Gamecocks grab rare second consecutive win over Tigers
CLEMSON — The Gamecocks knew all about their lack of sustained success against the in-state rival Clemson Tigers.
The stats backed it up. South Carolina hadn’t defeated the Tigers in consecutive seasons since winning three straight from 1968-1970.
That was shattered Saturday night in Death Valley.
The Gamecocks dominated Clemson 29-7, winning for the second consecutive year against the Tigers after trouncing CU 34-17 last year in Columbia.
“You would have thought that would have happened in the last 40 years but I don’t guess it has,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “We’ve done some firsts this year. And there’s another first next week we’re going to try to do.”
That next first Spurrier spoke of? That comes this Saturday against unbeaten Auburn and Heisman hopeful quarterback Cam Newton in the conference title game.
“We’re doing a lot of firsts around here,” quarterback Stephen Garcia said. “Hopefully we’ll keep going and win the first SEC championship.”
The 12-0 Tigers of Auburn will likely pose a much stiffer challenge than the Tigers they faced Saturday in Memorial Stadium.
“To lose to USC is very unacceptable,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Our future is bright, but it’s awful dark right now.”
It didn’t take Clemson (6-6, 4-4 ACC) long to find the end zone, as a 45-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Parker to DeAndre Hopkins capped a four play, 73-yard drive to put the Tigers up 7-0.
But that’s when No. 18 South Carolina (9-3, 5-3 SEC) went to work.
The Gamecocks scored on four of their next five possessions and took the lead for just good 10 minutes into the game.
With USC trailing 7-3 and the Tigers lined up to kick it away, the ball sailed high over the head of Clemson punter Dawson Zimmerman, who barely corralled it before the ball was recovered at the 5 yard line by USC’s Brian Maddox.
Garcia found tight end Patrick DiMarco for a touchdown on the very next play, all but signaling the end of the Tigers in the process.
“It was big coming in here and playing against a Clemson team that’s our rival,” Garcia said. “They were looking to knock us down. We fought hard and the defense played outstanding.”
Garcia helped guide a solid offensive performance for the Gamecocks, who found success despite the off night of star tailback Marcus Lattimore, who gained just 48 yards on 23 carries.
But where Lattimore may have failed, his counterpart in Alshon Jeffery succeeded.
The wide receiver was a mismatch all night for the Clemson secondary, racking up 141 yards on five receptions while adding a second quarter touchdown.
“That shows we can do a lot of stuff on offense,” Garcia said. “He’s a great player and we’re still going to give him the ball a lot. But if people stop him, we’ve still got to move the ball, get first downs and score.”
His touchdown may have been ultimate difference for the Gamecocks.
On third-and-2 with USC clinging to a 9-7 advantage, Garcia rolled out to his right before finding the sophomore streaking across the field for the 37-yard score.
“We’ve been running that play all week. We saw a lot of teams do that throughout the week watching film on them,” Garcia said. “It’s a little rollout and he’s running a post back across the field. He beat the guy downfield and made a great catch and scored.”
But as good as Garcia’s favorite target was Saturday, his defense was even better.
The Gamecocks held Clemson to just 251 yards of total offense, including a paltry 61 yards on the ground, while recording their third defensive touchdown in the last two games.
It was spur linebacker Antonio Allen this time around, as the junior recorded a 37-yard pick six on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half, pushing the Carolina lead to 19.
“I was coming on the blitz and the running back flared. I had to peel with it,” Allen said. “I actually didn’t think the quarterback was going to throw it to me, but he threw it right there and I was there to make the play.”
Allen may have been surprised, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.
“If you look on film, you’ll see on my face that I was like, ‘What? Is he really throwing this to me?’” Allen laughed. “But he threw it and I cribbed it.”
It capped yet another strong performance for a defense that’s given up just two offensive touchdowns over the last two road games.
“The old saying is, if you’re going to win on the road you’ve got to bring your defense with you,” Spurrier said. “We’ve managed to win two big road games now. To win in the Dome, we’ve got to bring our defense.”
And that’s where South Carolina’s attention will now turn to: the Georgia Dome and the Auburn Tigers.
It was the Tigers that won the first round between the two teams — a 35-27 thriller at Jordan-Hare Stadium in September.
But much like their previous struggles against Clemson, the Gamecocks don’t care much about history or what it may or may not mean.
“Coach Spurrier brings it up Monday and Tuesday. From there on out, we don’t speak about history,” Lanning said. “We don’t believe in history. We don’t believe it repeats itself or anything like that. We believe we control our own destiny.”
An Auburn win puts the Tigers in the BCS National Championship. A win for the Gamecocks sends them to their first conference title and a berth in the Sugar Bowl.
Let the battle begin.
“We’re going to be ready for them,” Allen said. “We’re ready for Cam. Tell him. We’re ready.”