Buchholz Boots Tigers Past Gamecocks In Columbia, 23-21 |
COLUMBIA - Coming down the stretch Saturday night it looked as if Clemson had kicked away its chance to knock out its biggest rival. Then, with one final kick, all was well again.
Mark Buchholz kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the 21st-ranked Tigers to a 23-21 win over South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. It is Clemson's ninth win in the last 11 games vs. the Gamecocks, and ninth in the last 10 played in Columbia.
It came despite a night in which the offense could manage a grand total of 10 points after Clemson's special teams blocked two punts and the defense forced a fumble and intercepted USC quarterback Blake Mitchell twice.
"It's a great characteristic of this team, not giving up," said head coach Tommy Bowden. "Mark had missed a couple of kicks, but came back and got the big one. The loss last week, you try not to talk about it much but it was very draining. So it was good to come back and get the win this week."
South Carolina rallied from down 17-7 to take a 21-20 lead with 9:00 left in the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Dion LeCorn.
Clemson couldn't muster any offense on the ensuing possession and was forced to punt it back to the Gamecocks - a 55-yarder by Jimmy Maners that pushed USC back to its own 12. USC managed one first down and ran three minutes off the clock before punting it back to the Tigers.
Beginning at its own 22 with 2:09 to go, the Tigers began to move immediately when Cullen Harper fired 26 yards down the left hash to Aaron Kelly. But the drive nearly ended there, Harper getting sacked for a seven-yard loss on second down, and a swing pass to C.J. Spiller on third down losing a yard.
On third-and-18, Harper and Kelly again connected, this time for 14 yards back to the USC 46. Then, on fourth-and-four, Harper found Kelly one more time on a quick slant for 12 yards to the 34.
Harper then found - who else? - Kelly for 18 more yards to the South Carolina 16. After a spike to stop the clock and a Harper rush of minus one to center the ball for a field goal chance, the Tigers called timeout with :03 remaining.
On trotted Buchholz, who was 2-of -4 on field goal attempts already on the evening - including a ball he hooked badly to the left his previous attempt.
But on this kick he was true, splitting the uprights and securing himself a place in the long history of this rivalry.
Not lost on Bowden was the play of Kelly, who finished the night with nine catches for 134 yards. He caught all four Harper completions on the final drive for a total of 68 yards to set up the winning kick.
That it came after last week's drop in the waning moments vs. Boston College made it even sweeter.
"I was real proud of Aaron," Bowden said. "I was proud of how he responded to the media last week and how he played tonight."
Clemson led 10-0 early, getting a field goal following an interception of Mitchell on the game's first play and scoring the game's first touchdown when Nelson Faerber blocked a Ryan Succop punt and LaDonte Harris scooped it up at the 10 and ran it in.
Mitchell's second-quarter touchdown pass to Kenny McKinley cut the lead to 10-7, but Clemson answered again with a four-yard pass from Harper to Faerber for a score to push the margin back to 10.
The Tigers had a chance to push the lead even further ahead after getting the ball back late in the half, but questionable clock management and a miss by Buchholz scuttled the opportunity.
"You know it's going to come back to haunt you when you miss two field goals and throw and interception in the end zone," Bowden said. "I was pleased with the players not getting down. It's discouraging for the defense to play the way they did and see the offense not get points."
Clemson ran for 214 yards on the evening, pushing Bowden's record to 32-1 when the team rushes for 200 yards or more.
Scoring Summary (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
Clemson (9-3,5-3) vs. South Carolina (6-6,3-5)
Date: Nov 24, 2007 Site: Columbia, S.C. Stadium: Williams-Brice Stad.
