FOOTBALL. NOVEMBER 26, 2022
COURTESY OF USC MEDIA OUTLET
Carolina celebrates the win over Clemson (COURTESY OF BIGSPUR)
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Spencer Rattler threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns, Mitch Jeter hit the go-ahead field goal with 11 minutes left and South Carolina crushed the playoff hopes of a second straight top-10 team with a 31-30 victory at No. 7 Clemson on Saturday.
The Gamecocks (8-4, 3-2 SEC) were the talk of college football last week after their 63-38 dismantling of then fifth-ranked Tennessee, ending the Vols’ hopes of a College Football Playoff berth.
South Carolina and Rattler, who threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns against Tennessee, ended any chance Clemson (10-2, 6-1 ACC, CFP No. 8) had of reaching the CFP. The Gamecocks rallied from 14-0 down 10 minutes in to end Clemson’s seven-game series winning streak and 40-game home streak that dated to 2016.
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.
Clemson got the ball back a final time with 2:09 left, but Antonio Williams fumbled on a punt return and South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori recovered.
The Gamecocks went wild in celebration, rushing to the team’s fans and band in Death Valley’s West end zone.
Wells wrapped it up with his final catch for a first down with 1:04 left. Rattler took the final snap and heaved the ball high in the air in joy.
THE TAKEAWAY
South Carolina: The Gamecocks probably wish there was more left to the season. It’s been a landmark regular season in Shane Beamer’s second season as coach, with wins over ranked Kentucky, vs. Texas A&M and against the seemingly CFP-bound Vols before beating rival Clemson.
Clemson: This was not the way the Tigers hoped to head into the ACC title game against North Carolina next week. Clemson needed to win out and defeat the Tar Heels for any chance to reach the College Football Playoff.
KEY QUOTES
Here’s what South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer had to say after the Gamecocks upset the No. 8 Tigers 31-30
On what he was thinking after the last play of the game: “That I aged about 60 years today. ... Just how proud and grateful I am to be the head football coach here. I know what this rivalry means to the people of South Carolina and Gamecocks everywhere. And just really happy for them. I’m really happy for our seniors. There are a lot of emotions, there really is. And it still hasn’t hit me. But pretty spectacular.”
On Satterfield’s play-calling performance: “Just what a fighter he is. He’ll be the first to tell you that we didn’t coach well enough in the Florida game, we didn’t coach well enough in the Missouri game. We knew what the issues were coming in today. That is a fantastic defense that we just played. The front seven’s as good as we played all year. All those guys are not going to be draft picks, they’re gonna be high draft picks. So we knew it was going to be tough sledding and it was going to be ugly at times. We said we can’t let their front seven take the game over. And they didn’t. We got better as the game went. And Satt did a great job, as did Clayton (White) and as did Pete (Lembo) and all of our coaches.”
On the status of Josh Vann: “He’s ok, obviously it was a knee injury. Looked pretty bad. It’s not his ACL, so we’ll see.”
On punt coverage: “We told our guys all week that they’ve had some issues with protecting the football and turning the ball over. And we told our guys on special teams that, not just defense, but our guys on kick off cover and punt cover, there’s gonna be opportunities to get down there and knock the ball out against their punt returner and against their kickoff returner. Great job by them straining to get downfield and causing two turnovers on special teams. That was huge.”
GAME BALLS
Nate Adkins: Adkins had four catches all season. He had four for 62 yards against Clemson. He made a spectacular 32-yard one-handed, diving grab late in the first quarter to give the Gamecocks a much-needed spark. Later, he had an 18-yard catch and run to set up the first touchdown of the third quarter. But his biggest play came on special teams when he stripped Clemson’s Williams on a punt return with just over two minutes to play.
Kai Kroeger: Kroeger was absolutely magnificent. He repeatedly flipped the field and put Clemson in a hole. He punted seven times for an average of 53.7 yards. Four punts went at least 50 yards, and three went over 60 yards. His punts were downed at the seven, the ten, the three, the two, and the three. When Clemson did get to return a punt, it turned into the game-clinching fumble.
UP NEXT
South Carolina will await its bowl destination.
Clemson will face North Carolina in the ACC championship game next Saturday.
