Tigers let one player steal the show and rivalry win

The Gamecocks rushed for 267 yards against Wes Goodwin's defense.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Saturday, November 30 2024

CLEMSON – Too much LaNorris Sellers.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:08 remaining to lift No. 15 South Carolina to a 17-14 victory over No. 12 Clemson Saturday afternoon in a cold Death Valley.

The Tigers seemed to be in control for much of the game but didn’t take advantage of multiple opportunities and let the Gamecocks use a big fourth quarter to earn the victory. Both teams are now 9-3 on the season. Clemson awaits the result of the Syracuse and Miami game to learn if a berth in the ACC Championship is still possible (Miami loses and Clemson faces SMU next week in Charlotte).

Quarterback Cade Klubnik was 24-for-36 for 280 yards and Antonio Williams had eight catches for 99 yards. After the Gamecocks went ahead, Klubnik drove the Tigers down to the South Carolina 18, but his pass was deflected and intercepted to end the game.

The teams played a scoreless first quarter, with both defenses registering big stops. Clemson forced Sellers into a fumble on the Gamecocks’ first drive, and South Carolina held on a 4th-and-1 inside their own 20.

But the Tigers found paydirt early in the second quarter. Taking over at their own 43, Klubnik hit Williams on a 40-yard pass to the South Carolina 17. Two plays later it was Klubnik on the keeper with a 13-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.

The Gamecocks didn’t take long to respond, and it was Sellers doing the damage. He escaped the pocket and rumbled 25 yards for the tying score with just under 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched straight down the field for a score. The Tigers mixed in the quick game with the quarterback run and quickly reached the 30-yard line of the Gamecocks. A 12-yard pass to Williams set up Klubnik’s 18-yard scramble to the goal line, and the Tigers led 14-7.

The game then settled into an uneasy rhythm. Both offenses would make plays and put together drives, but both defenses would make plays when necessary. Avieon Terrell stripped a South Carolina ball carrier to end a drive, the Tigers got cute and fumbled back to the Gamecocks, and Khalil Barnes ended another deep South Carolina incursion with an easy interception of Sellers.

The Gamecocks finally got back on the board midway through the fourth quarter with a 42-yard field goal from Alex Herrera. With 6:48 on the game clock, the Tigers led 14-10.

The Gamecocks attempted an onside kick, and the Tigers came out of the brief scrum with the ball at their own 44-yard line. However, another three-and-out gave the ball back to the Gamecocks, and Sellers took over the game. His 27-yard rush set up his 20-yard scramble for a touchdown, and the Gamecocks had their first lead of the game at 17-14 with 1:08 to play.

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