Attendance: 82410
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Clemson............. 10 7 3 3 - 23
South Carolina...... 7 0 7 7 - 21
Scoring Summary:
1st 09:13 CU - Buchholz, M 48 yd field goal
9 plays, 45 yards, TOP 5:34, CU 3 - SC 0
06:01 CU - Harris, L 10 yd blocked punt return (Buchholz, M kick)
CU 10 - SC 0
02:52 SC - Kenny McKinley 19 yd pass from Blake Mitchell (Ryan Succop kick)
8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 3:09, CU 10 - SC 7
2nd 05:52 CU - Faerber, N 4 yd pass from Harper, C (Buchholz, M kick)
10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 3:53, CU 17 - SC 7
3rd 08:35 SC - Kenny McKinley 40 yd pass from Blake Mitchell (Ryan Succop kick)
4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:25, CU 17 - SC 14
02:25 CU - Buchholz, M 28 yd field goal
13 plays, 69 yards, TOP 6:10, CU 20 - SC 14
4th 09:00 SC - Dion Lecorn 4 yd pass from Blake Mitchell (Ryan Succop kick)
7 plays, 72 yards, TOP 1:25, CU 20 - SC 21
00:00 CU - Buchholz, M 35 yd field goal
9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 2:09, CU 23 - SC 21
Kickoff time: 7:06 pm End of Game: 10:20 pm Total elapsed time: 3:14
Officials: Referee: Jack Childress; Umpire: Mark Pellis; Linesman: Perry Hudspeth;
Line judge: Tommy Giles; Back judge: Barry Hendon; Field judge: Chris Brown;
Side judge: D. Harrison; Scorer: Ryan Johnson;
Temperature: 50 Wind: Calm Weather: Cloudy
Team Statistics
Team Statistics (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
CU SC
FIRST DOWNS................... 26 17
Rushing..................... 11 4
Passing..................... 13 12
Penalty..................... 2 1
NET YARDS RUSHING............. 214 80
Rushing Attempts............ 46 21
Average Per Rush............ 4.7 3.8
Rushing Touchdowns.......... 0 0
Yards Gained Rushing........ 240 89
Yards Lost Rushing.......... 26 9
NET YARDS PASSING............. 229 284
Completions-Attempts-Int.... 28-39-1 18-31-2
Average Per Attempt......... 5.9 9.2
Average Per Completion...... 8.2 15.8
Passing Touchdowns.......... 1 3
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS........... 443 364
Total offense plays......... 85 52
Average Gain Per Play....... 5.2 7.0
Fumbles: Number-Lost.......... 1-0 1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards....... 6-45 4-41
PUNTS-YARDS................... 4-154 5-117
Average Yards Per Punt...... 38.5 23.4
Net Yards Per Punt.......... 31.8 16.0
Inside 20................... 2 1
50+ Yards................... 1 0
Touchbacks.................. 1 0
Fair catch.................. 0 1
KICKOFFS-YARDS................ 5-325 4-277
Average Yards Per Kickoff... 65.0 69.2
Net Yards Per Kickoff....... 49.4 49.8
Touchbacks.................. 0 1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD. 4-37-1 1-7-0
Average Per Return.......... 9.2 7.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD 3-58-0 5-78-0
Average Per Return.......... 19.3 15.6
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD.. 2-1-0 1-34-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD. 0-0-0 0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards........... 0 0
Possession Time............... 38:37 21:23
1st Quarter................. 8:26 6:34
2nd Quarter................. 10:11 4:49
3rd Quarter................. 10:30 4:30
4th Quarter................. 9:30 5:30
Third-Down Conversions........ 6 of 15 3 of 8
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 1 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 3-5 2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 0-0 2-14
PAT Kicks..................... 2-2 3-3
Field Goals................... 3-5 0-0
Individual Statistics
Individual Statistics (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
Clemson
Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
-------------------------------------------------
Davis, J 23 127 5 122 0 29 5.3
Spiller, C 16 91 3 88 0 19 5.5
