nine catches for
131 yards, including touchdowns of 4 and
72 yards.
Clemson was looking to set a series record with its eighth in a row over South Carolina. And the Tigers were up 30-21 midway through the third period after Will Shipley’s
11-yard burst to the end zone.
That’s when Wells, the James Madison
transfer, broke behind the defense for a
72-yard scoring catch two plays later. After Clemson’s three-and-out, Rattler moved the Gamecocks to the Tigers 10 before Jeter connected for a 35-yard kick to go 10 of 10 on the season. Clemson had no answer after South Carolina took the lead. The Tigers managed only 15 yards on three series as DJ Uiagalelei went a combined
0-of-6 passing with an interception. “It’s a play here or there. It’s a one-point game,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “There’s a lot of things that are demoralizing when you don’t win. Bottom line, South Carolina played better.”