Take a knee? What Muschamp, Swinney said about late Clemson TD

South Carolina’s football team wasn’t going to stop trying to score in the late going against Clemson on Saturday night.

So it only made sense Clemson wouldn’t pull back either.

The Tigers had the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and Tee Higgins in on the final drive. Etienne scored with 39 seconds left, within range of potentially taking a knee up 14 points.

Did that bother Will Muschamp at all?

“No, it is what it is,” he said.

The Gamecocks had hung within a score in the first half, a contrast to the 35-0 and 34-0 leads the Tigers have built in the past two meetings.

USC’s defense was torn apart by injuries, at points having only four defensive backs the staff trusts and seeing every starting defensive lineman either out or having to be helped off the field.

Clemson’s final drive was eight plays and 54 yards, the shortest scoring drive of the night after seven between 75 and 98 yards. The last possession was five runs, three passes, with two throws on third or fourth down.

“We just handed it off,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of the final score. “I can’t help they didn’t tackle him. We just handed the ball off right up the middle. So we were just playing ball.”

Clemson (12-0) faces Pitt in the ACC Championship Game this coming Saturday. The Gamecocks (6-5) will host Akron at noon Saturday (SEC Network Alternate).