#CLEMvsSC #1 CLemson completes undefeated regular season with 37-32 win over south carolina

tiger walk

Seniors Shaq Lawson, Stanton Seckinger, & Charone Peake were named captains for the Tigers in the Palmetto Bowl

A sluggish start gave way to a flurry of points in Clemson’s 37-32 win at South Carolina, with Deshaun Watson completing 20-of-27 passes for 279 yards and rushing for an additional 114.

Adrian Baker had a crucial interception in the first quarter that the Tigers used as momentum in opening up the scoring on the afternoon. The interception was Baker's second of the season.

With the victory, the Tigers remain unbeaten at 12-0, one of only two undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, heading into next weekend’s ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.

watson initiates scoring using his legs

After a scoreless first-quarter by both offenses, Clemson scored first midway through the second period when Watson capped an eight-play, 83-yard march with a five-yard touchdown plunge. The Tiger defense forced a quick three-and-out and Watson followed with a 55-yard strike to Deon Cain to extend the lead to 14-0. South Carolina drove 11-plays for 76 yards as the half closed, but the Tiger defense forced a 21-yard field goal and Clemson led 14-3 at intermission.

Watson was responsible for four of Clemson’s five touchdowns as he rushed for three scores and threw for one more. Fellow sophomore Wayne Gallman added 102 yards on the ground and freshman Deon Cain caught five passes for 96 yards and a 55-yard touchdown.

Today was the second time this season both Watson and Gallman rushed for 100 yards or more in the same game (Florida State).

cain makes it five straight

Deon Cain caught a touchdown pass for the fifth straight game, the only freshman Tiger to have a receiving touchdown in five straight. Sammy Watkins was the previous record-holder, with four consecutive in 2011.

Cain’s 55-yard catch was his longest touchdown of the season.

Watson led the offense to scoring drives on its first two possessions of the second half as Clemson claimed a 28-10 lead. But the Gamecocks closed the lead to only three points early in the fourth quarter by capitalizing on the Tigers’ third lost fumble of the day. Shon Carson scored from one yard out and Lorenzo Nunez added a two-point conversion to make the score 28-25.

4 for four

Deshaun Watson accounted for 393 yards of total offense Saturday, and had a hand in four of the Tigers’ five touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 114 yards against the Gamecocks.

c.j. Fuller gets in on the action

C.J. Fuller scored his first career touchdown on a four-yard rush in the third quarter.

watson comes up clutch

With momentum clearly residing on the home team sideline, Watson led a 10-play, 60-yard drive and finished it off with his third rushing touchdown of the day to extend the lead to 34-25. The Tiger defense then forced its fourth three-and-out of the day, and Clemson held the ball for 4:38 on the ensuing possession. Clemson tacked on a late field goal and South Carolina scored a touchdown with :01 remaining.

Clemson tied the school record for wins in a season with today’s victory over South Carolina. The Tigers are now 12-0 for the season. The only other year Clemson won 12 games was 1981 when the Tigers were 12-0 in winning the National Championship. Clemson will have the opportunity to establish the school record for wins in a season next week at the ACC Championship Game against North Carolina in Charlotte.

Clemson tied its school record for consecutive victories with today’s win. The Tigers have now won 15 in a row dating to last year, the same streak Clemson had from 1947-49. Clemson has the longest active winning streak in the nation.

Today was Clemson’s 50th all-time victory over South Carolina in Columbia. That includes a 31-20-2 mark in games played in Williams-Brice Stadium. Clemson has a 50-32-3 lead in the series in games played in Columbia and a 67-42-4 lead overall.

defense

Shaq Lawson went over 20 tackles for loss on the season after collecting a first-quarter sack. He moved ahead of Jim Stuckey and Trevor Pryce (20 TFLs) for the 10th-most in a season in Clemson history.

  • B.J. Goodson had 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss in the opening half, giving him 10.5 for the Tiger defense over a five-game stretch. He has had at least two tackles for loss in four of Clemson’s past five games.
  • Goodson finished with three tackles for loss and was credited with 12 tackles from the press box.
  • Adrian Baker intercepted his second pass of the season, both in the redzone. He previously picked off a Florida State pass in a similar situation on November 7.

dabo on the win:

"Really happy for our fans. We had a lot of orange here today. So proud to walk in this locker room and see this team in here having fun. This was our fourth road trip in six games."

"I love these guys, they just find ways to win. We want to get that 13th win next week, punch that ticket to the playoff, and see what we can do."

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