The Clemson Tigers defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks, 28-14, in the Palmetto Bowl at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers’ defense stepped up and delivered against an explosive Gamecock offense in Columbia on Saturday.
“That’s quite a turnaround. In fact, this is the greatest turnaround team in Clemson history,” head coach Dabo Swinney said.
The Tigers have rebounded from a 1-3 start, winning four straight games to end the season.
The Tigers, 7-5, 4-4 ACC, were the first to strike, capitalizing on a forced fumble by cornerback Avieon Terrell, who punched the ball out into the arms of a diving T.J. Parker. With the short field opportunity, quarterback Cade Klubnik was intercepted in the end zone.
On the next drive, Klubnik showcased resilience, driving 78 yards to set up halfback Adam Randall for a 10-yard touchdown run, giving Clemson a 7-0 lead.
Immediately following the score, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers wasted no time finding soft spots in the Clemson secondary, launching a 53-yard pass to a streaking Nyck Harbor to tie the game.
In response, the Tigers marched down the field in an 11-play, 85-yard drive to find the end zone with just under six minutes before the half. In a highlight-reel play, Klubnik magically recovered his own fumble on third down in the red zone and beat the Gamecock defense to the pylon for a 3-yard score.
The Tigers operated under a balanced attack and finished the game with 268 passing yards and 147 rushing yards. T.J. Moore and Antonio Williams were Klubnik’s favorite targets, as the sophomore receiver amassed over 100 yards for the third time this season on six receptions, and Williams ended his final regular-season game with a seven-reception, 66-yard outburst.
South Carolina scored each of its first-half touchdowns within two minutes of Clemson’s scores. Sellers only needed one play to kickstart an offense that has struggled this season, as he delivered a strike to Vandrevius Jacobs, who made multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone, tying the game at 14. Klubnik and company were able to execute some key plays and end the half with a field goal to give the Tigers a 3-point lead at the break.
The second half took on a defensive identity. Midway through the third quarter, the Tigers were able to set Nolan Hauser up for a field goal to extend their lead to six.
Edge rushers Parker and Will Heldt pressured Sellers relentlessly, forcing the quarterback to make repeated mistakes. In the final minutes of the second half, the two blitzed a distressed Sellers to force a pass to Harbor, which bounced off his hands into the hands of safety Ricardo Jones. Jones then navigated his way into the end zone for the first pick-six of his Clemson career.
“He’s a very smart and instinctive player,” Swinney said of Jones. “He knows what he has to do and can get his hands on the ball.”
With the comfortable lead, Clemson was able to run the clock and defeat South Carolina for the second time in the past three years.
The Tigers’ defense recorded five total sacks, two fumbles and two interceptions while holding South Carolina to just 41 rushing yards. Linebacker Sammy Brown led the team in tackles with nine.
“We’re not like other teams,” defensive end Parker, who had three of Clemson’s five sacks, said. “We’re together.”
“Pain has a way of making you better,” said Swinney of his defense. This year, Clemson’s defensive front “did what they came here to do,” he continued.
Clemson now awaits a bowl game selection as the team prepares to bottle its end-of-season lightning and bring it into next year.
