No.1 Clemson holds off South Carolina

Did I mention that the Tigers also have a legit Heisman contender in Deshaun Watson?

Deshaun Watson ran for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth and Clemson held off rival SC to cap an undefeated regular season. “They did everything in their power”.

“The way he has led this football team has been absolutely incredible to watch it and the way the team responded”. I don’t fault our coaches.

No. 1 is on the line again today: it’s Clemson vs. SC.

The Gamecocks found trouble early in the game. “He made some poor decisions”, Elliott said.

Really, after a play like that, is there anything else you can really do? We have to play well. “We’ve scored 48 goals this year and we’d like to get to 50”. “We were careless at the beginning of the game but we paid more attention to detail in the second half”. “So, we were trying to strip the ball after we threw the first interception”.

“Our team fought to the very end”.

All that, however, would change in the second quarter. Those issues need to be fixed if the Tigers want to slow down North Carolina next week. Logan scored on runs of 42 and 40 yards, and Hood had a 39-yard run of his own before scoring from a yard out in a 35-point spreed for the Tar Heels (11-1, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 14 CFP). So, they started mixing it up. Show up ready, execute, and play with heart. “So, they started trying to pass and mix it up”. “All the way to the last second, literally, they competed”.

When you are 13th in the SEC in total defense (90th nationally), allowing 422.1 yards per game, and just gave up 350 rushing yards to a FCS school, how do you stop an offense that has gained at least 500 yards total yards in each of the last seven games?

The Clemson Tigers have established themselves as arguably the best team in the country. It had the effect of keeping Clemson from having a return man deep. The Gamecocks were coming off an impressive performance in winning the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands and after two days of subpar practices, Martin was even more concerned.

Three names remain at the forefront of South Carolina’s search, Houston coach Tom Herman, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and North Carolina coach Larry Fedora, although another candidate could emerge.

“The only thing the meeting was really about was Coach Tanner wanted to hear what we thought about the situation”, Orth said. “We pressured him a couple of times on third down”.

But Clemson wouldn’t go away. Fuller four-yard score. Current score is still 0-0 in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks answered quickly.In four plays. Take Clemson to win straight up. A year ago, Gallman shredded USC with 191 yards on 27 carries. Shon Carson bullied his way in for the 1-yard line and Lorenzo Nunez converted a two-point conversion to pull SC within 28-25. “That’s just the kind of player that he is”.

Kicker Greg Huegel has been one of the nation’s most reliable kickers. Nevertheless, the Tigers would go up 34-25. “He was the difference in the game”. The best they can hope for is that they preserved it for another week. He is certainly a great player. “He keeps grinding and he makes good decisions”. With South Carolina only down by a field goal, Watson directed a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

Looking at the Dabo years, it’s unbelievable that Clemson hasn’t been able to beat SC more often.

Clemson, meanwhile, has seemingly strolled through much of their season. The Gamecocks are expected to be in for a long day against the Tigers as they aim to try and save something from this season.