Grisham, T 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0
Harper, C 5 18 15 3 0 15 0.6
Faerber, N 1 0 3 -3 0 0 -3.0
Totals... 46 240 26 214 0 29 4.7
Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack
-------------------------------------------------
Harper, C 38-28-1 229 1 26 2
TEAM 1-0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals... 39-28-1 229 1 26 2
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
----------------------------------------
Kelly, A 9 134 0 26
Faerber, N 4 20 1 8
Spiller, C 4 9 0 5
Grisham, T 3 23 0 9
Harris, L 2 22 0 11
Linthicum, B 2 14 0 7
Taylor, R 2 4 0 2
Palmer, M 1 3 0 3
Ashe, T 1 0 0 0
Totals... 28 229 1 26
Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20 TB
---------------------------------------------------
Maners, J 4 154 38.5 55 2 1
Totals... 4 154 38.5 55 2 1
Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
--------------------------------------------------
Kelly, A 0 0 0 1 27 27 0 0 0
Faerber, N 1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Spiller, C 2 -1 0 2 31 16 0 0 0
Harris, L 1 19 10 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chancellor, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Scott, D 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Totals... 4 37 10 3 58 27 2 1 1
Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Buchholz, M 1st 09:13 48 yds - Good
Buchholz, M 2nd 00:00 35 yds - Missed
Buchholz, M 3rd 02:25 28 yds - Good
Buchholz, M 4th 10:25 45 yds - Missed
Buchholz, M 4th 00:00 35 yds - Good
Kickoffs No. Yds TB OB Avg
---------------------------------------
Buchholz, M 5 325 0 0 65.0
South Carolina
Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
-------------------------------------------------
Cory Boyd 19 83 9 74 0 16 3.9
Blake Mitchell 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0
Mike Davis 1 2 0 2 0 2 2.0
Totals... 21 89 9 80 0 16 3.8
Passing Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack
-------------------------------------------------
Blake Mitchell 31-18-2 284 3 40 0
Totals... 31-18-2 284 3 40 0
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
----------------------------------------
Kenny McKinley 8 125 2 40
Dion Lecorn 5 65 1 24
Moe Brown 2 37 0 20
Cory Boyd 1 39 0 39
Lanard Stafford 1 10 0 10
Andy Boyd 1 8 0 8
Totals... 18 284 3 40
Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20 TB
---------------------------------------------------
Ryan Succop 3 117 39.0 42 1 0
TEAM 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
Totals... 5 117 23.4 42 1 0
Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
--------------------------------------------------
Kenny McKinley 1 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Culliver 0 0 0 5 78 22 0 0 0
Emanuel Cook 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 34 34
Totals... 1 7 7 5 78 22 1 34 34
Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Kickoffs No. Yds TB OB Avg
---------------------------------------
Ryan Succop 4 277 1 0 69.2
FUMBLES: Clemson-Harper, C 1-0. South Carolina-Dion Lecorn 1-1.
Drive Chart
Drive Chart (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
Drive Started Drive Ended Consumed
Team Qtr Spot Time Obtained Spot Time How Lost Pl-Yds TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CU 1st C25 14:47 Interception S30 09:13 *FIELD GOAL 9-45 5:34
CU 1st S10 06:01 Punt S10 06:01 *TOUCHDOWN 0-0 0:00
CU 1st C15 02:52 Kickoff S42 12:01 Punt 13-43 5:51
CU 2nd C12 09:45 Punt S00 05:52 *TOUCHDOWN 10-88 3:53
CU 2nd C37 03:19 Punt S18 00:00 Missed FG 11-45 3:19
CU 3rd C28 15:00 Kickoff C40 12:48 Punt 5-12 2:12
CU 3rd S22 11:56 Punt S02 10:00 Interception 5-20 1:56
CU 3rd C20 08:35 Kickoff S11 02:25 *FIELD GOAL 13-69 6:10
CU 3rd C33 00:12 Fumble S42 13:38 Punt 5-25 1:34
CU 4th S32 12:25 Interception S28 10:25 Missed FG 4-4 2:00
CU 4th C18 09:00 Kickoff C40 05:01 Punt 6-22 3:59
CU 4th C22 02:09 Punt S17 00:00 *FIELD GOAL 9-61 2:09
