Final: Clemson 56, South Carolina 35
Midway through the third quarter of Clemson’s annual matchup with South Carolina a fog began to roll into Memorial Stadium, seemingly lifting the Tigers out of their own, for a short time, as No. 2 Clemson controlled enough of the second half to knock off South Carolina 56-35 in Death Valley.
For Clemson, it was their 5th consecutive win against South Carolina, a feat that hasn’t been done by the Tigers since a streak of seven games between 1934 and 1940. The Tigers also scored 56 points against the Gamecocks for a second consecutive time in Death Valley.
For the Tigers, it was senior Adam Choice’s three touchdowns and sophomore Travis Etienne’s 150 yards and two touchdowns that led the ground game, while Trevor Lawrence threw for 393 yards and one touchdown to go along with four carries for 42 yards in the game.
Throughout Palmetto Bowl, South Carolina’s offense and Jake Bentley, sliced up the Tiger defense, keeping the game competitive longer than many expected. Bentley threw for a career-high 510 yards and five touchdowns during the game.
On the opening drive, Bentley found Deebo Samuel for a 15-yard pickup before hitting Shi Smith for a 29-yard completion putting the Gamecocks into Clemson territory. Later in the drive, facing a third-and-seven at Clemson’s 18-yard line, the Tigers forced a stop, but Clelin Ferrell was ruled offsides keeping the drive alive for the Gamecocks. South Carolina capitalized on the mistake, finding Samual again for a 9-yard scoring reception and a 7-0 Gamecock lead.
The Tiger’s answered as Hunter Renfrow, whose status was in question before the game, made a nice 22-yard catch-and-run, cutting back across the field, much like his 61-yard score a season ago in Columbia. Sophomore Tee Higgins pulled in a 23-yard catch putting the ball in the red zone at the Gamecocks’ twenty-three. Choice picked up his first touchdown of the game from one-yard out bringing the score square at seven.
During the Gamecocks’ next drive, Clemson’s defense forced the first punt of the game after Austin Bryant sacked Bentley for a loss of seven yards on third down. South Carolina’s punt was a beautiful 55-yard kick pinning Clemson at the 5-yard line.
After a quick first down, giving them some room to work, Lawrence hit freshman Justyn Ross for a 26-yard gain. Following a nine-yard run by Travis Etienne and few short passes, Lawrence got in on the ground game with a 10-yard rush of his own, putting Clemson back in the red zone at the twenty-two. After threading the needle on an incompletion to Cannon Smith in the end zone, Lawrence tossed a bullet to Higgins for Clemson’s second score of the game and first lead of the contest, 14-7 on a 95-yard drive.
South Carolina delivered on their next possession marching 73 yards on 12 plays, but facing a 4th and goal at the three-yard line, Will Muschamp rolled the dice attempting the tie the game early. Clemson’s defense held firm, giving the ball back to Lawrence and the explosive Clemson offense put seven more points on the board in a hurry, this time from 97 yards out. The key plays during the drive included a 28-yard deep ball to Higgins and a 17-yard grab by Ross.
After moving inside the South Carolina five-yard line, Clemson rolled out the “Fridge” package, but on the first play, Christian Wilkins was stuffed, short of the goal line. Wilkins and Lawrence stayed on the field, and Lawrence pitched the ball to Wilkins on the second attempt, and the big defensive tackle dove into the end zone giving Clemson a 21-7 lead.
Following the touchdown, Wilkins was flagged for striking the Heisman pose.
South Carolina answered again as Bentley found Keil Pollard for a 67-yard score. Tanner Muse took a bad angle, trying to recover on the play, leaving Pollard in the open for the quick score cutting Clemson’s lead back to seven.
The Tigers responded quickly after a 32-yard run from Lawrence pushed the ball deep into South Carolina territory. That run was followed up by a nice 24-yard sprint from Choice. Choice finished the drive with his second score of the day giving the Tigers a 28-14 lead. It didn’t last long. On the next snap, Bentley hit a wide open Samuel for a 75-yard touchdown.
South Carolina lined up in a unique formation, leaving Samual one-on-one with K’Von Wallace. The star wideout made a nice move, giving himself space and Bentley dropped in a perfect pass cutting into Clemson’s lead to 28-21 with 4:37 left in the first half.
The Tigers failed to answer South Carolina’s quick score, punting for the first time during the contest and giving the Gamecock offense a shot at tying the game before the half. That attempt, however, was thwarted by a J.D. Davis interception at South Carolina’s 33-yard line.
The Tigers quickly hit on a scoring pass to Amari Rodgers, but that play was called back after an offensive pass interference call. Clemson had another opportunity to get into the end zone, but Ross dropped a pass that looked like a sure score. Ultimately, the Tigers failed to put any points on the board as Greg Huegel’s 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right leaving the score 28-21 at the break.
Clemson’s opening drive in the second half extended the lead back to fourteen after a 10 play 75-yard drive featured eight rushes by Tiger running backs. Travis Etienne’s two-yard score set a new single-season touchdown mark for a Clemson back, giving him his 18th of the year and a 35-21 lead.
After another stop, the Tigers went back to work, this time it was Ross and Higgins again making key receptions of 15 and 34 yards respectively. The drive was finished by Tavien Feaster’s 13-yard gallop to paydirt giving Clemson a 42-21 advantage.
The Gamecocks answered yet again, picking apart Clemson’s linebackers and secondary, but inside the five-yard line, the Tiger defense proved to be too much forcing a second turnover-on-downs with their backs against the wall.
For the third time in the game, Clemson delivered their longest scoring drive of the season, topping 97-yard and 95-yard drives earlier in the game with a 98-yard beauty. Choice finished the drive with a 15-yard run, his third touchdown of the night with 12:05 left in the fourth quarter and the Tigers holding a 49-21 lead.
Bentley and the Gamecocks wouldn't go quietly, driving 75-yards on eight plays hitting Samuel on a 32-yard score with 9:10 left to play.
After an exchange of punts, Clemson turned the ball over and Bentley took advantage again moving 74 yards on four plays for another quick touchdown leaving the score at 49-35.
Clemson picked up one final score after an eight play, 54-yard drive that was finished with a 7-yard touchdown run by Etienne giving Clemson another 56 point outing against the Gamecocks.