CLEMSON, S.C -- Four in a row.
Behind the skillful passing and running of backup quarterback Dylan Thompson and a dominating defense led by incomparable defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina outgained the supposedly prolific Clemson offense by more than 100 yards en route to a sensational 27-17 victory before a sold out crowd at Memorial Stadium Saturday night.
USC hasn't lost to Clemson since 2008 when George W. Bush was still President, and has now won four straight games over its Palmetto State rival for the first time since 1951-54.
The victory completed a four-game sweep by the SEC over the ACC on Saturday as the Gamecocks were joined by Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt in convincingly beating ACC teams.
Thompson, filling in for Connor Shaw, hobbled by a sprained foot injury, outdueled more heralded Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd by completing 23-of-41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns.
After trailing 14-7 at the end of the opening 15 minutes, USC outgained Clemson, 365-165, over the final three quarters en route to its fifth win in seven games over the Tigers since 2006.
Overall, USC outgained Clemson, 444-328, and ran 86 plays compared to 59 for the Tigers. Last week, Clemson ran 102 plays against NC State.
USC ran 51 plays in the second half to 19 for Clemson, which totaled just 101 yards of offense in the third and fourth quarters combined.
Kenny Miles and Mike Davis combined for 88 yards rushing on 28 carries, admirably filling in for the injured Marcus Lattimore.
Clowney was credited with 4.5 sacks, giving him a school record 13 sacks for the season with one game left to be played. He harassed Boyd all night and finished with seven tackles and one quarterback hurry in addition to the high sack total.
Clemson came into the game with one of the highest scoring offenses in the country, but mustered just three points in the final three quarters as they were completely throttled after scoring two touchdowns in the first 13:38 of the game..
In improving his record to 5-3 against Clemson and capturing his 65th game as head coach of the Gamecocks, Spurrier became the winningest coach in USC history, passing Rex Enright (64 wins).
"It seems like when we play Clemson, they don't play very well," Spurrier said in his post-game press conference.
USC has outscored Clemson, 124-54, during the four-game winning streak over the hated Tigers.
Because they deferred on the coin toss, USC got the ball to start the second half trailing 14-10 and Thompson led USC on an efficient 10-play, 85-yard drive in which he completed four-of-eight passes for 79 yards.
On third-and-16 from the CU 34, Thompson got good protection, stepped up into the pocket and fired a bullet to Sanders streaking over the middle. After catching the pass, Sanders sidestepped three Tiger defenders and raced into the end zone to give USC a 17-14 lead with 11:48 left, quieting the mostly pro-Clemson crowd.
Thompson led USC on an eight-play, 42-yard march on USC's second possession of the third quarter, but a pair of holding calls thwarted the Gamecocks' efforts to reach the end zone. When his scramble for a first down was negated by a holding flag, Adam Yates booted a 43-yard field goal with 6:56 left in the third quarter to increase USC's lead to 20-14.
Clemson hit a long pass on the first play of their ensuing possession, but the USC defense stiffened and the Tigers settled for a 27-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter, slicing USC's lead to 20-17.
USC mounted a drive on its third possession of the third quarter, converting a third-and-9 on a swing pass to Mike Davis, who came on when Miles injured his knee earlier in the drive.
Eventually, USC gambled on fourth-and-11 from the 40. Thompson's pass fell harmlessly to the ground incomplete, but Clemson was flagged for pass interference, keeping the drive alive.
After another pass interference call on the Tigers gave USC a first down, a sack by a blitzing defensive back and interception in the left corner of the end zone on a pass intended for Nick Jones left USC frustrated as they walked off the field with 13:23 left in the contest.
D.J. Swearinger's knuckleheaded taunting penalty proved harmless when Clowney's pressure up the middle forced Boyd into a poor throw and the ball landed into the arms of safety Brison Williams in the middle of the field for his second interception of the season.
Multiple penalties on USC's ensuing possession drove the Gamecocks back, but a key third-down conversion by Thompson on third-and-19 from the CU 26 when he scrambled up the middle and cut right for 20 yards led to his six-yard touchdown pass for the final points of the game with 4:17 left.
Clemson got the ball twice in the final four minutes but did little with the opportunity. Dabo Swinney's decision to punt with 2:59 left drew loud boos from the Clemson crowd.
After the USC defense forced a three-and-out on Clemson's opening possession, a nice punt return by Ace Sanders set up USC at the CU 44 for their opening series. But after reaching the CU 28, Thompson was sacked on third down and USC punted.
Clemson took over at the 15 and the lethal combination of a more accurate and mobile Boyd, together with some poor tackling by the Gamecocks, drove 85 yards in 16 plays for the first touchdown of the game.
Clemson converted four third down opportunities during the drive, which drained 6:14 off the clock.
Thompson returned for the second series and completed a key third-down pass to a wide-open Justice Cunningham for a 19-yard gain to the CU 40. USC quickly moved into the red zone and called a timeout before Thompson fired a perfectly times back shoulder pass to Bruce Ellington for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:46 left in the first quarter.