SC 1st S31 15:00 Kickoff S31 14:47 Interception 1-0 0:13
SC 1st S23 09:13 Kickoff S29 06:01 Punt 5-6 3:12
SC 1st S26 06:01 Kickoff C00 02:52 *TOUCHDOWN 8-74 3:09
SC 2nd S17 12:01 Punt C49 09:45 Punt 6-34 2:16
SC 2nd S01 05:52 Kickoff S25 03:19 Punt 6-24 2:33
SC 2nd S20 00:00 Missed FG S20 00:00 End of half 0-0 0:00
SC 3rd S28 12:48 Punt S31 11:56 Punt 3-3 0:52
SC 3rd S34 10:00 Interception C00 08:35 *TOUCHDOWN 4-66 1:25
SC 3rd S22 02:25 Kickoff C33 00:12 Fumble 5-45 2:13
SC 4th S20 13:38 Punt S32 12:25 Interception 3-12 1:13
SC 4th S28 10:25 Missed FG C00 09:00 *TOUCHDOWN 7-72 1:25
SC 4th S12 05:01 Punt S35 02:09 Punt 4-23 2:52
CU 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Half Half Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession 08:26 10:11 10:30 09:30 18:37 20:00 38:37
3rd Down Conversions 2/3 2/4 1/3 1/5 4/7 2/8 6/15
Avg Field Position C20 C24 C39 C36 C22 C38 C32
4th Down Conversions 0/0 0/0 0/0 1/1 0/0 1/1 1/1
SC 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Half Half Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession 06:34 04:49 04:30 05:30 11:23 10:00 21:23
3rd Down Conversions 1/2 1/3 1/2 0/1 2/5 1/3 3/8
Avg Field Position S26 S09 S28 S20 S19 S24 S22
4th Down Conversions 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0
Drive Chart (By Quarter)
Drive Started Drive Ended Consumed
Team Qtr Spot Time Obtained Spot Time How Lost Pl-Yds TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SC 1st S31 15:00 Kickoff S31 14:47 Interception 1-0 0:13
CU 1st C25 14:47 Interception S30 09:13 *FIELD GOAL 9-45 5:34
SC 1st S23 09:13 Kickoff S29 06:01 Punt 5-6 3:12
CU 1st S10 06:01 Punt S10 06:01 *TOUCHDOWN 0-0 0:00
SC 1st S26 06:01 Kickoff C00 02:52 *TOUCHDOWN 8-74 3:09
CU 1st C15 02:52 Kickoff S42 12:01 Punt 13-43 5:51
SC 2nd S17 12:01 Punt C49 09:45 Punt 6-34 2:16
CU 2nd C12 09:45 Punt S00 05:52 *TOUCHDOWN 10-88 3:53
SC 2nd S01 05:52 Kickoff S25 03:19 Punt 6-24 2:33
CU 2nd C37 03:19 Punt S18 00:00 Missed FG 11-45 3:19
SC 2nd S20 00:00 Missed FG S20 00:00 End of half 0-0 0:00
CU 3rd C28 15:00 Kickoff C40 12:48 Punt 5-12 2:12
SC 3rd S28 12:48 Punt S31 11:56 Punt 3-3 0:52
CU 3rd S22 11:56 Punt S02 10:00 Interception 5-20 1:56
SC 3rd S34 10:00 Interception C00 08:35 *TOUCHDOWN 4-66 1:25
CU 3rd C20 08:35 Kickoff S11 02:25 *FIELD GOAL 13-69 6:10
SC 3rd S22 02:25 Kickoff C33 00:12 Fumble 5-45 2:13
CU 3rd C33 00:12 Fumble S42 13:38 Punt 5-25 1:34
SC 4th S20 13:38 Punt S32 12:25 Interception 3-12 1:13
CU 4th S32 12:25 Interception S28 10:25 Missed FG 4-4 2:00
SC 4th S28 10:25 Missed FG C00 09:00 *TOUCHDOWN 7-72 1:25
CU 4th C18 09:00 Kickoff C40 05:01 Punt 6-22 3:59
SC 4th S12 05:01 Punt S35 02:09 Punt 4-23 2:52
CU 4th C22 02:09 Punt S17 00:00 *FIELD GOAL 9-61 2:09
Defensive Statistics
Defensive Statistics (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
Clemson
## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Sapp, R 5 1 6 . . . . . . . .
32 Watkins, N 4 1 5 . . . . . . . 1
18 Butler, C 4 . 4 . . . . . . . .
2 McDaniel, D 3 1 4 . . . . . . . .
94 Merling, P 3 . 3 . 1 . . . . . .
22 Clemons, C 3 . 3 1.0/5 . . . . . . .
38 Chancellor, C 3 . 3 . . . 1-0 . . . .
33 Conner, K 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
25 Hamlin, M 2 . 2 . . . . 2 . . .
36 Maxwell, B 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
20 Billie, T 2 . 2 . . . . . . . 2
43 Clay, A 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
24 Alexander, K 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
10 Harper, C 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
45 Vincent, C 1 . 1 1.0/4 . . . . . . .
8 Cumbie, J 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
97 Scott, D 1 . 1 . . . 1-1 . . . 2
12 Gilchrist, M . 1 1 . . 1-0 . . . . .
26 Harris, L . . . . . . . . 1 . .
83 Faerber, N . . . . . . . . 1 . .
South Carolina
## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Emanuel Cook 9 . 9 1.0/7 1 . 1-34 . . 1.0/7 .
