Streak stoppers! South Carolina upends No. 8 Clemson to snap skid against rival

South Carolina is on an unforgettable two-game tear.

Clemson is all but out of the College Football Playoff.

And coach Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks, after seven long seasons without them, have finally reclaimed those sweet, sweet, year-long bragging rights that come attached to one of college football’s greatest rivalries.

Clemson receiver Antonio Williams fumbled the ball on a punt return with two minutes left and South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler hit receiver Antwane Wells Jr. for a first down on the following possession to run out the clock and secure an instant classic 31-30 victory over No. 8 Clemson in Memorial Stadium.

This is the Gamecocks’ first win against the Tigers since 2013, as well as the first time in school history they’ve won back-to-back games against opponents ranked in the AP Top 10.

Standing at 8-4 and 4-4 in the SEC after consecutive wins against Tennessee and Clemson, South Carolina has also won eight games for the first time since the 2017 season — a stunning turnaround completed mostly on the backs of embattled offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s unit, which was lights out once again on Saturday afternoon.

“We were the feel-good story in college football last week” Beamer said. “But nobody thought we were good enough to win this game. We were the team that just kind of caught lightning in a bottle last week, and no way they can come back and do it again.”

At 10-2 and 8-0 in the ACC, Clemson will still play in the ACC championship game against North Carolina next week. But the Tigers, already sitting outside the CFP’s top four teams, will almost certainly miss out on the playoff for a second consecutive season under coach Dabo Swinney after six straight appearances (and two national titles) from 2015 to 2020.

The Tigers were once again hampered by turnovers — they had three of them and lost the turnover margin for a fifth consecutive game — and struggled to defend a red-hot South Carolina that torched Tennessee for 63 points and 606 total yards last weekend in Columbia.

“This is not a feeling we’ve had in a long, long time but that’s our reality today,” Swinney said. “South Carolina earned it. Our field position was bad most of the game, and the turnovers caught up with us … we had some missed plays, some drops and some critical big plays (we gave up) on defense. It wasn’t our day.”

South Carolina, which closed as a 14-point underdog, outgained Clemson 414 to 316 on Saturday, and Rattler, despite two interceptions, continued his late-season resurgence. The Oklahoma transfer completed 25 of 39 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns, delivering on-target pass after on-target pass to topple the Tigers – and their ACC-record 40-game home winning streak.

Wells, a James Madison transfer, was also outstanding for a second consecutive game with a game-high nine catches, 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns. South Carolina’s defense was clutch, too, allowing just seven points and 86 total yards in the second half.

This was the 119th all-time matchup between the longtime rivals and, unquestionably, an instant classic. But early on, it felt like déjà vu.

In 2021, Clemson shut out USC behind a strong defense and an even stronger rushing attack. The Tigers followed a similar script on Saturday, with linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. picking off Rattler and returning it 35 yards for the game’s opening touchdown and Uiagalelei scoring a short rushing touchdown on Clemson’s next possession.

The Tigers weren’t without fault in the first quarter — USC cornerback Darius Rush dropped a sure pick-six on Uiagalelei’s second attempt of the day — but after 15 minutes they led 14-0. That score was well in line with their recent dominance against the Gamecocks.

Then things got weird.

Trailing by two touchdowns, Rattler found receiver Antwane Wells Jr. in the back of the end zone on fourth and goal to give USC life (14-7). Then, on the most controversial play of the day, referees whistled a potential South Carolina defensive touchdown dead and after a review confirmed that Uiagalelei had thrown a forward pass to running back Phil Mafah rather than a backward pass (which USC thought it had recovered).

Clemson went up 16-7 after defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro sacked Rattler in the end zone only to fumble the ensuing free kick after a hidden ball trick play. Rattler responded with a 4-yard rushing touchdown (16-14), and Uiagalelei found receiver Antonio Williams wide open in the end zone on the next possession (23-14).

Then South Carolina went for it on fourth and 1 from its own 34-yard line and got down to Clemson’s 1-yard line after a 65-yard play-action pass from Rattler to running back Juju McDowell … only for Clemson safety R.J. Mickens to pick off Rattler two plays later.

That end zone interception — as well as a Herculean effort by Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba to chase down McDowell after getting burnt on the play — loomed large as Clemson entered the half with a 23-14 lead.

Second-half comeback

But South Carolina refused to go away in the third quarter. The Gamecocks used a 37-yard punt return by Ahmarean Brown to set up a short Jaheim Bell rushing touchdown and cut their deficit to 23-21. Then, trailing 30-21 after a Shipley touchdown, Rattler hit Wells on the money for a 72-yard score — the longest play by either team all day.

The Gamecocks flat-out dominated those 15 minutes, averaging 10.7 yards per play and got even more momentum when Clemson safety R.J. Mickens was ejected for targeting on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bell. (Mickens will miss the first half of Clemson’s ACC championship game against No. 17 North Carolina next week.)

South Carolina took its first lead of the game, 31-30, on a 35-yard Mitch Jeter field goal with 10:54 remaining in the fourth quarter while shutting down a Clemson offense that had been more than respectable in the first half.

Clemson punted on four of its first five possessions in the second half and turned it over for a second time when cornerback Marcellas Dial intercepted Uiagalelei with 6:37 to go in the game.

The Tigers forced consecutive punts after the Uiagalelei interception to give their offense a chance but didn’t get a shot at a game-winning drive after Williams’ fumble with 2:05 remaining.

Uiagalelei didn’t give the Tigers much help either, finishing 8 of 29 for 99 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 60.7 heading into next Saturday’s ACC championship game against UNC in Charlotte.

As for South Carolina? The Gamecocks are idle on championship weekend but will eagerly await their bowl destination on Dec. 4, better known as Selection Sunday. And they’ll enjoy the heck out of this win over Clemson for much, much longer.