12 things you might have missed as South Carolina fell at Clemson
1. Some actual competition in the rivalry
The past two seasons, South Carolina’s football team fell into 35-0 and 34-0 holes against Clemson. On Saturday, the Gamecocks struck fast and put up big plays early even if the outcome was a 56-35 loss. USC also kept fighting late, meaning the Tigers’ stars were in there all the way to the end.
2. Jake’s air show
By halftime, South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley had more than 300 yards. Soon enough, he had the most for any Gamecocks quarterback against Clemson. By game’s end, he’d thrown for a school record 510 yards and tossed five touchdowns on a night when most of the offense was on him. His previous two games against Clemson included 167 yards one touchdown and three interceptions.
3. Deebo breaks out
On the biggest stage, star wide receiver Deebo Samuel delivered for the Gamecocks. The senior, who started the season slowly, delivered a 210-yard game, his best in a USC uniform. It was his third 100-yard game in a row and the second multi-touchdown game of his career.
4. Even more season-ending injuries
After the game, Will Muschamp announced Aaron Sterling was finished for the year with a knee injury, Daniel Fennell tore an ACL against Clemson and D.J. Wonnum will be lucky to return for the bowl game after ankle surgery. It’s another blow for a group that has lost a slew of players for the season, including an armada of safeties and top pass rusher Bryson Allen-Williams.
5. The defensive collapse
South Carolina was at one point down four defensive backs, its top five linemen and playing freshmen at linebacker. The result, allowing 744 yards, far and away the most in program history. The mark it broke was 680 against Texas A&M in the 2014 opener.
6. The freshmen
South Carolina found itself a little more reliant on true freshmen than usual, as injuries hammered USC all over. Beyond starting Dylan Wonnum and R.J. Roderick, Josh Vann, Israel Mukuamu, Rosendo Louis Jr., Ernest Jones, Rick Sandidge and Josh Belk all played, often in key spots. The day after the game, Muschamp singled out Sandidge and Mukuamu for praise.
7. The desperation situation
South Carolina came into Saturday down a slew of defensive players, and were hit harder when Jaycee Horn couldn’t go and Keir Thomas and Javon Kinlaw both missed time. It meant USC often had to play three linebackers against Clemson’s three-receiver sets, with the likes of Jones and Louis on the field. It even got dicey enough that little-used linemen Griffin Gentry and Javion Duncan found themselves in the game.
8. The run-pass balance
South Carolina was unable to run the ball against Clemson’s box-stacking defensive schemes, so USC went with what worked. The Gamecocks dropped back at least 30 times in the first half to only eight runs (discounting a sack). For the game, South Carolina had 50 passes and 25 runs, three of which were sacks, and that was with an effort to run against a reserve defense.
9. The captains
The Gamecocks’ captains were Deebo Samuel, KC Crosby, TJ Brunson and Zack Bailey. The game lasted 3 hours and 38 minutes.
10. The quirky offensive looks
South Carolina went back to a little of its Emory and Henry formation, sending out some looks with offensive linemen split out wide. It worked in spots, including Deebo Samuel’s deep touchdown in the first half.
11. Shi’s start
Shi Smith’s day was overshadowed to a degree, but he posted one of his best games at USC. He had 78 yards in the first quarter, 109 for the game. That included a late touchdown, but perhaps more important was helping move the ball as USC hung close early.
12. The next step
The Gamecocks now have to turn their attention to making sure they close the season above .500 and out of the Birmingham or the Independence Bowl. They’ve got an Akron team that has been mostly unimpressive this year, but despite a 2-6 MAC record, it did hand Big Ten West Division champion Northwestern a loss. Kickoff in the rescheduled game is noon on Saturday.