Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina’s day vs. Clemson
Thumbs up
Jake Bentley
He’d been knocked for his big game play. He had the most yards for a Gamecocks quarterback against Clemson ever (510) and became the program’s first 500-yard passer. Without him standing in, fitting balls in tight windows and throwing deep, USC wouldn’t have even competed with the No. 2 team in the land.
The big plays
Kiel Pollard shook loose for 67 yards in the first half. Then Deebo Samuel added a 75 yarder. For an offense that struggled to find really big plays most of the season, those proved vital.
The responses
The Tigers scored nearly at will throughout the game. USC didn’t answer every score, but it had answers for more than a few early, and that allowed it to be a one-score game at halftime.
Shi Smith
South Carolina needed to start things out well. Smith was vital in that, with seven receptions and 78 yards in the opening 15 minutes. He finished with 9 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Thumbs down
The defense
Six of Clemson’s first eight drives went for touchdowns. All were at least 70 yards. Unless it’s a Big 12 game and a team has one of the best offenses in the land, that’s not going to work.
The 4th down misses
It’s not that the decisions were bad to go for touchdowns instead of field goals. With the defense playing as it was, touchdowns were needed. The calls might not have been that bad, but they were pretty covered, and after double clutches, the ball simply wasn’t in a place to be caught.
The injuries
It didn’t seem like it could get worse, so of course it did. By the middle of the game, Rosendo Louis Jr., a thick true freshman linebacker who has played sparingly this season, was splitting out to help in slot receivers. Every layer of the defense was stretched to the limit.
Third-down defense
USC needed a few plays where they got off the field. Instead, they allowed conversions on seven of Clemson’s first 10 attempts. USC did itself no favors as only three of them had more than 3 yards to go.