The positive vibes from the touchdown drive evaporated quickly when Clemson needed all of two plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. Roderick McDowell raced around left end for 32 yards before Boyd lofted a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins, who had a half-step on USC cornerback Akeem Auguste down the left sidelines.
Hopkins won the wrestling match with Auguste for possession of the ball to give Clemson a 14-7 lead with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
Thompson was five-of-seven passing for 75 yards in the opening quarter, while Kenny Miles had 18 rushing yards on eight carries.
After the lightning-quick touchdown by the Tigers, the game settled down with each team punting twice over the next six minutes.
With 8:54 left in the second quarter, USC took possession on its own 12 and methodically drove into the Clemson red zone. Thompson scrambled for 19 yards on third-and-1 from the SC 36 for a first down to the CU 45, one of four rushes by the redshirt sophomore signal-caller.
Four plays later, Thompson connected with Sanders for a 17-yard pass along the sideline. The play was reviewed the confirmed.
When the drive stalled at the CU 9, Adam Yates booted a 27-yard field goal with 2:40 left until halftime, capping an impressive 12-play, 79-yard drive.
Thompson, who carried for 27 yards on the drive and completed five-of-six passes for 53 yards, finished the first half with 164 yards on 11-of-18 passing. He outdueled Boyd, who completed 8-of-17 passes for 131 yards.
Miles led USC with 23 rushing yards in the opening 30 minutes. Clemson outgained USC, 237-188, in the first half, but their final three possessions ended with a pair of punts and an interception by spur DeVonte Holloman, his third career pick against Clemson.
Those stops set the tone for the dominating second half by the USC defense.
SCORING SUMMARY:
1Q - CU, Boyd 3 yard run (PAT Good), 5:27 (0-7)
1Q - SC, Ellington 13 yard pass from Thompson (PAT Good), 1:46 (7-7)
1Q - CU, Hopkins 43 yard pass from Boyd, 1:22 (7-14)
2Q - SC, Yates 29-yard field goal, 2:40 (10-14)
3Q - SC, Sanders 34-yard pass from Thompson, 11:48 (17-14)
3Q - SC, Yates 43-yard field goal, 6:56 (20-14)
3Q - CU, Catanzaro 37-yard field goal, 5:07 (20-17)
4Q - SC, Ellington 6-yard pass from Thompson, 4:17 (27-17)
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1440972
Behind the skillful passing and running of backup quarterback Dylan Thompson and a dominating defense led by incomparable defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina outgained the supposedly prolific Clemson offense by more than 100 yards en route to a sensational 27-17 victory before a sold out crowd at Memorial Stadium Saturday night.
USC hasn't lost to Clemson since 2008 when George W. Bush was still President, and has now won four straight games over its Palmetto State rival for the first time since 1951-54.
The victory completed a four-game sweep by the SEC over the ACC on Saturday as the Gamecocks were joined by Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt in convincingly beating ACC teams.
Thompson, filling in for Connor Shaw, hobbled by a sprained foot injury, outdueled more heralded Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd by completing 23-of-41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns.
After trailing 14-7 at the end of the opening 15 minutes, USC outgained Clemson, 365-165, over the final three quarters en route to its fifth win in seven games over the Tigers since 2006.
Overall, USC outgained Clemson, 444-328, and ran 86 plays compared to 59 for the Tigers. Last week, Clemson ran 102 plays against NC State.
USC ran 51 plays in the second half to 19 for Clemson, which totaled just 101 yards of offense in the third and fourth quarters combined.
Kenny Miles and Mike Davis combined for 88 yards rushing on 28 carries, admirably filling in for the injured Marcus Lattimore.
Clowney was credited with 4.5 sacks, giving him a school record 13 sacks for the season with one game left to be played. He harassed Boyd all night and finished with seven tackles and one quarterback hurry in addition to the high sack total.
Clemson came into the game with one of the highest scoring offenses in the country, but mustered just three points in the final three quarters as they were completely throttled after scoring two touchdowns in the first 13:38 of the game..
In improving his record to 5-3 against Clemson and capturing his 65th game as head coach of the Gamecocks, Spurrier became the winningest coach in USC history, passing Rex Enright (64 wins).
"It seems like when we play Clemson, they don't play very well," Spurrier said in his post-game press conference.
USC has outscored Clemson, 124-54, during the four-game winning streak over the hated Tigers.
Because they deferred on the coin toss, USC got the ball to start the second half trailing 14-10 and Thompson led USC on an efficient 10-play, 85-yard drive in which he completed four-of-eight passes for 79 yards.
On third-and-16 from the CU 34, Thompson got good protection, stepped up into the pocket and fired a bullet to Sanders streaking over the middle. After catching the pass, Sanders sidestepped three Tiger defenders and raced into the end zone to give USC a 17-14 lead with 11:48 left, quieting the mostly pro-Clemson crowd.
