Dabo Swinney and Clemson could be ranked No. 1 in the nation following their win over South Carolina on Saturday. Photo by Mark Wallheiser/UPI |
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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- No. 3 Clemson made its case for moving into the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings by rolling past rival and No. 24 South Carolina 34-10 on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Clemson improved to 11-1 and should be upwardly mobile when the latest College Football Playoff poll is released Tuesday night following losses by the two teams ranked ahead of them in last week's ranking. No. 2 Miami was upset by Pittsburgh on Friday while top-ranked Alabama lost at Auburn earlier Saturday.
The Tigers will play Miami on Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium.
On Saturday, it was all Clemson, which posted its fourth consecutive victory in the Palmetto Bowl and gave Coach Dabo Swinney his 100th career victory. Swinney became just the fourth FBS coach to reach 100 wins in his first 10 seasons, joining Urban Meyer, Chris Petersen and Bob Stoops.
Junior quarterback Kelly Bryant completed 23 of 34 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns and Clemson's defense held the Gamecocks to a season-low 207 total yards.
Clemson grabbed an early lead against the Gamecocks (8-4) when cornerback Ryan Carter stepped in front of a Jake Bentley pass and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown with 6:50 left in the first quarter. It was the shortest pick-six in Clemson history.
The Tigers extended their lead on a 1-yard run by running back Tavien Feaster with 8:12 left in the second quarter to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive, then pushed the advantage to 20-0 with 1:59 remaining in the first half when wide receiver Hunter Renfrow snagged a 4-yard touchdown pass from Bryant.
Clemson's onslaught continued in the third quarter. On the Tigers' first play from scrimmage in the second half, Bryant tossed a short pass in the right flat to Renfrow, who made a spin move and weaved his way 61 yards for a touchdown and a 27-0 lead.
Freshman running back Travis Etienne capped a 13-play, 69-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run that pushed Clemson's advantage to 34-0 with 2:47 left in the third quarter.
All of South Carolina's scoring came in the final quarter. The Gamecocks got a 40-yard field goal from Parker White following an interception by Keisean Nixon with 13:21 remaining, then drove 80 yards in nine plays before Bentley connected with wide receiver Bryan Edwards for a 38-yard touchdown with 2:41 left in the game.
Clemson dominated the first half, amassing 226 yards of offense while limiting South Carolina to 99 total yards. Bryant completed 14 of 21 passes for 159 yards while freshman wide receiver Tee Higgins had 84 yards on three receptions.
Bentley was 8 of 15 for 42 yards and one interception.
NOTES: Clemson junior QB Kelly Bryant is 11-1 as a starter, which breaks the school record for wins by a first-year starting quarterback. ... Tigers WR Deon Cain needs just one touchdown reception to become the fifth player in school history with at least 20 career touchdown catches. ... Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell is the only player in the nation to record at least five tackles for loss in two different games. ... South Carolina LB Skai Moore has a team-high three interceptions this season and 14 for his career, which is tied for the school record. ... CB JaMarcus King has broken up 12 passes this season, which ranks ties him for fifth in the Gamecocks' record book ... TE Hayden Hurst already ranks first in program history in career receptions for a tight end with 94.
