South Carolina Gamecocks, Sellers, scramble past Clemson, into CFP?

By / Devy & College Football, SEC / Leave a Comment
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Carolina Football, The League Winners

The historic South Carolina-Clemson rivalry between the No. 16 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 12 Clemson Tigers in the Palmetto Bowl added an unforgettable game to the record books Saturday. Here is everything that happened and what we learned from the Gamecocks 17-14 comeback win:

A low-scoring start

The Gamecocks started their first possession strong by working the ball well into Clemson territory off a 38-yard run from quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Yet just four plays later, Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker stripped the ball from Sellers’ hand for the game’s first takeaway.

Later in the quarter, the Tigers got shut down on their first redzone possession, turning it over on downs. Clemson did not pick up points on the 10-play, 85-yard drive because the Gamecocks stopped running back Phil Mafah on 4th and 1.

It didn’t take Clemson long to get the ball back, though. They forced a quick three-and-out, giving them starting field position near midfield. The Tigers got to work immediately with a 40-yard heave from quarterback Cade Klubnik to receiver Antonio Williams. That play set Clemson up inside the 20-yard line, and Klubnik finished it himself on the ground two plays later.

The following possession, South Carolina pushed back with their first scoring drive of the afternoon. Running back Oscar Adaway III did most of the work to set it up, but it was Sellers who rushed it in from 25 yards out.

The half concluded with a defensive battle that forced four punts and a drive that stalled as time expired; where both teams went into the third quarter at a 7-7 tie.

Clemson starts half hot

The Tigers started the second half with a strong 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by Klubnik’s second rushing touchdown of the day. The elusive 18-yard dash put Clemson up 14-7.

The South Carolina Gamecocks comeback

The next six drives were a combination of fumbles, punts, and an interception. The fumbles came on back-to-back possessions. One involved South Carolina running back Rocket Sanders taking a check down pass deep into Clemson territory before the ball was punched out of his arms.

The other came when the Tigers took over, attempting a trick play that turned disastrous. Klubnik tripped after taking the snap under center, then tossed it to a stumbling Mafah. The running back never fully had possession and tried to shovel it to a receiver on an end around, but the ball came loose and the Gamecocks jumped on it.

The interception, thrown by Sellers, followed an unnecessary roughness penalty that negated a modest gain. The Gamecocks had run the football the last six plays with success, and it had gotten them well inside the red zone, to the 11-yard line. The undisciplined post-play shoving resulted in a loss of 15 yards, setting up a 2nd-and-22 after the flag. Well behind the sticks, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains dialed up a pass play to try to get a chunk of the yardage back. Instead, miscommunication between Sellers and receiver Nyck Harbor led to a Khalil Barnes interception.

Later, with less than seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks faced a 4th-and-4 at the Clemson 19-yard line. Though they might have snapped the ball, South Carolina didn’t get lined up in time and took a delay of game penalty. USC did come away with points off an Alex Herrera field goal, finally breaking a scoring drought that lasted nearly 20 minutes.

After a what seemed to be a coaching debacle on fourth down, head coach Shane Beamer gambled by calling a surprise onside kick. It caught the Tigers off guard, yet after taking multiple hops with both teams having a chance at it, Clemson smothered the ball to take possession.

With six and a half minutes to play and up four points, a time-consuming touchdown drive could have put this game out of reach. Instead, the Gamecocks defense forced a three-and-out, which gave the offense one last shot.

With just under five minutes remaining, the Gamecocks maneuvered their way into the redzone. Sellers took a shot to the endzone for WR Dalevon Campbell who appeared at first to make the catch. However, but the ball came loose as he hit the ground and the pass was ruled incomplete.

Despite some controversy over whether the play should at least be reviewed, Sellers rendered the debate academic on the next snap. After dropping back for what was drawn up as another pass, once the pocket collapsed and defensive linemen closed in on him, Sellers took control of the game by weaving, juking, and powering his way past seven Clemson defenders and into the end zone for one of the biggest and most memorable plays in this rivalry’s history. The touchdown would put the South Carolina Gamecocks ahead of Clemson to the score of 17-14.

With one minute to play and only down three points, the Tigers could not be counted out. Clemson picked up three straight first downs, covering nearly 50 yards in only 29 seconds. They moved the ball within field goal range to the South Carolina 28-yard line. After the following four plays went for only a combined 10 yards, the Tigers had enough time for two plays, at most, until a game-tying field goal attempt.

Unfortunately for them and the more than 80,000 Clemson fans in attendance, they didn’t have the opportunity to try a field goal because senior Demetrius Knight Jr. intercepted Klubnik’s pass by his fingertips to seal the game.

Final score in an instant classic, South Carolina 17, Clemson 14.

What we learned
Sellers was the difference

There’s no doubt who the Gamecocks’ MVP was. Sellers’ ability to escape a collapsing pocket turned multiple broken plays into big gains. Countless times throughout the season, he has evaded pressure and picked up important yards for his team. In this game though, he was on a different level.

His 16 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns showed just how much a mobile signal caller can impact a game. While it certainly wasn’t his best day throwing (13 of 21 for 164 yards with one interception), his legs are what pushed the Gamecocks over the edge to earn the upset road win.

Turnover margin lost, game won

Before the game, head coach Shane Beamer talked about how key takeaways would be. The Gamecocks lost that margin by one. Despite the win, two fumbles on drives that were both otherwise going to result in points is unacceptable.

Sanders and Sellers both made the mistake of trying to get extra yardage while holding the ball with one hand. A Clemson defender came up from behind on both occasions and punched the ball out. South Carolina will need to do a better job of securing the ball if the Gamecocks hope to have success in postseason play.

Weak defensive line performance

The South Carolina defensive line looked overmatched by Clemson’s offensive line, as Klubnik had plenty of time in the pocket on nearly every passing play. The Gamecocks had only one sack on the day, and the lack of pressure was the reason so many deep plays were well-executed by the Tigers. Carolina also couldn’t contain Klubnik on quarterback keepers, where he scored all of Clemson’s points.

DB’s getting beat

The Gamecocks secondary certainly has seen better days. They got beat on deep balls multiple times on consecutive drives and the receivers had lots of separation.  Especially in single coverage, it looked as though the cornerbacks were getting beaten by Tigers route runners on almost every play.

Carolina makes its case for CFP

The Gamecocks are arguably the hottest team in college football, winning their last six games. That includes four SEC wins and beating Clemson, a team that will advance to the ACC championship game vs. SMU.

The selection committee takes into account how teams lost, and the Gamecocks have a strong résumé in that department. They lost by only two points on the road in Alabama against the then No. 7 ranked Crimson Tide, and they fell 36-33 on a last second missed 49-yard field goal against then No. 16 LSU. The second half of that game was played without star quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who left the game with an injury and his team leading. Also, what would have been a game sealing pick-six for Carolina was wiped off the board on a questionable unnecessary roughness call.

While it’s hard to imagine there are 12 better teams in college football right now, the team’s three losses could end up being the deciding factor.

Program-changing win?

This win marks the first nine-win regular season since 2013 for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Shane Beamer also made history by surpassing Steve Spurrier for the most wins by a Gamecocks head coach in their first four seasons with 29. With the regular season coming to an end, it is clear Beamer has set a new standard in Columbia. South Carolina is rapidly on the rise, and they could be a powerhouse school for years to come.

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