40 Eric Norwood 8 1 9 3.5/11 . . . . . 1.0/7 2
36 Stoney Woodson 7 1 8 0.5/1 . . . 1 . . .
51 Casper Brinkley 6 1 7 1.0/1 . . . . . . .
24 Cody Wells 6 . 6 . . . . . . . .
32 Darian Stewart 5 1 6 1.0/3 . . . 1 . . .
53 Marvin Sapp 5 1 6 . . . . . . . .
45 Rodney Paulk 4 2 6 0.5/0 . . . . . . .
97 Kenrick Ellis 5 . 5 1.0/2 . . . . . . .
33 Chris Hampton 3 1 4 . . . . . . . .
7A Addison Williams 3 . 3 . . . . . . . .
30 Yvan Banag 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
6A Melvin Ingram 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
83 Cliff Matthews 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
5 Carlos Thomas 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
3 Cory Boyd 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
26 Brandon Isaac 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
79 Marque Hall 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
31 Gerrod Sinclair . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
91 Ladi Ajiboye . 1 1 0.5/1 . . . . . . 1
Participation Report
Participation Report (Final)
2007 South Carolina Football
Clemson vs South Carolina (Nov 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
Clemson South Carolina
POS ## OFFENSE POS ## OFFENSE
WR 80 Kelly, A WR 11 Kenny McKinley
WR 13 Grisham, T WR 9 Moe Brown
LT 79 Richardson, B LT 77 Jamon Meredith
LG 68 McDuffie, C LG 75 G. Thind
C 65 Austin, T C 71 William Brown
RG 74 Pilgrim, B RG 74 Heath Batchelor
RT 67 Capote, C RT 78 Justin Sorensen
TE 86 Palmer, M TE 80 Andy Boyd
QB 10 Harper, C QB 12 Blake Mitchell
RB 1 Davis, J FB 39 Lanard Stafford
RB 28 Spiller, C TB 3 Cory Boyd
POS ## DEFENSE POS ## DEFENSE
DE 94 Merling, P DE 40 Eric Norwood
NG 97 Scott, D DT 97 Kenrick Ellis
DT 91 Jackson, Ra DT 91 Ladi Ajiobye
DE 7 Sapp, R DE 51 Casper Brinkley
SLB 20 Billie, T SLB 45 Rodney Paulk
MLB 45 Vincent, C MLB 53 Marvin Sapp
WLB 32 Watkins, N WLB 83 Cliff Matthews
CB 38 Chancellor, C CB 7A Ad. Williams
FS 22 Clemons, C FS 32 Darian Stewart
CAT 25 Hamlin, M SS 21 Emanuel Cook
CB 18 Butler, C CB 36 Stoney Woodson
Clemson: 2-McDaniel, D, 5-Taylor, R, 8-Cumbie, J, 12-Gilchrist, M, 14-Buchholz, M, 16-Wade, M, 17-Wade, C, 21-Dye, X,
24-Alexander, K, 26-Harris, L, 27-Chambers, S, 33-Conner, K, 35-Macko, P, 36-Maxwell, B, 41-Pearson, A, 43-Clay, A, 44-Cooper, S,
47-Miller, J, 49-Maners, J, 54-Leonard, C, 55-Hutchinson, B, 57-Murchison, A, 61-Hairston, C, 70-Grant, J, 71-Humphries, B,
76-Lambert, C, 83-Faerber, N, 84-Robinson, A, 87-Ashe, T, 88-Linthicum, B, 89-Chavis, M, 90-Brown, K.
South Carolina: 3D-Greg Wright, 3C-R. Valentine, 4C-Mike Newton, 5-Carlos Thomas, 6A-Melvin Ingram, 6-Tommy Beecher,
8-Larry Freeman, 10-Brian Maddox, 14-Ryan Succop, 17-Chris Culliver, 18-Dion Lecorn, 19-Nick Prochak, 20-Taylor Rank,
24-Cody Wells, 25-Mike Davis, 26-Brandon Isaac, 27-Ty Erving, 28-Chris Hail, 30-Yvan Banag, 31-Gerrod Sinclair, 33-Chris Hampton,
42-T. Robertson, 43-Ryan Brown, 46-Bryan Kingrey, 47-Patrick DiMarco, 57-L. Jeanpierre, 59-Charles Turner, 63-Seaver Brown,
70-G. Anderson, 79-Marque Hall, 82-Freddie Brown, 84-Jared Cook, 88-Weslye Saunders, 93-Robert Pavlovic, 98-Joel Reaves,
99-Jon Williams.
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