South Carolina beats Clemson for 2nd straight top-10 win with videos, quotes, stats, box score, and more
South Carolina AT Clemson(8 - 4 - 0, 4 - 4 - 0)(10 - 2 - 0, 8 - 0 - 0)
| 1ST QUARTER | 2ND QUARTER | 3RD QUARTER | 4TH QUARTER | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Clemson | 14 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | CLEMSON | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Offense | ||
| Yards | 401 | 336 |
| Plays | 70 | 66 |
| Avg. Per Play | 5.73 | 5.09 |
| TDs | 4 | 4 |
COURTESY OF USC MEDIA OUTLET
Carolina celebrates the win over Clemson (COURTESY OF BIGSPUR)
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Spencer Rattler threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns, Mitch Jeter hit the go-ahead field goal with 11 minutes left and South Carolina crushed the playoff hopes of a second straight top-10 team with a 31-30 victory at No. 7 Clemson on Saturday.
The Gamecocks (8-4, 3-2 SEC) were the talk of college football last week after their 63-38 dismantling of then fifth-ranked Tennessee, ending the Vols’ hopes of a College Football Playoff berth.
South Carolina and Rattler, who threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns against Tennessee, ended any chance Clemson (10-2, 6-1 ACC, CFP No. 8) had of reaching the CFP. The Gamecocks rallied from 14-0 down 10 minutes in to end Clemson’s seven-game series winning streak and 40-game home streak that dated to 2016.
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.
Clemson got the ball back a final time with 2:09 left, but Antonio Williams fumbled on a punt return and South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori recovered.
The Gamecocks went wild in celebration, rushing to the team’s fans and band in Death Valley’s West end zone.
Wells wrapped it up with his final catch for a first down with 1:04 left. Rattler took the final snap and heaved the ball high in the air in joy.
THE TAKEAWAY
South Carolina: The Gamecocks probably wish there was more left to the season. It’s been a landmark regular season in Shane Beamer’s second season as coach, with wins over ranked Kentucky, vs. Texas A&M and against the seemingly CFP-bound Vols before beating rival Clemson.
Clemson: This was not the way the Tigers hoped to head into the ACC title game against North Carolina next week. Clemson needed to win out and defeat the Tar Heels for any chance to reach the College Football Playoff.
KEY QUOTES
Here’s what South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer had to say after the Gamecocks upset the No. 8 Tigers 31-30
On what he was thinking after the last play of the game: “That I aged about 60 years today. ... Just how proud and grateful I am to be the head football coach here. I know what this rivalry means to the people of South Carolina and Gamecocks everywhere. And just really happy for them. I’m really happy for our seniors. There are a lot of emotions, there really is. And it still hasn’t hit me. But pretty spectacular.”
On Satterfield’s play-calling performance: “Just what a fighter he is. He’ll be the first to tell you that we didn’t coach well enough in the Florida game, we didn’t coach well enough in the Missouri game. We knew what the issues were coming in today. That is a fantastic defense that we just played. The front seven’s as good as we played all year. All those guys are not going to be draft picks, they’re gonna be high draft picks. So we knew it was going to be tough sledding and it was going to be ugly at times. We said we can’t let their front seven take the game over. And they didn’t. We got better as the game went. And Satt did a great job, as did Clayton (White) and as did Pete (Lembo) and all of our coaches.”
On the status of Josh Vann: “He’s ok, obviously it was a knee injury. Looked pretty bad. It’s not his ACL, so we’ll see.”
On punt coverage: “We told our guys all week that they’ve had some issues with protecting the football and turning the ball over. And we told our guys on special teams that, not just defense, but our guys on kick off cover and punt cover, there’s gonna be opportunities to get down there and knock the ball out against their punt returner and against their kickoff returner. Great job by them straining to get downfield and causing two turnovers on special teams. That was huge.”
GAME BALLS
Nate Adkins: Adkins had four catches all season. He had four for 62 yards against Clemson. He made a spectacular 32-yard one-handed, diving grab late in the first quarter to give the Gamecocks a much-needed spark. Later, he had an 18-yard catch and run to set up the first touchdown of the third quarter. But his biggest play came on special teams when he stripped Clemson’s Williams on a punt return with just over two minutes to play.
Kai Kroeger: Kroeger was absolutely magnificent. He repeatedly flipped the field and put Clemson in a hole. He punted seven times for an average of 53.7 yards. Four punts went at least 50 yards, and three went over 60 yards. His punts were downed at the seven, the ten, the three, the two, and the three. When Clemson did get to return a punt, it turned into the game-clinching fumble.
UP NEXT
South Carolina will await its bowl destination.
Clemson will face North Carolina in the ACC championship game next Saturday.