Thompson led USC on an eight-play, 42-yard march on USC's second possession of the third quarter, but a pair of holding calls thwarted the Gamecocks' efforts to reach the end zone. When his scramble for a first down was negated by a holding flag, Adam Yates booted a 43-yard field goal with 6:56 left in the third quarter to increase USC's lead to 20-14.
Clemson hit a long pass on the first play of their ensuing possession, but the USC defense stiffened and the Tigers settled for a 27-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter, slicing USC's lead to 20-17.
USC mounted a drive on its third possession of the third quarter, converting a third-and-9 on a swing pass to Mike Davis, who came on when Miles injured his knee earlier in the drive.
Eventually, USC gambled on fourth-and-11 from the 40. Thompson's pass fell harmlessly to the ground incomplete, but Clemson was flagged for pass interference, keeping the drive alive.
After another pass interference call on the Tigers gave USC a first down, a sack by a blitzing defensive back and interception in the left corner of the end zone on a pass intended for Nick Jones left USC frustrated as they walked off the field with 13:23 left in the contest.
D.J. Swearinger's knuckleheaded taunting penalty proved harmless when Clowney's pressure up the middle forced Boyd into a poor throw and the ball landed into the arms of safety Brison Williams in the middle of the field for his second interception of the season.
Multiple penalties on USC's ensuing possession drove the Gamecocks back, but a key third-down conversion by Thompson on third-and-19 from the CU 26 when he scrambled up the middle and cut right for 20 yards led to his six-yard touchdown pass for the final points of the game with 4:17 left.
Clemson got the ball twice in the final four minutes but did little with the opportunity. Dabo Swinney's decision to punt with 2:59 left drew loud boos from the Clemson crowd.
After the USC defense forced a three-and-out on Clemson's opening possession, a nice punt return by Ace Sanders set up USC at the CU 44 for their opening series. But after reaching the CU 28, Thompson was sacked on third down and USC punted.
Clemson took over at the 15 and the lethal combination of a more accurate and mobile Boyd, together with some poor tackling by the Gamecocks, drove 85 yards in 16 plays for the first touchdown of the game.
Clemson converted four third down opportunities during the drive, which drained 6:14 off the clock.
Thompson returned for the second series and completed a key third-down pass to a wide-open Justice Cunningham for a 19-yard gain to the CU 40. USC quickly moved into the red zone and called a timeout before Thompson fired a perfectly times back shoulder pass to Bruce Ellington for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:46 left in the first quarter.
The positive vibes from the touchdown drive evaporated quickly when Clemson needed all of two plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. Roderick McDowell raced around left end for 32 yards before Boyd lofted a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins, who had a half-step on USC cornerback Akeem Auguste down the left sidelines.
Hopkins won the wrestling match with Auguste for possession of the ball to give Clemson a 14-7 lead with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
Thompson was five-of-seven passing for 75 yards in the opening quarter, while Kenny Miles had 18 rushing yards on eight carries.
After the lightning-quick touchdown by the Tigers, the game settled down with each team punting twice over the next six minutes.
With 8:54 left in the second quarter, USC took possession on its own 12 and methodically drove into the Clemson red zone. Thompson scrambled for 19 yards on third-and-1 from the SC 36 for a first down to the CU 45, one of four rushes by the redshirt sophomore signal-caller.
Four plays later, Thompson connected with Sanders for a 17-yard pass along the sideline. The play was reviewed the confirmed.
When the drive stalled at the CU 9, Adam Yates booted a 27-yard field goal with 2:40 left until halftime, capping an impressive 12-play, 79-yard drive.
Thompson, who carried for 27 yards on the drive and completed five-of-six passes for 53 yards, finished the first half with 164 yards on 11-of-18 passing. He outdueled Boyd, who completed 8-of-17 passes for 131 yards.
Miles led USC with 23 rushing yards in the opening 30 minutes. Clemson outgained USC, 237-188, in the first half, but their final three possessions ended with a pair of punts and an interception by spur DeVonte Holloman, his third career pick against Clemson.
Those stops set the tone for the dominating second half by the USC defense.
SCORING SUMMARY:
1Q - CU, Boyd 3 yard run (PAT Good), 5:27 (0-7)
1Q - SC, Ellington 13 yard pass from Thompson (PAT Good), 1:46 (7-7)
1Q - CU, Hopkins 43 yard pass from Boyd, 1:22 (7-14)
2Q - SC, Yates 29-yard field goal, 2:40 (10-14)
3Q - SC, Sanders 34-yard pass from Thompson, 11:48 (17-14)
3Q - SC, Yates 43-yard field goal, 6:56 (20-14)
3Q - CU, Catanzaro 37-yard field goal, 5:07 (20-17)
4Q - SC, Ellington 6-yard pass from Thompson, 4:17 (27-17)
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1440972
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